A 20-Minute Session of Soul, Slapback & Swagger
The Setup
Guitar: R6
Amp: Fender Pro Junior IV
Pedals Used:
- Donner Boost Killer (boost/drive)
- Danelectro Cool Cat Tremolo
- H.B.E. Mimic Mock I (slapback delay)
Chain Focus:
R6 → Boost Killer → Cool Cat Trem → Mimic Mock I → Pro Junior IV
“Plug in, set intentions to clean, and let the blues find you.”
The Session
Part I – The Clean Start
Everything opened up with clean tones — neck and middle positions (1, 2, and 3) — cradled by subtle slapback from the Mimic Mock I. An A minor blues scale flowed, a familiar melody I’ve returned to countless times, but today it carried a different kind of warmth.
Part II – Singing and Shifting
The Boost Killer stepped in, adding some glass and bite. The same melody held its shape but sang a little louder. I moved into “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” in E major — letting each note bloom, hanging gently in the air.
Part III – Rock Movements
Then came a hard turn: D–C–G–D chord hits — solid, ringing. A clean punch through the amp that reminded me how much rhythm work can move a heart.
Part IV – Grit and Grooves
The drone of open A grounded the next bit — sliding into John Lee Hooker-style licks, letting the rhythm hypnotize. That led to some Cobain-flavored E riffs, grungy and growling, like ghosts in the basement of the blues.
Part V – Trem-Soaked Turnarounds
The Cool Cat Tremolo came alive, and the blues came back — this time with shimmer. Then, a full round of A7–D7–E7 barre chord changes, repeated over and over, transitioning into their walking bassline counterparts, moving under my fingertips like water over stones.
Part VI – Breaking Up
I pushed the Pro Junior into its sweet spot with breakup tones and let a classic E7–A7–B7 rock progression rip. It wasn’t about volume — just urgency.
Part VII – Gentle Goodbye
To close, everything dialed back. I switched to fingerpicking mode and played “If” by Bread — three minutes of gentle harmonics, slow open chords, and heartfelt phrasing.
What R6 Told Me Today
R6 isn’t loud, but it speaks with conviction. This wasn’t about nailing a tone or showing off a scale. It was about visiting old places with new eyes — familiar progressions, reimagined with subtle texture and newfound intention.
Today, blues met worship, rock met restraint, and tone met tenderness.
And for 20 minutes, I believed I could tell stories through six strings again.