[Shinji Tagawa] How to Recreate the DEEN Sound + Guitar Gear and Tone Settings [Effects & Amps]

関連記事

[Shinji Tagawa] How to Recreate the DEEN Sound + Guitar Gear and Tone Settings [Effects & Amps]

2025.09.11

[SHOW-YA] Crafting the Signature Sound of Miki “sun-go☆” Igarashi – Guitar Gear, Effects, and Amp Settings

2025.06.062025.09.04

🎸 HISASHI (GLAY) Guitar Sound Design Guide — Amps, Effects & Gear Settings

2025.06.092025.09.04

Introduction (Overview of Tone)

Shinji Tagawa, the guitarist of DEEN, is a versatile player who masterfully navigates between refreshing, transparent pop sounds and thick, rock-oriented tones. His guitar tone is characterized by a bright and three-dimensional clean sound, while his drive tones maintain a solid midrange with excellent clarity. Iconic tracks like “Kono Mama Kimi Dake o Ubaisaritai” and “Yume de Aru You ni” showcase his impressive arpeggios and emotional solos.

Tagawa’s sound is fundamentally based on a sharp yet full tone derived from a Stratocaster. Notably, he utilizes a modified Fender Japan Yngwie Malmsteen model, which serves as the core of his tone crafting. By employing amplifiers from Hughes & Kettner and Mesa/Boogie, he achieves a wide range from clean to high-gain sounds. His use of overdrive and chorus effects allows for delicate yet dynamic expressions tailored to each song.

Additionally, Tagawa tends to differentiate his setups between live performances and recordings. During recording sessions, he employs the DM-X to create a natural compression that adds depth to his sound, resulting in a pleasant and familiar listening experience that enhances the overall band ensemble. This unique approach contributes to DEEN’s distinctive sound.

As a guitarist, his characteristics lie in a “supportive playing style that doesn’t overshadow the vocals” and “tone crafting that changes expression according to the scene,” which undoubtedly resonates with listeners.

▶ Search official YouTube videos of DEEN

List of Amplifiers and Features

At the heart of Shinji Tagawa’s sound is the Hughes & Kettner flagship model, the “TriAmp MK II.” This versatile amplifier covers a wide range from clean to high-gain across six channels, combining clarity and broad tonal range. Tagawa utilizes this characteristic to switch between sparkling cleans for arpeggios and cutting tones for solos. Particularly in DEEN’s pop-oriented tracks, the clean channel is frequently employed, highlighting the separation and airiness when playing chords.

He primarily uses the Mesa/Boogie 4×12 Recto Standard Cabinet, known for its heavy, punchy low-end and balanced mid to high frequencies. This combination with the TriAmp ensures a stable sound whether in studio recordings or live performances. The Mesa cabinet contributes to a rock-oriented sound, providing substantial thickness to grand arrangements like “Yume de Aru You ni.”

There have also been instances where Tagawa used Marshall heads, particularly evident in live footage from the 1990s. The raw and clear sound typical of Marshall amplifiers can be heard, suggesting that he sought a rock edge during DEEN’s early years.

Tagawa’s approach to amplifiers emphasizes “combination” over mere “selection,” focusing on reliability and consistency to build a stable sound for both live and recording settings. By integrating the DM-X, he can maintain a delicious drive from the amp while keeping the volume in check, showcasing a unique sound crafting technique not commonly found among other guitarists.

Through these amplifier choices, it is assumed that Tagawa achieves a balance between “flexibility that complements the song” and “a prominent lead tone.”

Types of Guitars Used and Features

Shinji Tagawa’s main guitar is the Fender Japan ST68 Yngwie Malmsteen Model, a Stratocaster known for its scalloped fretboard, which produces a unique touch and sustained notes. Tagawa has modified this guitar to fit his style, replacing the pickups with Lindy Fralin Strat Real ’54, known for its vintage tone. This modification results in a sound that balances brilliance with a warm midrange.

He uses Rotosound RH9-Orange Hybrid strings (09–46), which allow for easy bending of the high strings while maintaining a solid core in the low strings. This setup is particularly effective for lead playing in pop and rock ballads, providing both smoothness and presence. Additionally, he has equipped his guitar with a Groove Tubes Fat Finger, which enhances sustain and stabilizes the sound’s attack, indicating a focus on live performance stability.

With this Fender Stratocaster at the center of his setup, Tagawa consistently produces a cohesive sound for both live performances and recordings. In ballads like “Yume de Aru You ni” and “Tsubasa o Hirogete,” his transparent and core-driven clean tones play a crucial role in supporting his musicality. Furthermore, in heavier songs or solos, the Strat’s quick response and wide range help tighten the overall sound.

Tagawa’s guitar selection reflects a “long-term commitment to a single instrument” style, where he customizes his beloved guitar rather than frequently switching between multiple guitars. His approach to modifying pickups and adding accessories allows him to evolve his sound to match his playing style, which is a key aspect of his unique tone.

Thus, Tagawa’s guitar can be seen as a “uniquely evolved version based on a classic Strat,” capable of delicately changing expressions to suit various songs.

Effects and Pedalboard Setup

Shinji Tagawa’s sound design heavily relies on a diverse array of effects. His setup is primarily centered around overdrive and chorus, creating a simple yet effective configuration. However, the equipment he uses varies from era to era and tour to tour, showcasing his flexible approach to achieving a wide range of sounds.

Notably, the DM-X is employed during recordings. Unlike standard attenuators, it allows for volume adjustment while minimizing sound quality degradation, providing a natural compression that enhances the nuances of arpeggios and clean tones. This piece of equipment is essential for maintaining stable volume while preserving natural harmonics during live performances.

For overdrive, Tagawa has long favored the Menatone Blue Collar. He initially used a red casing but later switched to the blue version. This pedal produces a bluesy and sticky drive sound, particularly shining during solo parts. Additionally, the DigiTech Screamin’ Blues Overdrive/Distortion is used to vary the texture of distortion according to the song. The classic Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer is also part of his setup, enhancing the midrange to ensure his lead tones do not get buried in the band mix.

In terms of spatial effects, the BOSS CE series (including CE-2W and the purple CE-5) plays a crucial role in supporting Tagawa’s “transparent clean” sound. The modulation from the chorus symbolizes the refreshing quality unique to DEEN, making it a key element in defining the texture of their music. In the past, he also utilized the BOSS SE-70, which contributed to the enhancement of chorus and spatial effects.

Other components include distortion sounds with the Providence Heat Blaster and emotional wah effects with the VOX Wah Pedal. During live performances, the BOSS FV-500 (volume/expression pedal) is integrated for dynamic control during play. Moreover, switching systems like the Providence PEC-2 and Free The Tone ARC-53M have been implemented to streamline complex pedal operations, with setups featuring both rack and floor configurations.

Overall, Tagawa’s effects setup represents a balanced combination of “simple staple gear” and “more specialized equipment,” allowing for a wide range of expressions tailored to each song.

Tone Settings, EQ, and Mixing Approaches

Shinji Tagawa’s sound design goes beyond mere equipment selection; it involves meticulous EQ and mixing techniques aimed at maintaining a presence within the band sound while blending seamlessly. DEEN’s music is rooted in pop, where the vocals take center stage, and if the guitar is too prominent, it can disrupt the overall balance. Therefore, it is assumed that Tagawa consistently employs a “subtracting aesthetic” in his settings.

In terms of amp EQ settings, he tends to keep the bass slightly subdued during clean tones while slightly boosting treble and presence. This approach highlights the bright character typical of Stratocasters, ensuring clarity in arpeggios and cuts. The midrange is often set around 50-60%, allowing for a balanced separation from vocals and keyboards without overly emphasizing any frequency band.

For drive sounds, he raises the bass slightly while keeping treble in check to create a calm tone that is not piercing to the ears. Particularly during solo parts, Tagawa utilizes the Menatone Blue Collar and Ibanez TS9 to bring the midrange forward, achieving a lead tone that naturally cuts through the band sound. He avoids excessively high-gain distortion, focusing instead on a balance between “thickness and clarity.”

Moreover, the volume adjustments via the DM-X serve not just as volume control but also contribute to a “natural compression feel” during recordings. This ensures that when the mix is heard as a whole, the guitar does not overly stand out but harmonizes comfortably with other instruments. This natural compression is especially effective in sections where acoustic guitars or synths overlap.

Tagawa’s approach to effects is also distinctive; he applies chorus (such as the BOSS CE-2W) not too deeply but rather at a subtle level that creates a sense of movement without overwhelming the overall atmosphere of the song. Delay and reverb are kept to a minimum, used primarily to enhance spatial qualities. During live performances, he likely fine-tunes his settings based on the venue’s acoustics and PA environment to maintain a “listener-friendly guitar sound.”

In the mixing phase, the guitar’s positioning often leans towards a central presence rather than spreading it wide across the stereo field. This allows for a natural interaction with vocals, piano, and strings, preserving DEEN’s “song-focused” aesthetic. It is assumed that during live performances, the emphasis is placed on “band cohesion” rather than stereo effects.

Thus, Tagawa’s sound design philosophy is rooted in “harmony” rather than seeking flashy individualism. His specific EQ settings and effects usage may be simple, but it is this sense of balance that makes his sound truly unique.

Affordable Alternatives to Recreate the Tone

While achieving Shinji Tagawa’s sound may require high-end gear like the Fender Japan Yngwie model or the Hughes & Kettner TriAmp MK II, the reality is that these can be prohibitively expensive for beginners. Therefore, here are some alternative pieces of equipment that can be obtained at a relatively low cost while still getting close to Tagawa’s sound. The products listed here can typically be found for around $100 to $500.

For guitars, models like the Yamaha PACIFICA series or the Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster are excellent choices that are user-friendly. The Squier, being a Fender-affiliated brand, allows players to experience the clean transparency and bright sound characteristic of a Stratocaster. Instead of replacing pickups with Lindy Fralin, one could opt for commercially available pickups like Fender Tex-Mex or Seymour Duncan SSL-1 to achieve a vintage-like tone similar to Tagawa’s.

Regarding amplifiers, while the Hughes & Kettner TriAmp MK II is quite expensive and professional-grade, smaller models from the same brand, such as the “Tubemeister 18” or “Spirit of Vintage,” are more affordable and suitable for home practice or small gigs. The Roland JC-22 and BOSS KATANA series are also great options, known for their excellent clean tones, making them ideal for recreating the transparent sound often found in DEEN’s music. The KATANA series, in particular, offers a wealth of built-in effects, making it easy for beginners to experiment with a “clean + chorus” setup.

For effects, Tagawa’s beloved Menatone Blue Collar and Providence Heat Blaster are rare and pricey, so alternatives like the BOSS SD-1 Super OverDrive or JHS 3 Series Overdrive are recommended. These provide a similar midrange push and natural distortion character at a more accessible price point. Additionally, for chorus effects, alternatives like the BOSS CH-1 Super Chorus or TC Electronic Corona Chorus can be considered. These can transform clean tones into a more expansive sound, effectively replicating Tagawa’s refreshing clean tone.

While the DM-X is a specialized piece of equipment for volume control and compression, alternatives like the MXR Dyna Comp or BOSS CS-3 can be used to achieve a similar nuance. These compressors are particularly effective in enhancing the clarity of arpeggios and clean-focused playing, making them key to replicating Tagawa’s sound.

In conclusion, it is possible to approach Tagawa’s “transparent guitar sound that enhances the vocals” without investing in expensive professional gear. The key lies in emphasizing the right frequency ranges and knowing when to apply effects. This mindset is the first step toward achieving a similar tone.

Summary and Conclusion

Reflecting on Shinji Tagawa’s sound design, its essence lies in “a guitar that seamlessly blends into the band sound while maintaining a distinct presence.” His sound crafting prioritizes enhancing the atmosphere of the song and the nuances of the vocals over flashy distortion or excessive effects, making it an indispensable element of DEEN’s musical identity. Particularly, his sparkling clean arpeggios and subtle chord work behind the vocals reflect Tagawa’s unique aesthetic.

The core of his sound is built around a modified Stratocaster based on the Fender Japan ST68 Yngwie Malmsteen Model, paired with the Hughes & Kettner TriAmp MK II for a broad tonal range. Furthermore, his use of overdrive pedals like the Menatone Blue Collar and Ibanez TS9 allows for a guitar that “steps forward only when necessary.” Additionally, the subtle use of spatial effects and compression creates a pleasant resonance that is easy on the ears.

It is noteworthy that Tagawa does not seek to showcase the individuality of his gear but rather focuses on “how to play” and “how to utilize” his equipment. His meticulous attention to detail, from strings to accessories, such as reinforcing sustain with the Groove Tubes Fat Finger and adding natural compression with the DM-X, contributes to his unique tone. This results in a simple yet rich and warm sound.

For readers looking to replicate Tagawa’s sound, it is not necessary to invest in expensive gear. The key is to maintain a bright clean tone, moderately push the midrange, and avoid excessive effects. With thoughtful setups and techniques, it is entirely possible to approach his sound using affordable equipment.

In summary, the essence of Shinji Tagawa’s sound design is “a subtle yet beautiful presence.” The guitar serves not as a tool for self-assertion but as an accompaniment to maximize the charm of the song and vocals. This philosophy of flexibility and delicacy resonates with many listeners as “a sound that touches the heart.”