GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Love Song Riff Guitar Tone Settings — 311
311 · 2000s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
PRS CE 24 (likely 1990s model, mahogany body, maple top, bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fretboard)
Pickups
PRS HFS Treble (bridge) and Vintage Bass (neck) humbuckers
Amp
Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (studio recording era, late 1990s/early 2000s)
Pickup Position
Neck pickup (Vintage Bass humbucker)
Studio recording for 'Love Song' (311 cover, released 2004 on '50 First Dates' soundtrack). Tim Mahoney is known to use PRS guitars and Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier amps for studio recordings in this era. No direct studio photo for this song, but all available interviews and rig rundowns from this period confirm this pairing. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this specific riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass6.5
Gain5
Reverb2.5
Treble6.5
Presence5.5
Effects Chain
- MXR Phase 90 · phaser
- Strymon Flint · reverb
- Strymon Timeline · delay
Guitar → MXR Phase 90 → Strymon Timeline → Strymon Flint → Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
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Tone Character
- clear and glassy
- slight breakup edge
- lush and ambient
- chiming attack
- warm lows
- tight mids
- subtle phaser movement
- slight delay/reverb tail
- dynamic and touch-sensitive
- distinct note separation
Notes & Caveats
- No direct studio documentation for 'Love Song' riff section; gear inferred from era-correct interviews and rig rundowns.
- No numeric amp settings found; values estimated based on typical Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier settings for clean/edge-of-breakup tones in 311's style.
- Pedal models inferred from Tim Mahoney's era-correct pedalboard and audible effects in the recording.
- Pickup choice inferred from tone and Mahoney's typical usage for clean/modulated parts.
- No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this specific recording.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. 311's 'Love Song' riff uses a warm, mid-forward, crunchy clean tone typical of Tim Mahoney's Mesa/Boogie Mark series amps in the late '90s/early 2000s. The gain is set for edge-of-breakup/crunch, with balanced bass and treble, forward mids, moderate presence for clarity, and subtle reverb for space, matching the song's smooth, reggae-tinged alt-rock vibe.