CULT OF PERSONALITY

This video is sponsored by Reverend, who were kind enough to send out this Vernon Reid Mystery Tramp signature guitar for me. The guitar in the video was actually featured at NAMM 2025 and is signed by Vernon Reid himself. This is hands down the best guitar I’ve played with a Floyd Rose. Out of the box, it came perfectly in tune and set up. I plugged it in, and I simply couldn’t put it down. I practiced these insane solos on-and-off for over a month, and this guitar stayed in tune the entire time – unbelievable! I guess the quality of the wood, the locking tuners, and the double locking system all contribute to that. Plus, it looks really cool with those unique hobo symbols (which I like to think look like something from an alien craft at Roswell in 1947).

For more information about the Mystery Tramp guitar, and the other two in his totem series, check out this video:(https://youtu.be/rrCcqLtWAE8?feature=shared).

As for my interpretation of the song, it’s pretty tough to match Vernon Reid’s style and feel — he really has his own thing going on, and is highly underrated. I did my best to capture that tone, which you can find on my Patreon page via an Amplitube patch.

The fingering positions for the main riff are accurate, though he might jump around a bit more with his fingering. I opted for a barred index finger approach. I also used the Floyd Rose for some extra vibrato during the chorus because I was really feeling it there. Just a heads up: this is the 1989 version of “Cult of Personality,” not the re-recorded one from the mid-2000s, so don’t be surprised during the solo!

This song has been requested ever since this channel started, and I’m stoked to finally tackle it. Thank you for all the requests, and for playing along