Song
Gravity
John Mayer · Continuum · 2006
Preview and cover from Apple Music
- Amp
- Dumble Steel String Singer
- Guitar
- Fender Custom Shop 'Black One' Stratocaster
- Tuning
- E standard
On the record, John Mayer played a Fender Custom Shop 'Black One' Stratocaster through a Dumble Steel String Singer and a Two-Rock Custom Reverb Signature. It's in E standard.
The original rig
John Mayer achieves his signature warm, dynamic tone on Gravity using his Custom Shop Black One Stratocaster on the neck pickup through high-headroom Dumble and Two-Rock amplifiers blended together. Transparent overdrive pedals provide subtle mid-boost and sustain, while room microphones capture natural studio ambience for depth.
John Mayer · Rhythm and solo
Settings Commonly cited
- Pickup Position
- Neck
- Volume
- 8 (verse rhythm) / 10 (solo)
- Pickups
- Fender Custom Shop low-output single-coi
Custom-built by John Cruz. The volume knob is backed off slightly for the verses to clean up the sound and opened fully for lead work.
Settings Estimated
- Gain
- 9:00
- Treble
- 11:00
- Output
- 1:00
Used as a clean/transparent boost to add punch and harmonic content without heavily coloring the core tone.
Settings Estimated
- Drive
- 9:00
- Tone
- 11:00
- Level
- 1:00
Provides Mayer's distinctive vocal midrange push and smooth sustain for solos.
Settings Estimated
- Volume
- 11:00
- Treble
- 12:00
- Middle
- 1:00
- Bass
- 11:00
High-headroom boutique clean amplifier delivering enormous dynamic range, low-end clarity, and percussive attack.
Settings Estimated
- Channel
- Clean
- Gain
- 10:00
- Treble
- 12:00
- Middle
- 12:00
- Bass
- 11:00
Paired simultaneously with the Dumble to add bloom, warmth, and touch-sensitive compression.
Custom multi-speaker cabinets arranged in a semicircle during the Continuum recording sessions.
Settings Commonly cited
- Placement
- Side-by-side with M88, two fingers width
Close dynamic mic capturing midrange presence, blended with the M88 onto a single track.
Settings Commonly cited
- Placement
- Side-by-side with SM57, two fingers widt
Close dynamic mic providing extended low-end response and smooth top end, blended with the SM57.
Settings Commonly cited
- Type
- Natural studio room ambience
Engineered by Chad Franscoviak using room mics positioned around the amp semicircle for natural depth rather than artificial reverb units.
- 1.tapatalk.com · tapatalk.com · source
Have the real gear, or another modeller? Start from these. Studio knob positions are rarely written down; these are a starting point.
Researched Oct 2026 · 1 source · How ToneSheet researches a song
Tuning
The record is in E standard, low to high: E A D G B E. Tune your guitar the same way, or tell ToneSheet how it's tuned and your device shifts the tone to match.
Questions about the Gravity guitar tone
What amp did John Mayer use on Gravity?
John Mayer played through a Dumble Steel String Singer (an estimate), with Volume 11:00, Treble 12:00, Middle 1:00, Bass 11:00 (settings estimated); and a Two-Rock Custom Reverb Signature (an estimate), with Channel Clean, Gain 10:00, Treble 12:00, Middle 12:00, Bass 11:00 (settings estimated).
What guitar did John Mayer play on Gravity?
John Mayer played a Fender Custom Shop 'Black One' Stratocaster (commonly cited), with Pickup Position Neck, Volume 8 (verse rhythm) / 10 (solo), Pickups Fender Custom Shop low-output single-coi (settings commonly cited).
What effects did John Mayer use on Gravity?
A Klon Centaur (an estimate) and an Ibanez Tube Screamer (TS10 / TS808) (an estimate).
What tuning is Gravity in?
E standard: low to high, E A D G B E.
How do I get the Gravity guitar tone on an amp modeller?
Start from your modeller's model of the Dumble Steel String Singer, set like the original (Volume 11:00, Treble 12:00, Middle 1:00, Bass 11:00), with a guitar like a Fender Custom Shop 'Black One' Stratocaster, tuned to E standard. Ready presets, with every block's settings: HOTONE Pulze Mini (1).
Presets for Gravity
Tones players shared for their amp modellers, each with every setting, block by block.
HOTONE Pulze Mini1 version
All Pulze Mini presetsMake it for your guitar
Name your guitar and how it's tuned, and ToneSheet makes the tone for it: the pickup and knob settings, and every block on your device.
Different guitar or tuning? Make your own version (1–2 minutes)Updated