GuitarDistortedRiff
3's & 7's Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age · 2000s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Epiphone Dot (semi-hollow, likely tuned to C standard)
Pickups
Epiphone stock humbuckers
Amp
Ampeg V4 (most likely, based on Era Vulgaris sessions and Homme's known studio rigs)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 2007 (Era Vulgaris). Guitar and amp inferred from Equipboard and Era Vulgaris-era interviews. No direct photo/video evidence for this exact session, but Epiphone Dot and Ampeg V4 are the most consistently cited for this period and song. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for the riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids7.5
Bass6.5
Gain7
Reverb1.5
Treble6
Presence6
Effects Chain
- Zvex Super Hard On · boost
- Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer · eq
- Fulltone FatBoost 3 FB-3 · boost
- Fuzz pedal (model unknown, likely custom or boutique) · fuzz
Guitar → Zvex Super Hard On → Boss GE-7 EQ → Fulltone FatBoost → Fuzz pedal (model unknown) → Ampeg V4 (spring reverb low)
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Tone Character
- fuzzy and saturated
- mid-forward and thick
- harmonically rich
- tight low end
- compressed and punchy
- gnarly, aggressive riff sound
- great note definition
- insane sustain
- touch-sensitive
- slightly scooped highs