Bring On The Dancing Horses Guitar Tone

Written for the film Pretty in Pink and one of the Bunnymen's most enduring songs, Bring On The Dancing Horses pairs a moody, atmospheric arrangement with Will Sergeant's lush, shimmering guitar — cool, melodic and drenched in effects.

What makes the tone. Bright, clean guitar layered with chorus, delay and reverb, ringing out melodic and slightly wistful over the song's moody bed. Sergeant's lines are precise and shimmering rather than driven — the atmosphere comes from the stacked effects and the careful, ringing picking. It's the polished, cinematic end of his post-punk sound.

The analogue recipe. A bright guitar into a chorus and delay, into a clean amp with generous reverb. Bridge or middle pickup for shimmer, gain kept minimal. Set the delay musically so the lines echo and spiral, and let the reverb wash. The wistful, cinematic feel is in the melody and the ambience, not in any grit.

On a Boss GT-100 / GT-1000 / GX-100. A clean, bright amp model with chorus, a musical delay and a big hall reverb. Keep gain at zero. The lush, atmospheric character is entirely in the effects and the melodic, ringing lines — take time over the delay and reverb settings.

On a Kemper. A clean, bright profile with chorus, delay and reverb stomps stacked. Play the lines ringing and precise. As with all of Sergeant's work, restraint on gain and generosity on ambience is the recipe.

Skip the guesswork. The Soulster Tonebook for fans of Echo & the Bunnymen → collects Sergeant's chorus, delay and reverb settings for his lush mid-80s tones — and our Will Sergeant guitar tone guide → goes deeper.

See all 80 Echo & the Bunnymen prints →

Put it on the wall. The "Bring On The Dancing Horses" Kitchen Sink print → and Studio Life t-shirt → celebrate one of the band's best-loved songs. Also on the "Bring On The Dancing Horses" Practice print → and the "Bring On The Dancing Horses" Studio print →.