GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Mississippi Queen Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Mountain
Mountain · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Junior
Pickups
P-90 single coil (bridge position)
Amp
Sunn Coliseum PA head into Sunn 4x12 cabinet
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1970. No pedals used, just guitar straight into amp. All evidence points to this setup for the original studio riff section of 'Mississippi Queen'.
Amp Settings
Mids7.5
Bass7
Gain7
Reverb0
Treble7
Presence6.5
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Tone Character
- big, thick, milkshake-like
- rich and chocolatey
- aggressive and punchy
- raw and direct
- full-bodied with strong midrange
- tight low end
- biting bridge pickup attack
- dry, no ambience
- British crunch
- simple, powerful, riff-driven
Notes & Caveats
- No specific numeric amp knob settings found in sources; settings estimated based on typical Sunn Coliseum PA usage for classic rock and Leslie West's tone descriptions.
- All sources agree: no pedals or effects used on the original studio riff; guitar plugged straight into amp.
- No reverb or time-based effects audible or cited; dry, direct amp sound.
- If alternate gear or settings are found in future sources, update accordingly.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Leslie West used a cranked Sunn Model T and P90-loaded Les Paul Jr for a thick, mid-forward, crunchy tone with lots of natural amp breakup and little to no reverb, typical of early '70s hard rock production. The sound is fat, raw, and present, with boosted mids and bass, moderate treble, and no added ambience.