GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Headup Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Deftones
Deftones · 1990s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
ESP Stef B-6 (custom baritone, likely with Seymour Duncan JB bridge pickup)
Pickups
Seymour Duncan JB (bridge humbucker, passive, high output)
Amp
Marshall JMP-1 MIDI Preamp into Marshall EL34 100/100 Power Amp
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1997. Gear confirmed for 'Around the Fur' album era. No evidence of live rig or later digital rigs for this recording. No evidence of additional preamps or amp models used for this song.
Amp Settings
Mids5
Bass6
Gain8.5
Reverb1
Treble7
Presence6
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- saturated distortion
- articulate low-end
- slightly scooped mids
- crisp attack
- minimal ambience
- focused punch
- modern heavy rhythm
- no modulation or delay
- multi-tracked thickness
Notes & Caveats
- No direct source for exact knob settings; values estimated based on Marshall JMP-1/EL34 typical settings for 1990s Deftones studio tones and genre conventions.
- No evidence of pedals or modulation/time-based effects used on the riff section of 'Headup'; distortion is from amp/preamp.
- Pickup and guitar model inferred from multiple era-specific sources; no direct studio photo for 'Headup' session.
- If later live performances use digital modelers or different amps, those are not relevant to the original studio recording.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Deftones' 'Headup' riff features a saturated, aggressive modern metal tone with tight low end, slightly scooped mids, and clear but not harsh highs, typical of Stephen Carpenter's 7-string, Mesa/Boogie Rectifier setup in the late '90s; the sound is dry with no audible reverb, emphasizing punch and clarity.