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Them Bones Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Alice In Chains
Alice In Chains · 1990s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Custom (early 1970s, black, likely with stock humbuckers)
Pickups
Gibson humbuckers (likely T-Top or similar, passive, high output)
Amp
Bogner Fish preamp into a VHT Classic power amp, with Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1992)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording for 'Dirt' (1992). Jerry Cantrell used a Bogner Fish preamp (modded Marshall JCM800 circuit), VHT Classic power amp, and Marshall 4x12 cab. Guitar is a black Gibson Les Paul Custom with bridge humbucker. No evidence of additional pedals or effects for the main riff; tone is amp-driven. Settings estimated from era, genre, and available forum/rig info.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass6
Gain8
Reverb0
Treble6.5
Presence6.5
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- aggressive palm muting
- saturated high-gain distortion
- articulate low end
- clear note separation
- slightly scooped mids
- crisp attack
- minimal ambience
- focused and dry
- chunky, heavy riffing
Notes & Caveats
- No direct studio amp knob settings for 'Them Bones' found; amp settings estimated based on Bogner Fish preamp into VHT/Marshall stack, genre, and era.
- Pedal use for main riff is not evidenced in any source; all distortion is amp-based.
- Some forum posts mention Soldano and Mesa amps being blended, but primary source consensus is Bogner Fish for 'Dirt' album rhythm tones.
- No time-based or modulation effects are audible or cited for the riff section; tone is dry and direct.
- Settings from Boss Katana forum are for digital amp modeling and not the original studio setup; used only as a rough reference for EQ balance.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Jerry Cantrell's 'Them Bones' tone is a saturated, mid-forward, tight high-gain sound typical of early 90s grunge/metal, likely using a Bogner-modified amp with moderate bass for clarity, strong mids, and little to no reverb for a dry, punchy attack; these settings reflect his known preferences and the song's production.