Riff Tone

Bad Penny

Big Black

Guitarpunk1980s

Original Gear

GuitarUnivox Hi-Flier Phase 3

AmpPeavey Roadmaster (solid state, late 70s/early 80s model)

PickupsUnivox P-90 style single coils

Amp Settings

gain8

bass4

mid4.5

treble5

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1986-1987, Atomizer era. Steve Albini used a Univox Hi-Flier with P-90 style pickups and a Peavey Roadmaster amp for the main riff section. No evidence of pedals or effects used in the studio recording for the riff; all distortion is from the amp. Pickup selector set to bridge. No evidence of time-based or modulation effects.

Tone Character(10)

abrasive and gnarlyrazor-sharp attackpercussive and metallicdry with no ambiencecompressed and focusedextreme clarity under heavy gaintreble heavily reducedmidrange slightly scoopedtight and aggressivebridge pickup bite

Difficulty

The riff is rhythmically straightforward but requires aggressive picking, tight muting, and control of feedback/noise at high gain, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

Big Black Steve Albini's Guitar Tone : r/noiserock Reddit - The heart of the internet

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