Tone Talk: Walking On The Moon

This page explores the iconic guitar tone on The Police's "Walking On The Moon", released on Reggatta De Blanc in 1979. Specifically the opening D minor 11th chords.

From what Andy recalls, it was a '63 (or '61) Fender Telecaster custom though a chorus pedal, Echoplex and a Fender Twin amp, with possibly a little bit of compression.

He suggested the chorus pedal was a Boss Chorus in 2000's-onwards interviews. However, 1979/80 reports indicate he had an Electro-harmonix Electric Mistress flange pedal integrated into his pedalboard. The EHX was likely dialled to a chorus-like effect.

On the other hand, assistant engineer Chris Gray remembers the guitar sound in the intro was purely that of a SCAMP rack outboard unit (produced by Audio & Design Recording Ltd.) - specifically the S24 ADT delay/flanger module. Although Andy had his own effects pedalboard, Chris claims "no flange pedal ever gave the same glass-effect of the SCAMP".

In a 1979 interview with Sounds magazine, Andy was quoted as being rather impressed with rack-mounted AMS equipment at Surrey Sound, including their "superb" flanger. It was previously thought that Andy was referring to the SCAMP ADT flanger unit (but misremembering the brand name for AMS). Contrary to that, the Kemp's Music Recording Industry Yearbook 1979 edition does seem to confirm there was an AMS phaser/flanger unit (an AMS DM 2.20 Tape Phase Simulator) amongst Surrey Sound's equipment by then, alongside the AMS DMX 15-80 delay. Except that the unit is erroneously listed in the book as an 'AMS Harmoniser/Flanger''; AMS did not produce such a unit.

Live, he reproduced the sound using the Electric Mistress pedal embedded in his Pete Cornish effects board with some enhancement from a volume pedal.