Riff Tone
Bad to the Bone
George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Guitarblues1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson ES-125 TDC
AmpFender 'Silverface' Dual Showman Amp
PickupsP-90 Soapbar single-coil pickups
Amp Settings
gain6.5
bass6.5
mid7
treble7
reverb1.5
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1982. Guitar is a semi-hollowbody ES-125 TDC with P-90s, plugged into a cranked Fender Silverface Dual Showman. No evidence of pedals or effects used on the original studio riff section. All sources confirm this setup for the album recording.
Tone Character(10)
mid-range honkyaggressive and grittybold, overdrivenvibrant and punchyraw and electrifyingslide-drivensemi-hollowbody resonanceP-90 bite and claritycranked amp saturationpercussive attack
Difficulty
The riff requires basic slide technique in open tuning and aggressive picking, but does not involve complex fingerings or fast passages, making it accessible to intermediate players with some slide experience.
Sources
George Thorogood's 'Bad To The Bone' Guitar Tone DissectedGeorge Thorogood tone | Guitar Forum - The Gear PageGeorge Thorogood & The Destroyers – BAD TO THE BONE - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | EquipboardGeorge Thorogood's 'Bad To The Bone' Guitar Tone DissectedGeorge Thorogood & The Destroyers Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarblues1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson ES-125 TDC
AmpFender 'Silverface' Dual Showman Amp
PickupsP-90 Soapbar single-coil pickups
Amp Settings
gain6.5
bass6.5
mid7
treble7
reverb1.5
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Sources
George Thorogood's 'Bad To The Bone' Guitar Tone DissectedGeorge Thorogood tone | Guitar Forum - The Gear PageGeorge Thorogood & The Destroyers – BAD TO THE BONE - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | EquipboardGeorge Thorogood's 'Bad To The Bone' Guitar Tone DissectedGeorge Thorogood & The Destroyers Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard
Notes
Studio recording, 1982. Guitar is a semi-hollowbody ES-125 TDC with P-90s, plugged into a cranked Fender Silverface Dual Showman. No evidence of pedals or effects used on the original studio riff section. All sources confirm this setup for the album recording.
Tone Character(10)
mid-range honkyaggressive and grittybold, overdrivenvibrant and punchyraw and electrifyingslide-drivensemi-hollowbody resonanceP-90 bite and claritycranked amp saturationpercussive attack
Difficulty
The riff requires basic slide technique in open tuning and aggressive picking, but does not involve complex fingerings or fast passages, making it accessible to intermediate players with some slide experience.