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Black Hole Sun Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Soundgarden
Soundgarden · 1990s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Guild S-100
Pickups
Guild HB-1 humbuckers (microphonic, vintage spec)
Amp
Late-Seventies Marshall Model 1987 JMP 50-watt Lead head + Marshall Model 1960 4x12 angled cabinet with Celestion G12H 30-watt Greenbacks
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1993-1994. Clean riff section. Guitar confirmed by Kim Thayil interview for the riff. Amp confirmed by Guitar World and Premier Guitar. Effects include Leslie rotary speaker emulation (Leslie Model 16 or Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere).
Amp Settings
Mids7.5
Bass5.5
Gain0
Reverb1
Treble6
Presence4.5
Effects Chain
- Leslie Model 16 rotating speaker cabinet (or Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere, or Boss CE-2W in vibrato mode as substitute) · modulation
Guild S-100 (bridge pickup) → Leslie Model 16 (or Rotosphere/CE-2W vibrato) → Marshall JMP 50 head → Marshall 4x12 cab
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Tone Character
- bright and chimey
- distinctive rotary/Leslie modulation
- clear note separation
- ambient, swirling movement
- open-string resonance
- dynamic and expressive
- not compressed or fuzzy
- slightly glassy top end
- organic, microphonic pickup response
- no audible reverb
Notes & Caveats
- Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
- No explicit amp reverb or delay used in the clean riff section; all modulation is from rotary/Leslie effect.
- Amp settings are from Guitar World for the JMP 50; gain reduced for clean tone based on typical Marshall clean headroom.
- Kim Thayil confirms Guild S-100 and bridge pickup for riff in Guitar World interview.
- Rotary/Leslie effect is essential; sources mention both Leslie Model 16 and Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere as used for this song.
- No evidence of chorus, delay, or reverb pedals in the clean riff section; all modulation is rotary/Leslie.
- If using a pedal for Leslie effect, Boss CE-2W in vibrato mode or similar can approximate the sound (per Guitar World).
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Kim Thayil's riff tone on 'Black Hole Sun' is mid-forward, thick, and slightly dark, with moderate gain for a saturated but not metal crunch. The era and genre favor prominent mids and a balanced EQ, while the reverb is subtle, mostly from studio ambience rather than amp spring.