No More Tears Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne · 1990s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Studio recording, 1991. All sources confirm this rig for the No More Tears album. Clean tone achieved by rolling back amp gain and guitar volume, pedals off except chorus. Chorus pedal (Boss CH-1) is always on for added body and subtle modulation. No wah, overdrive, or delay used in clean sections. Pickup position inferred as neck or both for warmth.
Amp Settings
Effects Chain
- Boss CH-1 Super Chorus · chorus
Guitar → Boss CH-1 Super Chorus → Marshall JCM800 2203 head → Marshall 1960B 4x12 cab
Tone Matcher
Match This Tone to Your Gear
Tell us your guitar and amp — we’ll calculate the exact settings translated to your specific rig.
7-day free trial · Cancel anytime.
Tone Character
- warm and rounded
- subtle chorus shimmer
- clear and articulate
- slightly scooped mids
- touch-sensitive dynamics
- full-bodied cleans
- active pickup clarity
- tight low end
- smooth top end
- modulated but not warbly
Playing Technique
- Let the low string speak, then stop it · difficulty 3/5Strike the low notes firmly but release them at the written gap. The riff needs weight without a sustained low-end cloud, especially once distortion is added to the clean starting patch.
- Keep vibrato wide but controlled · difficulty 4/5Use the wrist for a broad, even movement on held notes and return to center before the next phrase. Random speed changes make the Zakk-style expression sound nervous instead of powerful.
- Use pinch harmonics as accents · difficulty 4/5Place the pick and thumb close to the string only on selected attacks. Too many harmonics turn the riff into a technique exercise and obscure the song's main melodic shape.
- Keep chorus behind the attack · difficulty 2/5A small amount of modulation can add body, but the dry note must remain in front. If the clean-tagged preset wobbles, lower effect mix before changing the EQ.
Sources
Tone Story / Why This Tone Works
- Style and eraNo More Tears belongs to Ozzy's 1991 solo-metal era, the record that established Zakk Wylde as a major guitar voice beside Ozzy's theatrical songwriting.
- Zakk Wylde's voiceWylde combines tight low-string rhythm, blues-metal bends, wide vibrato, and occasional harmonic bite to make riffs feel both heavy and vocal.
- Tone rationaleThe page's clean setting is a starting point for the contour; controlled gain, active-humbucker punch, and subtle chorus supply the recorded weight and width.
- Why the riff is iconicThe section works because menace and melody coexist: focused lows carry the riff while a slight modulation gives the large 1990s production its body.
What Fans Are Saying About This Tone?
That guitar during the entire song is fucking epic.
Vote your takeThe light in the window is a crack in the sky.
Vote your takeThe baddest solo ever written.
Vote your take