Riff Tone
Altitudes
Jason Becker
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarCarvin DC200 (custom Super Strat style, likely with DiMarzio pickups)
AmpMarshall JCM800
PickupsDiMarzio single-coil (middle/neck), DiMarzio Fast Track (bridge)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
mid6
treble7
reverb1.5
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1988-1989. No evidence of pedals for the riff section; clean tone achieved with amp and guitar only. Some sources suggest a direct input (DI) for the clean tone, but the most credible evidence points to a Super Strat with single-coils into a Marshall JCM800 for the main riff.
Tone Character(10)
clean and glassybright and articulatedynamic and touch-sensitivepercussive attacksingle-coil clarityminimal breakupslight amp compressionstudio clarityno pedal colorationno audible modulation or time-based effects
Difficulty
The riff section of 'Altitudes' is extremely technical, requiring advanced picking accuracy, string skipping, and precise articulation at high speed, making it one of the most challenging clean guitar passages in the metal genre.
Sources
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarCarvin DC200 (custom Super Strat style, likely with DiMarzio pickups)
AmpMarshall JCM800
PickupsDiMarzio single-coil (middle/neck), DiMarzio Fast Track (bridge)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
mid6
treble7
reverb1.5
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1988-1989. No evidence of pedals for the riff section; clean tone achieved with amp and guitar only. Some sources suggest a direct input (DI) for the clean tone, but the most credible evidence points to a Super Strat with single-coils into a Marshall JCM800 for the main riff.
Tone Character(10)
clean and glassybright and articulatedynamic and touch-sensitivepercussive attacksingle-coil clarityminimal breakupslight amp compressionstudio clarityno pedal colorationno audible modulation or time-based effects
Difficulty
The riff section of 'Altitudes' is extremely technical, requiring advanced picking accuracy, string skipping, and precise articulation at high speed, making it one of the most challenging clean guitar passages in the metal genre.
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