"This Charming Man" is arguably the finest jangle ever committed to tape — a cascade of bright, interlocking arpeggios that sounds like several guitars at once, because it is. Here's how Johnny Marr built it.
What makes the tone. Layering — Marr famously stacked many guitar takes to build that shimmering wall; you can suggest it with two or three parts. A bright, clean amp with Fender-y sparkle and no dirt. A jangly guitar (Rickenbacker/Fender), often played with a capo high on the neck for that chiming, compressed ring. And a touch of compression and reverb to glue it together.
The analogue recipe. Clean amp, bright, a light compressor for sustain and sparkle, a splash of reverb. Use a capo and pick out arpeggios rather than strumming — and double-track if you can; even two passes thickens it enormously.
On a Boss GT-100 / GT-1000 / GX-100. A clean Fender-style amp, a gentle compressor up front, a little reverb and a hair of chorus to imply the layering. Gain at zero.
On a Kemper. A sparkly clean Fender profile, light comp and reverb, maybe a subtle doubler or chorus in the loop to widen it.
Skip the guesswork. The Soulster Tonebook for fans of The Smiths → gives you Marr's clean settings for Boss GT and Kemper. The full method is in our Johnny Marr guitar tone guide →.
Put it on the wall. The "This Charming Man" print → and t-shirt → — the jangle, framed. Also on the "This Charming Man" Practice print →.
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