GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
No One Knows Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age · 2000s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Ovation Ultra GP
Pickups
DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers
Amp
Peavey Standard 260 (riff, left channel) blended with Ampeg VT-40 and Ampeg V-4B (chorus/overdriven parts, right channel)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 2002. Multiple amps were blended for the main riff section: Peavey Standard 260 head (left), Ampeg VT-40 and V-4B (right). Guitar confirmed as Ovation Ultra GP with DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups for main riff. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for this section.
Amp Settings
Mids7.5
Bass7
Gain7
Reverb0.5
Treble4.5
Presence5
Effects Chain
- ZVEX Super Hard On Boost · boost
- Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer · eq
Ovation Ultra GP → ZVEX Super Hard On Boost → Boss GE-7 EQ → Peavey Standard 260/Ampeg VT-40/V-4B (no reverb, no time-based effects)
Tone Matcher
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Tone Character
- mid-forward, punchy
- thick, saturated distortion
- tight, percussive rhythm
- dry, minimal ambience
- aggressive pick attack
- slightly fuzzy edge
- clear note separation despite heavy gain
- compressed, focused mids
- low treble, not harsh
- dense, layered sound
Notes & Caveats
- Amp settings (gain, bass, mid, treble) are from Ultimate Guitar user-submitted data, but match the mid-forward, low-treble tone described in multiple sources.
- Presence setting is estimated (typical for Peavey/Ampeg amps in this genre/era).
- No evidence of reverb used; all sources and audio confirm a dry, direct sound.
- Signal chain is reconstructed from studio photos and engineer interviews; some ambiguity remains about exact amp blend per section.
- No explicit pedal settings found; pedal usage inferred from studio gear lists and audio.
- If using a different guitar/amp, tone will differ significantly due to unique Ovation GP/Peavey/Ampeg combination.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Josh Homme's 'No One Knows' riff tone is thick, mid-forward, and crunchy, with a stoner/doom low end and minimal ambience. The gain is set for a saturated but not fizzy crunch, bass is boosted for heaviness, mids are forward for punch, treble is slightly rolled off to avoid harshness, and reverb is nearly dry as per the album's tight production.