Find out how the virtuosic guitarist achieves his smooth, soulful sound.
Tom Misch began producing and releasing music when he was 17 and quickly cemented himself as a prodigal talent. The British guitarist ascended rapidly, known for his blend of contemporary and jazz-style playing paired with soulful vocals and lo-fi production techniques.
Following collaborations with De La Soul, Yussef Dayes and Freddie Gibbs across four albums, Misch stepped away from music at the peak of his popularity in 2022 – cancelling an upcoming Australian tour and citing mental health burnout in an Instagram post.
View this post on Instagram
After some self-reflection, slowing down and writing at his own pace, Misch is returning with a new album on March 27, Full Circle. The album is slated to have a stripped-back sound in comparison to earlier releases, as well as plenty of introspection. We unpack how Misch achieves his signature sound and what we can expect to carry into his next release.
Catch up on all the latest features here.
Guitars
Stratocasters
Misch typically employs a John Mayer Signature Stratocaster as his workhorse guitar. Heard on thousands of funk and soul albums and known for their versatility, Strats have served musicians well for more than 70 years, and Misch is no exception. A Stratocaster can be heard on all of Misch’s albums, and this particular signature model was used for his NPR Tiny Desk Concert in 2018. Misch had also been pictured playing Nile Rodgers’ signature Hitmaker Stratocaster in a since-deleted social media video. On top of this, Misch has used a PRS Silver Sky – the Stratocaster body model from that brand – which he claimed was gifted to him by a friend.
Hollow body guitars
Used on some of his jazzier tracks, Misch’s 1960s Gibson ES-335 is another iconic silhouette that the guitarist leans on. He’s been pictured playing one with a tasteful tobacco burst finish, block inlays and a Bigsby tailpiece. This guitar was used on an episode of Against The Clock as well as during Misch’s Quarantine Sessions videos. Misch also owns a similar Ibanez AF 75 and, according to the brand’s website, uses a D’Angelico Deluxe Bob Weir SS.
Other guitars
In a jam video featuring Yussef Dayes and Rocco Pallodino, Misch is seen playing a white Fender Custom Shop Telecaster with a relic finish.
Effects
Misch is known for his warm, clean tones. But he still performs with a pretty stacked pedalboard to achieve his signature sound, using subtle effects blends to maintain cleanliness while adding some character to his tone.
Chorus and reverb are generally always-on for Misch, though they sit at a low level to create more warmth than warble. He’s been pictured with a Strymon BigSky Reverb in several Instagram posts, as well as the ZVEX Vexter Instant Lo-Fi Junky Chorus Vibrato to add some colour to his clean sounds.
One of Misch’s signature sounds is his blend of envelope filters with octave pedals, which he regularly uses during solos and other lead runs –his Tiny Desk concert showcases this. He’s used both the Aguilar Dual Envelope Filter (typically for bass guitars) and the much larger but more dynamic Moog MF-101. These are usually paired with the EHX Nano POG Octave pedal to give Misch’s lead breaks bounciness in playing responsiveness and some tonal variance to any melody. Occasionally, this pairing is also used with some delay thrown on top – Misch tends to employ Boss’s DD-7 Digital Delay.
No guitarist’s board is complete without overdrive, and Misch is no exception – though he uses it sparingly and more to simulate some gentle tube crunch. The iconic Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini seems to be a staple in his effects loop, and a rotation between Frederic Effects’ Zombie Klone and the rarer Analog Alien Rumble Seat is in place for higher-gain use.
A Boss RC-30 Dual Track Looper is also regularly pictured but likely used for home jamming and practice, and there are regular inclusions of a Fender Micro Compressor as well as a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor.
Amplifiers
Misch tends to run through clean amps with plenty of headroom. He often performs live on a Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue and has uploaded photos where he’s practising on both a Blackstar Fly 3W Guitar Combo Amp and a red Roland Cube Street. On his early recordings, he famously ran his guitar into Logic Pro 9’s “Guitar Amp Pro” stock plugin, showcasing his ability to get the most out of the tools at his disposal from a young age.
