GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Ten Years Gone Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Telecaster (1959, double-neck used for live, but studio is Telecaster for riff section)
Pickups
Single-coil (Fender Telecaster stock pickups, 1959 era)
Amp
Supro Thunderbolt (vintage, likely modified, studio recording)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1975 (Physical Graffiti sessions). Jimmy Page used his 1959 Telecaster for the riff section in the studio. The double-neck Gibson EDS-1275 was used live, but not on the original recording. Amp is the Supro Thunderbolt, which Page used for many Zeppelin studio tracks.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6
Gain5
Reverb3.5
Treble7
Presence6
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Tone Character
- chiming and layered
- warm and glassy
- slightly compressed
- open and airy
- touch-sensitive
- edge-of-breakup
- clear note separation
- British-voiced crunch
- modest amp breakup
- subtle plate reverb
Notes & Caveats
- No direct numeric amp settings for 'Ten Years Gone' studio riff found; settings estimated based on typical Supro Thunderbolt usage and 1970s classic rock conventions.
- Some sources mention live use of Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck, but studio recording used Telecaster for riff.
- No explicit pedal models confirmed for studio riff section; effects inferred from audio and era.
- Reverb is likely plate from studio, not amp spring; included as amp effect for practical recreation.
- No evidence of fuzz, phaser, or chorus on riff section—those are used in solo/bridge, not main riff.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Jimmy Page's 'Ten Years Gone' riff tone is classic mid-70s British rock: edge-of-breakup with a slightly pushed clean, pronounced mids, and balanced bass/treble, likely from a cranked Hiwatt or Marshall with Les Paul. Subtle plate reverb was used in the studio for space, but the core tone remains articulate and warm.