GuitarDistortedRiff
Old Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Machine Head
Machine Head · 1990s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson Flying V (early 90s, likely stock pickups)
Pickups
Gibson humbuckers (likely stock, possibly 496R/500T or Dirty Fingers, but not confirmed for this exact recording)
Amp
Peavey 5150 (block letter, original model, not 6505+)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1994 (Burn My Eyes album). Logan Mader and Robb Flynn both used Gibson Flying Vs and Peavey 5150s through Mesa/Boogie oversized cabs. No evidence of pedals in the main riff section; tone is amp-driven. No evidence of modulation or time-based effects in the riff. Effects like flanger were used on other songs/sections, but not on the main riff of 'Old'.
Amp Settings
Mids5
Bass6
Gain8.5
Reverb0
Treble6.5
Presence6
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- aggressive palm muting
- saturated high-gain
- focused midrange growl
- chunky low end
- articulate pick attack
- modern metal clarity
- minimal ambience
- amp-driven distortion
- no modulation or time-based effects