Shape of You
Ed Sheeran · ÷ (Divide) · 2017
"Shape of You" has no electric guitar and no amp — the rhythm part is a small-body acoustic, almost certainly one of Sheeran's Martin LX1E Little Martins or a Wee Lowden, recorded dry at Rokstone with his trademark damped strumming and body taps doubling as percussion. The famous marimba-like hook is Steve Mac's keyboard, so don't chase it on guitar. To match it, play capo 4 with Am–Dm–F–G shapes into a clean acoustic amp or DI with the bass trimmed, treble up, and reverb nearly off, and let a compressor even out the 16ths.
Where these numbers come from: worked out from the documented rig and the sound of the record
Tuning
Standard tuning, no capo · Capo at fret 4
Record sits in C# minor; capo 4 with Am–Dm–F–G shapes matches the record, and the same part can be played open with C#m–F#m–A–B barre chords.
Guitar
- Martin LX1E Little Martin · Fishman Sonitone / Mini Q under-saddle · under-saddle piezo blended with mic
- Wee Lowden (Lowden S-series) · acoustic, mic'd · mic'd, no pickup
Amp
None (mic'd acoustic into console preamp)
No guitar amp: the track was cut at Rokstone Studios (Steve Mac, engineers Chris Laws, Dann Pursey, Joe Rubel) with acoustic guitar and body-tap percussion straight to mic/DI, and the log-drum hook is Mac's keyboard, not guitar; sources name Sheeran's Martins and Lowdens generally but never say which guitar was on this take.
Amp
Acoustic combo or DI/PA channel (Fishman Loudbox, AER Compact class)
Practical settings to match the record: clean headroom, low end pulled back so the strum sits above the bass and kick, mids honest, top end up for pick attack and body slap, almost no reverb.
Pedals
- Studio compressor (Tube-Tech CL 1B / LA-2A class) · compression · Moderate ratio, medium attack, fast release — the strum is squeezed tight and even; a pedal compressor at low ratio gets close
- Chewie Monsta II looper · looper · Live rig only, not on the record — Sheeran stacks the damped strum, body-slap percussion and vocals live
Tone character
tight percussive strum · dry, close-miked · scooped low end · bright pick attack · heavily compressed · no amp dirt
Four chords that never change, but the whole part lives in a fast damped 16th-note strum with palm slaps on the guitar body, so it stands or falls on right-hand consistency.
Want this on your own amp?
These are the record's settings. Tell us what you play through and we'll translate every knob to the amp you actually own — free.
Adapt it to my gear