GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
The River Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Wage War
Wage War · 2010s+ · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender American Elite Stratocaster HSS Shawbucker
Pickups
Shawbucker humbucker (bridge), Noiseless single coils (middle/neck)
Amp
Kemper Profiler Rack (amp model unknown, likely high-gain modern metal profile)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup (Shawbucker humbucker)
Studio recording, 2015-2016 era (recorded for debut album). Gear confirmed for Wage War's main guitarist Seth Blake, who plays the main riffs. Kemper Profiler used for amp tones, likely with a high-gain metal amp profile. No evidence of traditional tube amp or cab on this recording. No explicit evidence of live rig for this song's studio version.
Amp Settings
Mids4.5
Bass6
Gain9
Reverb1
Treble7
Presence6.5
Effects Chain
- Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer · overdrive
- Noise gate pedal (model unknown) · noise_gate
Guitar → Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer → Noise gate → Kemper Profiler Rack (high-gain amp profile, digital reverb)
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- crushing low end
- aggressive palm muting
- modern metalcore clarity
- articulate attack
- scooped mids
- minimal ambience
- high-gain saturation
- fast transient response
- compressed dynamics
Notes & Caveats
- No explicit amp model or profile for the Kemper Profiler Rack found for this song; settings estimated based on modern metalcore genre and typical Kemper usage.
- No direct pedalboard photo or studio notes for this specific song; TS9 Tube Screamer is confirmed as part of Seth Blake's gear, but not explicitly stated for this song. Included due to genre conventions and Equipboard listing.
- No explicit pedal settings found; settings and chain order inferred from typical metalcore practices and audible tone.
- No evidence of time-based or modulation effects (delay, chorus, flanger, phaser, etc.) in the riff section; only high-gain rhythm tone and tight noise gate are audible.
- All settings are estimates based on genre, era, and available gear lists, not direct from studio documentation.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Wage War's 'The River' features a tight, modern metalcore tone with extreme gain, slightly scooped but not hollow mids, tight bass, and pronounced treble/presence for clarity and aggression. The production is very dry with little to no reverb, matching genre and era conventions.