Riff Tone

25 Or 6 To 4 (Remastered)

Chicago

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1969 Fender Telecaster

Amp1967 Fender Dual Showman Reverb head with matching 2x15 cabinet

PickupsFender single-coil (stock Telecaster pickups, late 60s)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6

mid7

treble6.5

reverb2.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1970. Terry Kath played the riff section with his Telecaster into a cranked Fender Dual Showman. No evidence of pedals for the riff section; wah is used in the solo but not the riff. Rhythm guitar is doubled in the studio mix. No evidence of fuzz or overdrive pedals for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

aggressive and bitingbright upper midstight and percussive attackdynamic pick responseslightly compressed amp breakuppunchy and articulateminimal ambient reverbclear note separationclassic American rock crunchdoubled rhythm guitars for width

Difficulty

The riff is iconic and requires intermediate skill due to its syncopation, tight picking, and dynamic control, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed.

Sources

Hear Terry Kath's Isolated Guitar from Chicago's “25 or 6 to 4”Chicago "25 Or 6 To 4" Production Analysis - Bobby Owsinski's Music Production Blog 25 or 6 to 4 (Chicago) | Guitar Forum

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account