GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
4th of July Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Soundgarden
Soundgarden · 1990s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Guild S-100 (likely S-300 variant, as used by Kim Thayil on Superunknown era recordings)
Pickups
DiMarzio Super Distortion (humbucker, bridge position)
Amp
Marshall JMP 50 half stack blended with Mesa-Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo head (studio recording, 1994)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording for '4th of July' (Superunknown, 1994). Kim Thayil used a Guild S-100 with DiMarzio Super Distortion pickup into a Marshall JMP 50 and Mesa-Boogie Dual Rectifier, blended. No confirmed pedal use for the riff, but high-gain amp distortion is key. Effects are minimal or absent in the main riff.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass7.5
Gain7.5
Reverb1
Treble5.5
Presence5
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Tone Character
- thick and sludgy
- saturated high-gain
- dark, massive low end
- tight, percussive attack
- mid-heavy, not scooped
- aggressive, doomy
- minimal ambience
- bridge humbucker punch
- dry, amp-driven distortion
- no audible modulation or time-based effects
Notes & Caveats
- No direct numeric amp settings for '4th of July' riff found; settings estimated based on typical Marshall JMP/Mesa Dual Rectifier high-gain usage and genre/era.
- No confirmed pedal use for the riff section; all evidence and audio point to amp-only high-gain tone.
- Guitar model inferred from multiple sources referencing Guild S-100/S-300 with DiMarzio Super Distortion for Superunknown era.
- Pedalboard sources list many pedals, but none are confirmed for the main riff of '4th of July'; effects array is intentionally minimal.
- If new evidence of pedal use for the riff emerges, update accordingly.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Kim Thayil's tone on '4th of July' is famously thick, sludgy, and doomy, with high gain, huge bass, and rolled-off treble for a dark, oppressive sound. The mids are forward but not honky, and the track is bone dry with no audible reverb, matching the band's heavy, grunge-era production and Thayil's typical amp settings.