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Meddler — August Burns Red1 / 2
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Meddler Riff Guitar Tone Settings — August Burns Red

August Burns Red · 2000s · metal

studio

Original Recording

Guitar
ESP LTD EC-1000
Pickups
EMG 81 (bridge), EMG 85 (neck) active humbuckers
Amp
Peavey 5150/6505 head into Mesa/Boogie 4x12 cabinet
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup

Studio recording, 2008 (Constellations album sessions). All evidence points to the use of a Peavey 5150/6505 with a Mesa 4x12 cab for the main rhythm/riff tone. ESP LTD EC-1000 with EMG 81/85 pickups was JB Brubaker's main studio guitar for this era. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this specific riff section.

Amp Settings

Mids
5
Bass
6
Gain
8.5
Reverb
0
Treble
7
Presence
6.5

Effects Chain

  • Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer · overdrive
  • Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor · noise_gate

ESP LTD EC-1000 (EMG 81 bridge) → Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer → Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor → Peavey 5150/6505 head → Mesa/Boogie 4x12 cab

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Tone Character

  • tight and percussive
  • aggressive palm muting
  • articulate and clear
  • scooped but present mids
  • high-gain saturation
  • modern metalcore clarity
  • fast attack
  • compressed
  • focused low end
  • minimal ambience

Notes & Caveats

  • ⚠️No direct studio knob settings for 'Meddler' found; amp and pedal choices are confirmed for this era and genre, settings estimated based on typical 5150/6505 metalcore usage.
  • ⚠️No evidence of time-based or modulation effects in the riff section; only noise gate and overdrive/boost confirmed.
  • ⚠️No explicit mention of exact pickup selector position, but bridge EMG 81 is standard for this tone and genre.
  • ⚠️Pedal settings are not specified in sources; only pedal types and models are confirmed.
  • ⚠️Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. August Burns Red's 'Meddler' features a very tight, modern metalcore tone with extreme gain, slightly scooped mids, controlled bass, and pronounced treble/presence for clarity and attack. The production is very dry and punchy, with little to no reverb, matching genre and era conventions and the band's typical Mesa/5150-style amp settings.

Sources