A photo of Thom reaching down to adjust the “Shift” knob on his Earthquaker Devices Hoof V2 fuzz (Greg Williams).
Last week, Greg Williams made a series of Instagram posts sharing photos from last November. The photos document Radiohead’s visit to Italy, with photos not only of their concert in Bologna but also the lead-up and aftermath. The photos were taken for a cover story in Williams’s magazine Hollywood Authentic.
Although the most surprising images are likely those taken backstage — such as Thom taking a nap post-yoga — the photos from soundcheck at the Unipol Arena provide some interesting gear details too. Though we’ve already covered most of this gear on our 2025 Tour Page, seeing things up close provide some new insights.
Thom’s Guitar Pedalboard
Though we’ve seen photos of Thom’s board on the recent tour (with all pedals listed here), it’s a rare treat to see individual settings!
Front and center is the Earthquaker Devices Hoof V2 fuzz. This pedal found its way onto Thom’s board during the Smile’s summer 2022 tour, and it stuck around for the rest of that band’s tours. Here, Thom is adjusting the Hoof’s “Shift” knob, which adjusts “mid content.” The Hoof is loosely based on the circuit of the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, a pedal known for its huge, mid-scooped sound. The Shift knob makes the circuit more versatile by making those mids adjustable.
Thom’s Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Nano reverb is blocked by his hand, but the settings on the Death By Audio Echo Dream 2 sitting beside it are clear. The Echo Dream 2 also made its way onto Thom’s board during the Smile era, and its chaotic sound is particularly associated with the single You Will Never Work In Television Again. Thom appears to have most of the knobs just shy of noon, giving a sound with equal amounts of fuzz and short, modulated delay.
The Strymon Timeline’s settings can be ignored, since they’re overridden by the currently selected preset, but it looks like that preset is titled “SLAPBACK” (a common term for a short echo with a single repeat). The Boss RE-20 Space Echo is set fairly atmospheric, but from the position of the mode switch it appears that the reverb is disabled (in spite of a label for the reverb level control).
The large, knobless pedal is actually used for Thom’s vocal microphone. It allows him to temporarily send the mic’s signal to a second signal path.
And perhaps the greatest mystery of all has been solved: the shape of the “STREAM/CENT” button and the extra text above it show that Thom is using a Boss TU-3 tuner, not a TU-2.
Jonny’s Modular Synths
As on Radiohead’s 2018 tour, Jonny brought two modular synthesizer racks. Each rack has the same set of modules made by Analogue Systems. On past tours, both racks were used for Idioteque, with one case serving as a backup for the other. On this tour, the rack on the left was configured differently for Sit Down. Stand Up. For more info on the modular, we have a full writeup (including modulargrid mockups) on Jonny’s page.
In the photo of Jonny’s modular, we can see the changes that Jonny made to his “drum machine” patch in order to play Sit Down. Stand Up. A notable difference is that he connected his sequencer’s TRIG 1 output directly to his RS-80 envelope generator to trigger a kick drum. This avoids the need for the RS-50 module, which he uses on Idioteque to convert the control voltages from the sequencer’s knob outputs into triggers of specified length.
We can also see that the TRIG 2 output is used to trigger Snare sounds, with a similar setup to Idioteque. And similarly, the TRIG 3 output (which outputs a trigger on every step) is connected to the clock divider. However, in contrast to Idioteque, the clock divider’s outputs are used to trigger hihats and beeping tones, rather than changing the pitch of the beeps. That’s because the beeps on Sit Down receive pitch CV from the top sequencer row, allowing Jonny to create more varied beeps and bloops.
Thom’s Nylon-String Guitar
Thom playing a classical guitar backstage. The exact instrument is unknown, but it’s different from the Taylor electro-acoustic classical that Thom used for the Smile’s performances in 2024. Perhaps this is the one used for the recording of The Smile’s Bodies Laughing (full analysis of that song here).
Colin’s Keyboards
A photo of Greg taking a photo of Thom with one of his Martin acoustics (Colin Greenwood via Greg Williams). In the foreground, we can see Colin’s two MIDI keyboards for the tour: a Roland PCR-500 (bottom) and an Arturia MiniLab 3 in black (top).
From Everything In Its Right Place: Jonny sampling Thom’s voice with the Korg Kaoss Pad, Thom playing chords on the Rhodes (romeocrank).
Despite the fact that Nigel shared some incontrovertible evidence of Thom playing a vintage Prophet 5 on the recording of Everything In Its Right Place, it’s a common misconception that Thom played it on a Rhodes electric piano. But you can’t completely blame people for thinking it was the Rhodes, because Thom did perform the song on the vintage electric piano at Radiohead shows from 2001 to 2012.
However, for Radiohead’s shows from 2016-2018, the band switched to a new arrangement. Thom played the band’s Prophet ‘08 synthesizer, and the song’s outro was extended with a dance-y new bass-line from Colin.
This year, the band is back to the old arrangement! You can get a great view of Thom playing the Rhodes in this video. Perhaps Thom got all of his synth energies out in the past year, between his solo Everything tour and the release of his collaborative album Tall Tales with Mark Pritchard.
We plan to have dedicated posts on specific bits of gear throughout the tour. But we thought it’d be useful to have a list of everything in one place. You can find it here.
Radiohead’s upcoming tour is fast approaching, and preparations are well under way! Last week, Daniel Steinhardt from TheGigRig shared details of Colin’s new pedalboard! The board features all the classics, plus several cool additions! (Is that too many exclamation marks? It’s hard not to use them with all this exciting news!)
Read our full analysis with details and history on each pedal, or skip to the end for a list of everything…
Colin’s latest pedalboard! Photo shared by Daniel Steinhardton Sep 19.
Last month, we made a full analysis of Ed’s board for the upcoming tour. That board was shared on the main TheGigRig account, but Colin’s board was posted on Dan’s personal Instagram account. Dan seems to have really enjoyed building a board for Colin, saying:
“Amidst all the stress of running a business, looking after staff, planning, designing, imagineering, and the day to day grind, I do need to remind myself, I get to do some really cool stuff. Building this board has been so much fun and such an honour 🤓🙏”
Returning Giants
The mainstays of Colin’s pedalboard are back! Most prominent is the bright orange Lovetone Big Cheese. Acquired in circa-1999, it’s responsible for the fuzzy tone on live versions of The National Anthem, Packt like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box, and Myxomatosis. Partly hidden beneath the Cheese is Colin’s other fuzz pedal: the Shin-ei FY-2 he acquired in the mid-1990s. Colin uses its huge, scooped sound sparingly, saving it for a gut-punch at the end of Exit Music (for a film). Both fuzz pedals were part of Colin’s setup before he even had a pedalboard. Instead, they sat on top of his rack setup.
At the fore of the board is Colin’s SansAmp Programmable Bass Driver DI. He’s used the Sansamp since circa-2005, when he abandoned rack preamps and Gallien-Krueger heads in favor of Ampeg SVT heads. Colin uses the SansAmp for an overdriven tone on live performances of Ful Stop, and probably a few others too.
A big-box Electro-Harmonix Micro Synth appeared in a couple Radiohead gear photos over the years. It eventually landed on Colin’s touring pedalboard for the A Moon Shaped Pool era. This time, he’s using the more recent Electro-Harmonix Bass Micro Synth XO, which is a lot more micro than the original!
The Boss TU2 tuner is certainly less dramatic than the other returning favorites, but it makes up for that in its huge reputation as a standard on touring pedalboards. The paler orange color and the circular LEDs on the display show that it is indeed a TU2, not the more recent TU3. Colin has used a Boss tuner pedal since circa-2005, when he abandoned his massive Korg ToneWorks rack tuner.
A closeup of the SansAmp. Note the “FULSTOP” label under the LED for the SansAmp’s preset #1. Since the pedal uses presets, the knob positions can be ignored.
New Kids
Probably the most interesting new pedal on Colin’s board is an Origin Effects Bassrig ‘64. The Bassrig is an amp-in-a-box, replicating the circuit of vintage Fenders using transistors instead of tubes. It blends those with some bass-oriented features, like filters for the main output and a a dry blend control. It covers a lot of ground with Colin’s SansAmp, but perhaps the pedals cover different. Colin has the black panel version of the Bassrig, which is internally identical to the regular silver version.
The Origin Effects Cali76 Bass isn’t too much of a surprise—even Colin’s Boss-loving brother is using one of the boutique compressors on his The Smile board! And it makes sense: the Cali76 is based on the vintage UREI 1176 rack compressor that Nigel’s used countless times on Radiohead recordings. Colin’s Cali76 replaces the Diamond Compressor that he used during the A Moon Shaped Pool era. It’s a funny contrast with Ed, who went back to a Diamond after using a Cali76 on his Earth touring board. Like the Bassrig, Colin has the black panel version, which is internally identical to the regular silver version.
The Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor might seem pretty innocuous, but it’s an a pretty interesting addition! Not only is it the first time Colin’s had a noise gate on his pedalboard, it’s the first time any member of Radiohead has had one! In the past, a noise gate was doubtless applied to Colin’s mic’d and DI signals at the FOH mixer. However, using a pedal reduces the noise at the source, meaning there’s less need to process all of the later signals as heavily. Removing the noise before Colin’s amp also means that there’s less noise on stage. However, it’s also possible that the NS-2 is only being used in combination with one particularly noisy pedal, perhaps the Shin-ei fuzz.
A closeup of Colin’s board, from a video shared by Dan, highlighting the QMX-2 switcher. Note patchbay on the right edge of the board.
True Bypass Switchers
Another new addition for Colin are true bypass loops. These keep the extra cables for each pedal out of the signal chain when not needed. They also just make it easier to turn pedals on and off. Each pedal gets a dedicated footswitch, in contrast to the controllers used by Ed (where each footswitch can be programmed to switch multiple loops simultaneously).
Colin is using a pair of TheGigRig’s Quartermaster bypass switchers. The one at the front of the board is a four-channel Quartermaster QMX-4. The smaller one, hidden under the riser, is a two-channel Quartermaster QMX-2.
A closeup of Colin’s board, from a video shared by Dan, highlighting the QMX-4 switcher. Note the individual labels for each effect.
More about the Board
All pedals are powered by a TheGigRig GENX14 DC power supply, which is mounted to the underside of the riser to keep it out of the way!
In a reply to his post, Dan also stated that the board itself is one of TheGigRig’s Large Single Tier boards.
Although most of the details of the board were shared on Dan’s personal page, one photo was stealthily shared on the main account too. The post only talks about the customizable rear panels on TheGigRig’s boards, but Colin’s Lovetone Meatball and the knobs of his Shin-ei Fuzz make it clear that this could be no one else’s board!
A photo of the back of Colin’s board, shared to the TheGigRig page on Sep 22. None of the pedals have a power cable connected, so this photo must’ve been taken partway through the build.
You might’ve noticed a stray, unplugged XLR cable in the other photos. It goes to the XLR connector on the back of the board. It’s a little surprising that the cable isn’t connected to the SansAmp, given how close together they are. But there’s also a couple of unplugged ¼" cables too. Perhaps the Radiohead crew are planning to stick a DI box in there?
The cables are all custom made for the build, each kept as short as possible. The right angle ¼" connectors are Eminence x TheGigRig Tiny Plugs. The straight ¼" connectors are Squareplug SPS connectors in black.
With the riser lifted up, we can see the GENX14 velcro’d to its underside (in the upper left corner of this image).
On the most recent episode of GigRig’s ChatTGR series, Dan Steinhardt revealed the details of a new pedalboard setup for Ed. The segment on Radiohead is from 35:56-41:42, with video of a GigRig tech testing the board at 38:53-41:20. Dan also revealed that he’s building a board for Colin! However, Jonny doesn’t want a professionally made board, because Jonny “likes that his board doesn’t work, he likes that has to kick it.”
Dan has assembled Ed’s boards for a decade now, and often creates different ones not only for each of Ed’s projects, but also different ones for studio and touring. The new board is specifically designed for Radiohead’s upcoming European tour dates. Ed has spent a month with the new setup, and last Tuesday he met with Dan and expressed how happy he is with the new sounds he’s able to create with it.
Switching Systems
The new board consists of three distinct smaller boards. As Jake explains in the video, the left board is mainly overdrives, the center board is weird ambient effects, and the right board is delay effects.
Ed has used true bypass loops since the In Rainbows era, and he’s used TheGigRig switching systems since 2014 (before that he used Voodoo Labs switchers). These systems allows Ed to enable and disable any arrangement of his pedals by pressing a single switch on the controller unit. As Dan explains in the video, the G3S switcher on the primary board is the control center of the setup. It’s programmed with presets designed for specific songs. The G3S ATOM on each outer board is controlled by the central G3S. So the song presets on the center G3S apply to all three pedalboards.
Looking for New Sounds
Ed’s previous Radiohead touring board consisted of two boards, one with his core effects and one with weirder effects primarily used for newer songs. The core board featured a bunch of pedals aimed at creating the sounds of specific albums, such as a JHS Angry Charlie V2 (a modified clone of the Guvnor, used to recreate Ed’s 90s tones) and a ThorpyFX Muffroom Cloud (standing in for Ed’s Big Cheese fuzz).
This time, it looks like Ed is mainly using the newer effects he fell in love with while working on solo material. This applies to his drive board in particular, with a Kingley Harlot and Page at the core of his overdrive and distortion sounds. As such, it seems likely that older songs will take on a newer sound at the upcoming tour dates. In a sense, it may be reminiscent of Radiohead’s Haiti Benefit show. At that concert, Radiohead played songs from across their discography using only the gear they brought to LA to record The King of Limbs.
Full details of the new boards below. For a full description of all of Ed’s pedalboards since 1993, including all of Dan’s builds, check out this page.
Left Board: Overdrive and Compression
Xotic XW-1 wah
JHS NOTAKLÖN
Diamond Compressor (original version)
Kingsley Page V2 tube boost
Kingsley Harlot V3 tube overdrive
JHS Color Box V2 (10th Anniversary Edition)
TheGigRig G3S ATOM Switching System
Center Board: Pitch and Glitch
Top Row:
Sonic Research Turbo Tuner
Diamond Tremolo TRM-1 (Ed’s original in custom blue)
Hologram Electronics Microcosm
Hologram Electronics Chroma Console
Bottom Rows:
Gamechanger PLUS pedal
Gamechanger WET switch (PLUS pedal expander)
Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork +
Digitech Whammy Ricochet
Red Panda Tensor
TheGigRig G3S Switching System
Floating (left of the center board):
unknown black pedal
unknown volume/expression pedal (maybe Dunlop DVP4 with some tape)
Right Board: Delay and Looping
Boss DD-3 delay (Ed’s original delay)
Boss DD-3T delay
OTO Machines BIM 12-bit delay
Electro-Harmonix Memory Man delay (vintage big box)
In this photo from 2001, Thom plays a Korg that I'm not proficient enough to identify. I'm not able to find this Korg attached to him on the website, so I'd like to know what he is playing here and for what song. I'm most baffled by Colin playing upright bass, which may leave YAWA & Pyramid Song, for which I believe he neither played a Korg, so I am stumped!
Thank you very much for the submission!
This photo is doubtless from a performance of Motion Picture Soundtrack. During 2000 and 2001, Thom experimented with various digital organ keyboards for performances of the song. He paired the organs with an Electro-Harmonix Micro Synthesizer effects pedal in order to get a more distorted sound, presumably to better emulate the crunchiness of the late-1800s Putnam & Co pump organ/harmonium used on the original recording. Colin likely played the same double bass as in the photo, a South Korean student model bass, for the studio recording of the song. However, the harps on the studio recordings are samples which Jonny processed. The choir near the end is also a sample, specifically one from the 1963 film Donovan’s Reef (this was identified by casiopeia67).
Jonny sitting at the band’s Putnam and Co pedal organ at Radiohead’s studio during the recording of In Rainbows in 2006-2007. It’s worth noting that this is the same instrument that the band used for Thinking About You on Pablo Honey (listen at the very end of the song to hear the same mechanical noises from the organ as during Motion Picture Soundtrack). The band purchased it from Chipping Norton when that studio closed down in 1999.
The particular digital organ visible here is a Korg CX-3 — specifically the version produced from 1979-1991. The later digital version, produced from 2001-2011, has the “CX-3” model number printed on the back panel next to the “Korg” logo. At a glance, the CX-3 looks very similar to Jonny’s Hammond XB-2. Both have a single manual of 61 waterfall-style keys, both have wooden cabinets, and both have a set of drawbars in a control panel to the left of the keyboard. These similarities are unsurprising, as both are “clone-wheels”: replicas of Hammond tone-wheel organs meant to be more portable than a vintage B3. But perhaps the most notable difference between the keyboards is that the original CX-3 used analog technology, while both the later CX-3 and the Hammond XB-2 used a digital sound engine.
Thom playing an organ during Motion Picture Soundtrack in Toronto in 2000. Note the EHX Micro-Synthesizer pedal on top of the pedal. In addition to it, there is also a direct box and what appears to be a small speaker (presumably serving as a monitor).
In fact, although we’ve written that Thom borrowed the XB-2 for performances in 2000, it’s possible that he in fact used the CX-3. The keyboards are extremely similar in a side-profile, particularly in the blurry footage we have of the band’s show in Toronto on October 17, 2000. The 2000 tour seems to be one of their worst-documented, so hopefully someone can dig up some more photos or footage.
Here are a couple photos of the control panels of an original Korg CX-3 (left) and a Hammond XB-2 (right) (Audiofanzine: CX-3, XB-2). The similar placement of the drawbars and buttons makes the keyboards hard to distinguish. However, the XB-2 has an additional panel beneath the keyboard with buttons and a small LCD display (these extra buttons control a variety of features, from vibrato tuning to preset selection). In contrast, the Korg has an overall thicker wooden cabinet. The newer version of the CX-3 has an added panel above keyboard for the drawbars, which makes it easy to distinguish.
Jonny playing his Hammond XB-2 during Nude (then called Big Ideas) at a soundcheck on April 17, 1998 at the Radio City Music Hall in New York (source: Meeting People is Easy).
On September 16, Sadowsky Guitars shared this new photo of Colin with his custom bass guitar on the company’s instagram page. Although the post’s description didn’t contain much info, they have shared quite a bit in the past.
Back in July 2018, Colin stopped by Sadowsky’s shop in New York City in between Radiohead shows at Madison Square Garden (the band played the venue four times that week). His visit was to discuss a custom build with shop manager Lisa Ellis Mitra-Hahn. Roger Sadowsky has made custom guitars in NYC under the Sadowsky name since the late-1970s, but in the intervening decades the company has expanded to a team of custom builders, plus relatively-lower-priced models produced in Germany under the MetroLine moniker.
Colin stopped by again to pick up that custom build nearly a year later, on the morning of June 10, 2019. This time, Sadowsky provided a lot more info on the build, including a bunch of close-up photos of the instrument. Visually, the bass instantly draws a resemblance to the worn 1963 sunburst Fender Precision that Colin used heavily during the A Moon Shaped Pool era (not to be confused with the 70s sunburst P-bass that he mainly played during the OK Computer era). According to Sadowsky, the custom bass was meant as a stand-in for that vintage instrument, and Colin said much the same:
“This bass was inspired by the P Bass that Donald Duck Dunn used that had a jazz-sized neck. I wanted a comfortable, lightweight, touring instrument with the soul of a P Bass but the comfort and feel of a Sadowsky instrument.” — Colin Greenwood
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the bass was Colin’s special request, mentioned at the end of the Facebook post: “he is colorblind and has trouble seeing white side dots under blue stage lights.” Lisa Ellis Mitra-Hahn’s solution was to install orange side dot markers, rather than the traditional white dots.
Much is made of Jonny’s red-green colorblindness, and the ways Colin would tease him. One incident stands out in particular: “Jonny is colorblind, and when we were young, I gave him a red crayon to use for the grass he was coloring. It was a blood bath” (RollingStone). However, Colin hasn’t mentioned his own colorblindness before. Perhaps Colin’s is milder, or the rarer blue-yellow colorblindness.
A photo of Colin discussing his newly acquired Sadowsky with Lisa Ellis Mitra-Hahn, who built it, at the Sadowsky showroom in Long Island City, Queens in June, 2019.
In a comment on Facebook, the company further explained that the bass is “active but has an active/passive push pull switch in the tone knob.” The controls for the active pickups are presumably the stacked knobs near the end of the pickguard (in the spot where you’d find the output jack on a traditional 50s/60s P-bass). As a result the Sadowsky bass has its output jack on the side, like an early-50s Tele-style P-bass. The Sadowsky active preamp offers a +18 dB boost at 40 Hz on the bass control (bottom half) and a +18dB boost at 4 kHz on the treble control (top half).
A close-up of the orange side dot markers!
Some nice photos of the instrument itself in 2019.
Hi TKOG. Love you blog. I find it very helpful. My question is do you know what iem Thom is currently using. Thanks
A photo of Thom from a Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes show at the of the 2015 Latitude festival (Dave J Hogan). The microphone is a Shure SM57.
The last that the crew talked about monitors was during Radiohead’s 2012 tour, but they were fairly detailed in an interview with Pro Sound Web. On the 2012 tour, Thom, Ed, and Colin all used Shure PSM 1000 wireless IEM systems. The IEMs were paired with the Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient system, which uses microphones embedded in the IEM to blend in some of the ambient sound, giving a more natural feeling than the direct monitor output on its own. Phil used a similar Sensaphonics setup, but without wired IEMs instead of the wireless system. They also have stage monitors.
They were using a similar system on an earlier tour. In an interview with AudioTechnology, Graham Lees went into detail:
“They’re not monitoring very loudly and the IEMs are partly being used to reduce the on-stage volume. Thom and Ed also have wedges in front of them, as do the rest of the band, so I’m feeding them a combination of wedges and in-ear monitoring. For example, Thom’s hearing all the drums and guitars through his wedges and he’s hearing the acoustic guitar and voice through his in-ears for clarity and pitching as much as anything else. This combination keeps things fairly live so he doesn’t feel too cut off from the environment around him.”
Their mixes were managed using their monitor tech, Michael Prowda, using the VENUE Profile platform and the Shure Wireless Workbench software interface. Interestingly, he uses VENUE plugins such as the Bomb Factory BF2 limiter and the Oxford Reverb to create an vocal sound independent from the more processed vocal sound at the FOH mixer. This probably gives Thom a more natural monitor sound, since he can hear his voice without extra delay or distortion when needed, even if the audience does hear those effects.
In contrast, Jonny and Clive Deamer just relied on stage monitors, specifically d&b Audiotechnik M2 and M4 monitors. In an interview, Jonny mentioned that he was lucky to have no significant hearing damage, while some other members of the band have tinnitus. Perhaps that’s why he feels more comfortable with on stage monitors.
A photo of Thom performing with The Smile at London’s Roundhouse on May 29, 2022 (Matthew Baker). The wireless bodypack receiver hooked onto his belt seems to be the Shure P10R, which comes stock with the PSM 1000 radio system.
From the Pro Sound Web interview: “Mix engineers Jim Warren (left) and Michael Prowda having some fun at front of house prior to a show.”
Thom's bass tone when he plays bass in The Smile sounds very different from the way Colin's bass tone sounds usually and also different from when Jonny plays bass in The Smile. It's very dark and super warm and still punchy. Do you know what gear might be involved in creating Thom's The Smile bass tone?
Jonny bowing his Fender Precision bass during the intro to A Hairdryer at Luxembourg’s Neumünster Abbey on June 27, 2022 (essceeohteetee). Note the pick stored in the pickguard for when he finishes bowing. His Ampeg SVT Classic amp head and Ampeg 8x10 cabinet can be seen behind him (the Fender behind him is his Super Reverb guitar amp).
Thom and Jonny’s bass setups for The Smile are described in detail in our post about their 2021 Glastonbury stream. Since then, Thom has switched up his bass pedals and bought a couple new bass guitars. Jonny has also switched from a smaller Ampeg B15 combo to a Ampeg SVT-CL head and large SVT 8x10 cab.
But the key differences between their setups remain the same. Thom mainly plays finger-style, and mainly uses short-scale basses with single-coils into a Fender Super Bassman. Jonny mainly plays with a pick, and only plays a Fender Precision bass into an Ampeg.
Thom’s bass sound has remained consistent on The Opposite even as he’s switched from his old Fender Mustang bass (Glastonbury 2021) to his Guild Starfire II (Magazine 2022) and then to his Gibson EB0 (current tour). That just goes to show that, as always, the fingers make the biggest difference.
Playing style also explains the difference between Jonny and Colin’s bass sounds. Their setups are basically identical: they both almost exclusively use vintage Precision basses and modern Ampeg amps. But Jonny’s choice of a pick for a post-punk sound is in stark contrast to the jazzier finger-style sound that has become Colin’s signature.
Thom finger-picking his vintage Guild Starfire II bass during The Smile’s show at Luxembourg’s Neumünster Abbey on June 27, 2022 (essceeohteetee). His Fender Super Bassman amplifier and its cabinet can be seen behind him.
what tuning does jonny have on his guitar in pyramid song since i’ve noticed he changes it mid song when transitioning from the bow to using a pick/fingers.
On performances of Pyramid Song, Jonny initially tunes the low-E string to F#. He tunes it back to the standard E once he stops playing with the bow.
You can hear clearly that the string is tuned to F# whenever Jonny bows an open string, such as in this video. You can also hear an A when he holds down the third fret.
Jonny only bows the low string, since you can’t bow the middle strings on a guitar without bowing all of them simultaneously, so there isn’t any need to detune the others.
It’s also worth noting that Jonny only started using the bow at shows in 2006. Prior to that, Colin played the part on upright bass.
Jonny probably took over the bowed part to help simplify Radiohead’s touring setup, since Colin had been using his for only a couple of songs.
Jonny tuning the E-string on his Fender Starcaster during a performance of Pyramid Song at Madison Square Garden on July 10, 2018 (youtube). Shirt by Être Cécile.
