GuitarDistortedRiff
Blackwater Park Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Opeth
Opeth · 2000s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
PRS Custom 24 (early 2000s, likely 2000 or 2001 model, used by both Mikael Åkerfeldt and Peter Lindgren for rhythm tracking on Blackwater Park)
Pickups
Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB (bridge) and SH-2 Jazz (neck) humbuckers (Peter), Seymour Duncan SH-10 Full Shred (bridge) and SH-1 '59 (neck) (Mikael)
Amp
Laney GH100L (Mikael) and Laney VH100R (Peter), both British tube heads
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 2000/2001. Rhythm guitars quad-tracked: Mikael and Peter each tracked through their own Laney amp. No evidence of other amps or guitars for the main riff rhythm section. PRS guitars with Seymour Duncan pickups confirmed for this era. No evidence of effects loop or rack effects for rhythm. Pedals minimal or none on rhythm tracks.
Amp Settings
Mids6
Bass6
Gain7.5
Reverb1
Treble6.5
Presence6.5
Tone Matcher
Match This Tone to Your Gear
Tell us your guitar and amp — we’ll calculate the exact settings translated to your specific rig.
7-day free trial · Cancel anytime.
Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- clear note separation under heavy distortion
- articulate palm muting
- slightly scooped but present mids
- controlled low end for clarity
- British-voiced high-gain saturation
- quad-tracked thickness
- minimal ambience
- aggressive attack
- modern metal rhythm