Riff Tone

Alive

Pearl Jam

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1960s or '57 Reissue, Aged White, as seen in 1991-92 live footage)

AmpMarshall 1960A 4x12 Cabinet with 65 Amps Empire 22-watt Tube Head and/or Satellite Atom 36-Watt Head (studio era, early 1990s)

PickupsFender single-coil pickups (stock or vintage-style, passive, SSS configuration)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6

mid7

treble6.5

reverb2.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

distortionFulltone Fulltone Distortion Pro

Notes

Studio recording, 1991 (Ten album). Gear confirmed by Equipboard and Premier Guitar interviews for this era. Live rigs have changed, but this reflects the original studio setup for 'Alive' riff section.

Tone Character(10)

classic British crunchbright and articulateslightly compressed attacktight rhythm with moderate gainclear note separationdynamic pick attackopen-sounding chordstouch-sensitive responseedge-of-breakup drivenot overly saturated

Difficulty

The riff requires solid rhythm skills and dynamic picking for articulation, but uses straightforward power chords and moderate tempo, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

Mike McCready's Guitar Gear, Pedalboard & Amps | Equipboard Pearl Jam – Ten - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard Mike McCready's Guitar Gear, Pedalboard & Amps | Equipboard

This tone has been researched 18 times by the community

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