Can't Stop

Current tone research points to John Frusciante’s 1962 Stratocaster and his By the Way-era high-headroom amplifier setup, with a lightly driven, bright sound rather than obvious distortion. The exact studio amp combination and control positions remain uncertain, so the settings below approximate the documented Strat-and-vintage-amp character. Source: Gearnews’ “Can’t Stop” tone investigation (2026) and ToneMirror’s song-specific reconstruction.

Frusciante recorded the song on his 1960 Fender Custom Telecaster, using the bridge pickup and the Boss CE-1’s preamp colour for the dry, percussive main riff. An Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress appears in the second half of the bridge, while the solo uses a Big Muff Pi; exact amplifier and pedal controls were not published, so the numerical values are representative. Source: Ground Guitar’s By the Way gear breakdown and Custom Telecaster history.