GuitarDistortedRiff
Swerve City Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Deftones
Deftones · 2010s+ · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
ESP STEF B-8 (Stephen Carpenter signature 8-string, likely baritone scale, used on Koi No Yokan album)
Pickups
EMG 808 active humbuckers
Amp
Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II (amp modeling, likely using a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier or Peavey 5150 model for high-gain rhythm)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 2012 (Koi No Yokan). Stephen Carpenter used his ESP STEF B-8 with EMG 808s for the main riff. The Axe-Fx II was used for amp/cab/effects modeling in the studio. No evidence of live/touring rig or other guitars/amps for this part.
Amp Settings
Mids4.5
Bass6
Gain8
Reverb1
Treble6.5
Presence6.5
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- aggressive high-gain saturation
- articulate note separation
- slightly scooped mids
- crushing low-end
- focused palm muting
- modern metal clarity
- minimal ambience
- clear pick attack
- dry, immediate response