GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Mexicola Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age · 1990s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson Marauder
Pickups
Stock Gibson Marauder pickups (single-coil in neck, humbucker in bridge, both with unique wiring)
Amp
Peavey Series 260 Standard PA
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1997-1998. Gear confirmed for debut album sessions. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for this song's riff. No evidence of additional amps or alternate guitars for the main riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids7.5
Bass7.5
Gain7.5
Reverb0
Treble6.5
Presence5.5
Effects Chain
- Univox Super-Fuzz · fuzz
- ZVEX Super Hard On Boost · boost
- Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer · eq
Gibson Marauder → ZVEX Super Hard On Boost → Univox Super-Fuzz → Boss GE-7 EQ → Peavey Series 260 Standard PA
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Tone Character
- fuzzy and saturated
- mid-forward and thick
- aggressive and percussive
- raw, uncompressed fuzz texture
- tight palm-muted chugs
- slightly compressed attack
- dry and in-your-face
- distinct octave/fuzz overtones
- no audible reverb or ambience
- cutting through dense mix
Notes & Caveats
- No direct amp knob settings for Peavey 260 Standard PA found; settings estimated based on typical stoner/desert rock tones and era.
- Pedal order inferred from common Josh Homme studio chains and pedalboard photos from the era.
- No evidence of time-based or modulation effects in the riff section; fuzz/distortion is the primary effect.
- Pickup choice inferred from tone and genre; Marauder bridge pickup is most likely for main riff.
- No evidence of amp reverb or delay; Peavey 260 Standard PA is a solid-state PA head with no built-in effects.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Josh Homme's 'Mexicola' tone is thick, fuzzy, and mid-forward, typical of his Matamp/Ampeg setups with high bass and mids, moderate treble, and little to no reverb. The gain is set to a crunchy, saturated stoner rock level, but not into modern metal territory.