How to get the California Dreamin' guitar tone

Not quite clean, not quite dirty. That edge-of-breakup thing is genuinely hard to dial in and The Mamas & the Papas got it right. The mids are scooped back, which opens up the low end and gives the treble more room to cut — great for rhythm, though leads can disappear in a mix if you're not careful. Layer in spring reverb and the whole thing takes on a dimension you can't get from the amp alone.