Quick answer: At Slane Castle in 2003, John Frusciante played most of the concert on his 1962 Fender Stratocaster, though a combination of two Marshall Silver Jubilee amps and a Marshall Major 200W. His pedalboard was extensive, but consisted mainly of an Ibanez WH-10 wah pedal, a Boss DS-2, a V.Zexx Fuzz Factory, a Big Muff Pi, and others.
Read on if you want to learn about every single guitar John Frusciante used at Slane Castle, as well as exactly how his pedalboard was set up and which effect pedals were used.
Guitars
1962 Fender Stratocaster
John’s main guitar at Slane Castle was a 1962 Fender Stratocaster. This is the one that has been with him since he rejoined the Peppers in 1999. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, John asked Anthony to lend him some money when he rejoined the band. With that cash, he went to Guitar Center and purchased this very Stratocaster. At that time, John only had a red 1960s Fender Jaguar, which he didn’t feel was good enough for recording.
John used the 1962 Fender Stratocaster on 9 out of 21 songs, making it the most-used guitar that night.
1960s Fender Custom Telecaster
John’s second-most-used guitar at Slane Castle was his Fender Custom Telecaster. He used the guitar on 8 songs in total. The guitar is a 1960 model, with a rosewood fretboard and white binding around the body.
1955 Fender Stratocaster
John’s second Stratocaster at Slane Castle was his 1954 Fender Stratocaster with a maple neck. The guitar was only used on one song, The Zephyr Song.
1955 Gretsch White Falcon
The fourth guitar that John Frusciante used at Slane Castle was his 1957 Gretsch White Falcon. He has often said it’s one of the nicest guitars he owns, both in terms of sound and looks.
John used the Gretsch White Falcon at Slane Castle on the same songs he originally recorded on it – Californication and Otherside.
1940s Martin 0-15
Lastly, John used his vintage Martin 0-15 guitar at Slane Castle, making it the only acoustic guitar he used that night. The guitar only made a brief appearance during the acoustic part near the end of the concert, on the second part of Venice Queen. This is John’s favorite acoustic guitar, and the one he used a lot on his solo projects. For example, you can see it in the video for The Past Recedes.
Amps
Frusciante’s amp rig at Slane Castle consisted of a Marshall Major 200W and two Marshall 2555 Silver Jubilees. The Marshall Major 200W is used mostly for clean tones, and the Silver Jubilee is used for dirty tones. In reality, though, John uses his Boss CE-1 to split the signal between the amps, and often to blend them.
As to why there were two Marshall Silver Jubilees, Dave Lee, John’s guitar tech at the time, said that most often, the second one was used as a standalone amp set to an overdriven tone.
The second Silver Jubilee was a stand-alone amp. Usually with no effects. And set to an overdriven tone. Almost always played with the black Les Paul. We called that the ‘Slash Rig’. I remember during a show in LA, John playing that rig, and Slash standing right in front of him in the audience watching. I remember thinking ‘I wonder if Slash realizes he inspired that rig?’ Ironic.”
Dave Lee for JF Effects (2016)
Effects / Pedalboard
We’ve recreated John’s pedalboard from Slane Castle based on all the footage and images from the concert, and based on the gear that Frusciante used around this time. Below is a short explanation of what each pedal does.
1. Boss FV-50 Volume Pedal
Frusciante had two Boss FV-50 volume pedals on stage, one sitting at the beginning of the signal chain, and the other just before the Line6 DM4 modeler.
The first FV-50 was probably used to mute the signal when John had to switch guitars.
The second FV-50 was likely used as an expression pedal to control a parameter on the DM4, since the DM4 supports an EXP input.
2. Ibanez WH-10 V1 Wah pedal
There were two Ibanez WH-10 (version 1) wah pedals with John on stage at Slane Castle. The reason for this is unknown, except that maybe one was used in the “guitar” mode, and the other in the “bass” mode.
The WH-10 is one of the most important pedals in John’s signal chain because when engaged, it boosts the signal and emphasizes mid frequencies. This, plus John’s CE-1, is basically why his clean tone sounds crunchy sometimes, like in Around the World and Give It Away.
3. Boss DS-2 Turbo Distrortion
John’s three Boss DS-2 pedals on stage at the Slance Castle. Most likely, two were used separately – each set to a different level of gain, to use in different songs. The third DS-2 was possibly used chained with other distortion pedals, like the Big Muff Pi, and a Fuzz Factory, all toggled on together with a Boss PSM-6 switch pedal.
In general, Frusciante relied on the DS-2 as his main source of distorted lead tone, most often using it in the Turbo mode.
4. Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler
Again, John had two Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler pedals on stage. These were used for specific effects on specific songs. One is used on Throw Away Your Television – but more on song-by-song analysis later.
The Line 6 FM4 is basically a digital filter modeler pedal, with effects like classic auto-wahs and envelope filters to outlandish synth sweeps, step filters, and voice box emulations.
5. Reverb Tank pedal
No information on what the Fender ’63 Reverb Tank was used for at Slane Castle, especially since John had another reverb pedal on stage. But since it was there, it could be that this was on most of the time, for a very subtle, warm reverb, and the EHX HolyGrail Reverb was used when John needed heavier reverb.
6. DigiTech PDS-1000 Digital Delay
The DigiTech PDS 1000 is a vintage digital delay pedal (from the late 80s) capable of up to 1 second of delay time. John had two of these on stage, one set at a lower delay rate and the other at a higher.
7. Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble
John’s main effect pedal, used for signal splitting and chorus effect. John uses the preamp section of the CE-1 extensively – it’s the magic behind his “dirty” clean sound. John normally has his preamp set to “high” mode and around 12 o’clock.
8. Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
The Line 6 DL4 is the big green digital delay modeler pedal seen on John’s pedalboard at Slane Castle. Although it has a wide array of delay types (digital, analog, tape echo emulations, etc.), John mostly used it just for its looping function at Slane Castle.
9. MoogerFooger MF-103 Twelve-Stage Phaser
John’s main phaser pedal at Slane Castle was a MoogerFooger MF-103, although in the past he usually used an MXR Phase 90.
10. MXR Micro Amp
John had two MXR Micro Amp pedals on stage at Slane Castle. He used these whenever he needed a little volume boost to his guitars.
11. Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb
Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb is another classic vintage pedal seen on John’s pedalboard at Slane. It’s one of the most iconic reverb pedals out there, and John probably used it when he needed a bit heavier reverb.
12. Boss PSM-5 Switch
According to John’s guitar tech, Dave Lee, John used the Boss PSM-5 to activate three distortion pedals simultaneously. Based on the pedalboard layout (note the three pedals way to the right), these were likely the Big Muff Pi, Fuzz Factory, and the DS-2.
It was used to turn on distortion pedals at the same time. I believe three different pedals. It was also used as a power source for some pedals. At least that’s what I remember.
Dave Lee for JFeffects
13. EHX Big Muff Pi
EHX Big Muff Pi is one of the most iconic distortion pedals, and John used it at Slane Castle to create those beefy overdriven sounds, like in the Parallel Universe choruses. He had two of them on stage, one could be used separately, and the other one was likely chained with other distortion pedals for an even heavier sound.
14. Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress Flanger
John’s main flanger pedal at Slane Castle was an EHX Deluxe Electric Mistress Flanger. This is a classic vintage flanger, and John used it only during the bridge in Can’t Stop.
15. Z.Vex Fuzz Factory
John had two Z.Vex Fuzz Factory pedals on stage. One was likely used separately, for warm fuzzy distortion, and the other chained with other distortion pedals like the DS-2 and the Big Muff Pi.
Song by Song Breakdown
Please note that this is based on personal listening (isolated Slane Castle guitar track can be found in the reference box below), on various covers on YouTube of people trying to replicate John’s sound, and on personal experimentation.
Unfortunately, John never really talked in detail about his use effects at Slane Castle, so all we’re left with is theorycrafting. If you have any suggestions, and perhaps have figured out his tone better, be sure to leave a comment below.
Intro
On the Slane Castle intro jam, John played his 1962 Fender Stratocaster and used a Z.Vex Fuzz Factory pedal together with a Boss DS-2 and a Big Muff Pi to get that squealing sound out of his guitar.
This is John’s main distortion sound for solos throughout the concert. Some say he doesn’t use all three pedals, only two of them at the same time, but no one knows for sure. We are going along with what Dave Lee said about John’s use of the Boss PSM-5 Switch to activate three different distortion pedals at the same time.
By The Way
As the concert transitions to By The Way, John keeps playing the 1962 Stratocaster but turns off the fuzz and the distortion, and goes for a clean sound for the song’s intro. In the verses, during the muted parts, he engages his Ibanez WH-10 wah and leaves it in that position. And we also hear a lot of Reverb in those parts, likely coming from the Electro Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb.
Interlude
The interlude between By The Way and Scar Tissue at Slane Castle is completely clean sound, no pedals whatsoever, except maybe for some reverb (which seems to be most of the time anyway).
Scar Tissue
On Scar Tissue at Slane Castle, John used his 1962 Fender Stratocaster with some Reverb throughout the song. For the solos, he seemed to have used the Fuzz Factory in the first solo, and the Boss DS-2 in the second and the third.
Around the World
On Around the World we have some light distortion in the intro and verses, but this is just John playing his 1960 Fender Custom Telecaster more aggressively with the WH-10 engaged, and occasionally we hear the WH-10 being used. He uses the clean tone during the choruses, and the Boss CE-1 chorus in the outro.
Maybe (John’s cover)
John’s cover of Maybe features a clean guitar tone from his 1960 Fender Telecaster with some reverb.
Universally Speaking
Universally Speaking is John playing his 1960 Telecaster mostly just clean with some reverb. On the choruses and the outro, he uses the Boss CE-1 Chorus effect.
Parallel Universe
For Parallel Universe, John continues using his Telecaster. The intro and the main riff are played half-muted, maybe with some very slight delay and reverb. During the choruses, John uses some really heavy distortion, possibly the combination of three distortion pedals that we’ve talked about previously. The same setup was used on the solo/outro.
Zephyr Song
Zephy Song at Slane Castle was played on John’s 1954 Fender Stratocaster clean with some reverb added. Solos are probably played on a Boss DS-2.
Throw Away Your Television
Before Throw Away Your Television John switches back to his 1960 Telecaster. The intro is played clean but with heavy picking. The muted “scratchy” parts use a lot of reverb to make the sound bigger. Choruses are the MoogerFooger MF-103 Twelve-Stage Phaser.
The first solo on Throw Away Your Television is the purple Line6 FM4 in the “Obi Wha” mode. The buildup to the outro and the outro itself is again most likely the combination of a DS-2/Fuzz Factory/Big Muff Pi.
Havana Affair
The cover of The Ramones’ Havana Affair was played clean with some reverb during the clean parts, and possibly Fuzz Factory during the interlude parts.
Otherside
Otherside at Slane Castle was played on John’s 1957 Gretsch White Falcon, like it was on the original studio record. The guitar was played clean for most of the song, and the solo could have been a Big Muff Pi or a Fuzz Factory.
Purple Stain
Purple Stain was mostly the combination of WH-10 and the CE-1 preamp sound – clean but on the edge of being distorted, and the bridge pickup on John’s 1962 Stratocaster. During the choruses, John would switch to his neck pickup.
Don’t Forget Me
On Don’t Forget Me John used some heavy delay and reverb on the clean and hammer-on/off parts. Choruses have some sort of crunch and a lot of reverb. On both the first and second solo, John uses the WH-10 Wah.
Outro is the same sound as the intro, with delay and reverb, but played with full attack instead of muted.
Right on Time
Right on Time was a simple sound, John’s 1960 Telecaster played aggressively clean during the intro and the verses, and less aggressively during the choruses.
Can’t Stop
Can’t Stop was John’s Telecaster clean, with some Reverb added throughout the song, and maybe the MXR Micro Amp during the verses (John is seen stepping on a pedal right after the first chorus). He used the Electric Mistress Flanger during the bridge, which is the only time he used this pedal at Slane Castle. There’s some distortion during the solos, most likely the DS-2.
Venice Queen
On Venice Queen, John started the song on his 1962 Fender Stratocaster. In the intro, he uses his finger control the volume knob on the guitar, creating those violin-like sounds. He also uses the looper feature of the Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler to store some of the parts in memory, and play them back in the intro, and later, when he went on to switch to an acoustic guitar. The rest of the song was played on a vintage Martin 0-15.
Give it Away
Give it Away sounds like classic John Frusciante “clean” tone, WH-10 and CE-1 boost combined. During the solos, he does activate something, but we can’t see what. Since that sound didn’t change much, it was probably the MXR Micro Amp.
The outro sounds noticeably different, too, and it does sound like he maybe uses a bit of a Fuzz Factory or Big Muff Pi there. At the very end of the song, we hear some Line 6 FM4 magic.
Californication
Californication is one same sound throughout the song, John played his 1957 Gretsch White Falcon – on the solo and the intro with more attack, making it sound more crunchy.
Under the Bridge
Under the Bridge at Slane Castle was just a classic Strat clean sound with some reverb. John uses the CE-1 chorus effect in the outro.
Power of Equality
Power of Equality was John using the Chorus effect on his CE-1, and picking up the guitar hard, while playing some of the strings open, which leads to that crunchy clean tone.
Other Gear (Picks, Strings, Straps)
As far as the other gear John Fruscinate used at Slane Castle concert – all of his guitar had Levy’s MSSC8-BLK guitar straps, and he used the orange Dunlop Tortex 0.60mm guitar picks. For strings, John used the D’Addario EXL110 (.010–.046) on all of his guitars except for the Gretsch White Falcon, on which he used the D’Addario EXL145 (.012–.054) set.
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