Use Somebody
Kings of Leon · Only by the Night · 2008
The rhythm bed is Caleb Followill's 1972 Gibson ES-325 into a Matchless combo, which is what producer Jacquire King named for this specific track. Set the amp just into breakup and let pick attack do the rest: the verse chug should be nearly clean, the chorus fattening up as you dig in. Keep pedals out of it — the space you hear is the room and Blackbird's mic chain (SM57 and U67 into API pres), not delay on the floor.
Where these numbers come from: worked out from the documented rig and the sound of the record
Tuning
Standard tuning, no capo
Album version sits in C major at standard pitch; the ringing high line over the top is Matthew's second guitar, not the rhythm part.
Guitar
- Gibson ES-325 (1972) · Gibson mini-humbuckers · bridge pickup
Amp
Matchless DC-30
Producer/engineer Jacquire King said the amp on "Use Somebody" was Caleb's Matchless; the DC-30 is the Matchless model he is documented using. It has no gain, mid, presence or reverb controls — run the top-boost channel volume around 6-7 with Master about 4-5 and Cut around 4 for edge-of-breakup chime.
Amp
Vox AC15
A 2009 Guitar Player gear guide gives a competing account, saying Caleb tracked with an ES-325 into a Vox AC15 while the Matchless was his live amp; the AC15 is also the easiest modern stand-in for the record's chime and light crunch. No mid or presence control — use Tone Cut around 4.
Pedals
- Fulltone Full-Drive II · overdrive (Caleb's live rig; not documented on the session) · Drive 2-3, Tone 5, Volume just above unity — only if you can't push the amp loud enough to break up
- Eventide DSP4000 · studio reverb/delay (album, documented on "Sex on Fire" guitars) · Short plate-style ambience, low mix — the record's guitar space is studio, not pedal
Tone character
chime with fat low mids · light tube breakup · mini-humbucker bite · open and roomy · dynamic, touch-sensitive
Open C, C/E, Fmaj7 and Am shapes at a steady 136 bpm — the work is keeping the driving eighth-note strum even and pulling back hard in the verses so the choruses lift.
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