She’s played alongside Jeff Beck and Morrissey, and evolved into one of rock’s leading tonal experimentalists – here’s how Carmen Vandenberg’s signature approaches can elevate your riffs and solos

Carmen Vandenberg wears shades and plays a blazing solo on her Butterscotch Blonde Fender Telecaster in the summer sun at a festival appearance. .

We know that Carmen Vandenberg’s pedalboard is quite substantial, and that, tone-wise, the band’s latest release Soft is highly experimental. Having taken a look at Carmen’s ’board already, this gives us a head start in recreating her tones – though unless your setup mirrors Carmen’s, it’s best to aim for a ballpark sound.

But what of playing techniques? We’d argue that some of the secret sauce is directly tied to the pair’s tonal set-up. For example, vibrato is vibrato, right? Well, yes – but played through a pitch-shifter its signature warble takes on a new life, and you may find yourself employing subtly different finger movements.