GuitarDistortedRiff
Ego Death (feat. Steve Vai) Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Polyphia
Polyphia · 2010s+ · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Ibanez TOD10 Tim Henson Signature Electric Guitar
Pickups
Fishman Fluence Tim Henson Signature (active, humbucker/voiced single-coil modes)
Amp
Neural DSP Quad Cortex (amp modeler, likely using a high-gain Marshall or similar profile)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup (Fishman Fluence, Voice 1 - Modern Humbucker)
Studio recording, 2022. Tim Henson used his Ibanez TOD10 signature with Fishman Fluence pickups for the main riff section. Amp tone is modeled via Neural DSP Quad Cortex, not a traditional tube amp. No confirmed live rig for this exact section; settings are for the studio recording.
Amp Settings
Mids5.5
Bass6
Gain7
Reverb1.5
Treble7
Presence6.5
Effects Chain
- Compressor pedal (model unknown) · compression
- Noise gate (model unknown) · noise_gate
Ibanez TOD10 → Compressor → Noise Gate → Neural DSP Quad Cortex (high-gain amp model, digital reverb)
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- articulate note separation
- high-gain saturation
- modern metal clarity
- compressed and punchy
- fast palm-muted chugs
- extended low-end response
- crisp, bright top end
- minimal ambient reverb
- dynamic hybrid picking