One of the warmest, most melodic moments on The Queen Is Dead, Cemetery Gates pairs a lilting, acoustic-flavoured strum with bright electric chime — Johnny Marr at his sunniest and most tuneful.
What makes the tone. The bed is a bright, rhythmic acoustic strum, over which sits clean, compressed electric jangle. Capo'd voicings give it that glassy, ringing top end, and the whole thing feels warm and open rather than moody. There's no grit here — it's a lush, layered clean sound built for the song's easy, strolling feel.
The analogue recipe. Layer an acoustic strum with a bright electric into a clean Fender or Vox amp. Capo high for the sparkling open chords, light compression to smooth it, a touch of reverb for glow. Keep everything clean and let the acoustic and electric parts interlock. Warmth and sparkle in equal measure.
On a Boss GT-100 / GT-1000 / GX-100. A clean amp model for the electric, bright EQ, compressor and a gentle reverb; layer an acoustic sim or a real acoustic underneath. Capo the guitar. No drive — the tone is all shimmer and warmth.
On a Kemper. A clean, bright profile with a compressor and light reverb, layered with acoustic. The interplay between the strummed acoustic and the chiming electric is the whole thing — get both ringing cleanly.
Skip the guesswork. The Soulster Tonebook for fans of The Smiths → breaks down Marr's acoustic-and-electric layering with settings and chains — and our Johnny Marr guitar tone guide → goes deeper.
Put it on the wall. The "Cemetery Gates" Kitchen Sink print →, the "Cemetery Gates" Practice print → and the "Cemetery Gates" Studio print → celebrate a Queen Is Dead favourite.
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Shoplifters Guitar Tone: Marr's Harmony Solo