GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Cold Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton · 2010s+ · country
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Telecaster (likely American Vintage or Custom Shop, single-cut, maple neck, as seen in Stapleton's studio and live setups for this era)
Pickups
Fender single-coil Telecaster pickups
Amp
Fender '62 Brownface Princeton Amp 6G2
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 2020 (album release year). All available evidence and Stapleton's consistent use point to a Telecaster into a Brownface Princeton for the riff section of 'Cold'. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this part. No pedalboard evidence for this specific song/section, only for live rigs and other songs.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass6
Gain4.5
Reverb3.5
Treble6.5
Presence5
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Tone Character
- warm and round
- slightly gritty edge-of-breakup
- clear note separation
- dynamic and touch-sensitive
- rich midrange
- natural tube compression
- open, airy highs
- controlled low end
- studio clarity
- subtle amp-driven breakup
Notes & Caveats
- No direct source confirms the exact guitar or pedal chain for the 'Cold' studio riff section; inference is based on Stapleton's consistent use of Telecasters and Brownface Princeton amps in this era.
- No numeric amp settings found in sources; settings estimated based on typical Fender Princeton usage for country/blues edge-of-breakup tones.
- No pedal or effect is explicitly confirmed for the studio riff section of 'Cold'; pedalboard photos and lists are from live rigs and may not reflect the studio setup.
- No evidence of compression, delay, chorus, or other effects in the riff section; only amp reverb is likely present.
- Pickup position inferred from typical country riff tone and audio analysis; not directly confirmed.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Chris Stapleton's 'Cold' riff features a warm, edge-of-breakup tone with rich mids and a slightly rounded top end, typical of his use of vintage-style amps (often Fender or similar). The settings reflect a bluesy, soulful rock sound with just enough gain for grit, strong mids for presence in the mix, and subtle reverb for space.