Red Hot Chili Peppers · Album, 1992
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
15 sourced items across 4 sectionsVerified3Reported12
This is an album-level record: the sources describe how the album as a whole was recorded, not one song. Where a detail belongs to a single song, the row says so.
Songs this record stands for: Breaking the Girl, Give It Away, If You Have to Ask, Suck My Kiss, Under the Bridge. We found nothing specific to these songs, so this album record is the closest account we have.
What the sources do and do not say
Album record. The MusicRadar piece summarises Brendan O'Brien's interview and gives a song-specific chain for the Under the Bridge intro (U 87, Neve, LA-2A, small amp) plus a hedged album-level microphone recollection. The Hi-Fi News notes give album-level instrument and amp gear in the journalist's voice, so they are reported, not verified. No source states the full chain for the main body of Under the Bridge; the album's release year is given as 1992 per the batch file, though the sources say 1991. A MusicRadar Give It Away piece and a Breaking the Girl piece were also read and gave no usable gear rows.
Under the Bridge intro guitar
4 items
John Frusciante
Instrument
The real chain
Fender Jaguar
ReportedOne song
The journalist ties the Under the Bridge intro to Frusciante's 1966 Jaguar, played through the acoustic-guitar compression chain.
Source: MusicRadar, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. A guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.
Microphone
The real chain
Neumann U 87
VerifiedOne song
Microphone on the Under the Bridge intro guitar, part of a setup O'Brien had arranged for acoustic guitar.
Source: MusicRadar, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. Microphone-modelling plugins only work with their own matched hardware microphone, so there is no plugin to link. Placement and the room matter more than the model.
Input chain
The real chain
Neve Console (model not stated)
VerifiedOne song
The intro guitar setup went through one of the Neves.
Source: MusicRadar, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Waves NLS Non-Linear Summer
console emulation
Adds the summing character of three desks, one of them a Neve. The source does not name the console model, so this is only a family resemblance.
The real chain
Teletronix LA-2A
VerifiedOne song
Part of the setup the intro guitar went through, which O'Brien says he would rarely touch.
Source: MusicRadar, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Emulation of this unit
Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection
compressor
Universal Audio owns the Teletronix name; this is its own model of the LA-2A.
Also worth a look 1
- Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter (Models an LA-2A from Chris Lord-Alge's collection. Cheaper and runs without UA hardware)
Electric guitar rig (album)
8 items
John Frusciante
Instrument
The real chain
Fender Stratocaster
Reported
Frusciante's Stratocaster, which he generally direct-injected into the desk.
Source: Hi-Fi News, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. A guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.
Amplifier
The real chain
Recorded direct (DI), no amplifier
Reported
Frusciante's Stratocaster was generally taken direct into the console for definition, with distortion from overdriving the board.
Source: Hi-Fi News, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. Recorded direct, so there is no amp to model. Leave the amp simulator off.
The real chain
Marshall Amplifier (model not stated)
Reported
A Marshall amplifier set-up was among Frusciante's amps on the album.
Source: Hi-Fi News, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Covers this kind of unit
IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5
amp and cabinet simulator
An amp and cabinet simulator that covers a wide range of amplifiers and speaker cabinets of this kind. It is not a model of this unit, so pick the nearest one in it by ear.
Also worth a look 1
- Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro (An amp and cabinet simulator that covers a wide range of amplifiers and speaker cabinets of this kind. It is not a model of this unit, so pick the nearest one in it by ear)
The real chain
Fender HOT practice amp
Reported
A Fender practice amp that Frusciante used alongside a Marshall set-up.
Source: Hi-Fi News, accessed 15 Nov 2026
Get the sound · our suggestion
Covers this kind of unit
IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5
amp and cabinet simulator
An amp and cabinet simulator that covers a wide range of amplifiers and speaker cabinets of this kind. It is not a model of this unit, so pick the nearest one in it by ear.
Also worth a look 1
- Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro (An amp and cabinet simulator that covers a wide range of amplifiers and speaker cabinets of this kind. It is not a model of this unit, so pick the nearest one in it by ear)
The real chain
Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion
Reported
Distortion pedal in Frusciante's album rig.
Source: Hi-Fi News, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro
amp and cabinet simulator
Includes a range of modelled pedals. Whether this exact pedal is among them was not checked.
The real chain
Ibanez WH-10
Reported
Wah pedal in Frusciante's album rig.
Source: Hi-Fi News, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro
amp and cabinet simulator
Includes a range of modelled pedals. Whether this exact pedal is among them was not checked.
The real chain
Unidentified Big Muff
Reported
Fuzz pedal in Frusciante's album rig; maker not stated.
Source: Hi-Fi News, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7 Pro
amp and cabinet simulator
Includes a range of modelled pedals. Whether this exact pedal is among them was not checked.
Microphone
The real chain
Unidentified 57 microphone (maker not stated)
Reported
O'Brien believes Frusciante's amp on most of the album was miked with a 57 plus perhaps a second, more distant microphone.
Source: MusicRadar, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. Microphone-modelling plugins only work with their own matched hardware microphone, so there is no plugin to link. Placement and the room matter more than the model.
Bass (album)
1 item
Flea
Instrument
The real chain
Wal Mach II
Reported
Flea's main bass on the album.
Source: Hi-Fi News, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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No plugin suggested. A bass guitar is the source of the sound, not a process applied to it. No plugin stands in for it.
Drums (album)
2 items
Chad Smith
Instrument
The real chain
Gretsch Drum kit (model not stated)
Reported
Chad Smith's drum kit on the album.
Source: Hi-Fi News, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Toontrack Superior Drummer 3
drum instrument
A sampled drum instrument. It does not claim to be this kit or drum.
The real chain
Tama Bell Brass snare
Reported
Chad Smith's snare drum on the album.
Source: Hi-Fi News, accessed 15 Nov 2026
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Approximate
Toontrack Superior Drummer 3
drum instrument
Sampled acoustic kits you can tune, swap and balance mic by mic. No library of this exact drum was confirmed, so choose the nearest by ear.
Sources
- Brendan O'Brien on his first encounter with John Frusciante and how they recorded the Under The Bridge intro, MusicRadar, 2024-05. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magik Production Notes, Hi-Fi News, 2021-11. Accessed 15 Nov 2026.
What the ratings mean
Stated by the engineer, producer or artist, or by the manufacturer.
Stated by a reputable secondary source.
An educated suggestion, not a documented fact.
Disclosure: plugin links currently go straight to the maker and earn us nothing. If that changes, affiliate links will be marked here. Suggestions are chosen on fit, never on commission, and are kept separate from the recording facts. More.