GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Sunday Rain Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters · 2010s+ · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson Les Paul (exact model unspecified, likely vintage, as per Pat Smear interview)
Pickups
Gibson humbuckers (likely stock, as per Les Paul standard configuration)
Amp
Vintage transistor bass head into old Seventies vocal mixing board (Pat Smear's main amp for most of the record), possibly with Orange amp blended in
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 2017. Pat Smear used a Les Paul into a custom setup: old Seventies vocal mixing board into a vintage transistor bass head, with some tracks also using an Orange amp. Gear was intentionally non-standard for this album. No evidence of standard Foo Fighters touring amps or pedals used for this song's riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6.5
Gain6
Reverb2.5
Treble6.5
Presence5.5
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Tone Character
- thick and mid-forward
- punchy and articulate
- slight breakup/crunch
- full-bodied
- organic and unprocessed
- tight low end
- present upper mids
- not overly compressed
- classic rock crunch
- modern edge
Notes & Caveats
- No direct source lists exact amp or pedal settings for 'Sunday Rain' riff section; all settings estimated based on described gear and typical rock tones.
- No evidence of pedals or effects used on the riff section; signal chain appears to be guitar straight into amp.
- Exact Les Paul model and amp settings not specified in sources; inferred from Pat Smear's interview and typical usage.
- No evidence of pickup selector position, but bridge pickup is standard for this type of riff.
- No evidence of effects loop or amp-based effects except for possible light reverb.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Sunday Rain's riff tone is classic Foo Fighters: crunchy but not overly saturated, with punchy mids, balanced bass, and enough treble/presence for clarity. Dave Grohl typically uses Vox or Mesa/Boogie amps with moderate gain and forward mids for thick, articulate rock tones, and the production on Concrete and Gold favors a dry, direct sound with minimal reverb.