Riff Tone

Burn the Witch

Queens of the Stone Age

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarMaton BB1200

AmpPeavey Decade (studio recording, as seen in era photos and referenced in gear rundowns for Lullabies to Paralyze sessions)

PickupsMaton BB1200 humbuckers (likely stock, coil-splittable, but likely in humbucker mode for riff)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6.5

mid7

treble6.5

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2005 (Lullabies to Paralyze). Guitar confirmed as Maton BB1200 for Josh Homme on this track; amp is Peavey Decade (solid-state combo) as per era-specific gear references. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for the studio riff section. No explicit pedalboard evidence for the riff, but some sources mention Whammy pedal use in the song (likely for solo/lead, not riff).

Tone Character(10)

thick and mid-forwardtight and percussiveslightly gritty crunchfocused low endclear note separationdry, minimal ambiencearticulate attackpunchy rhythmnot overly compressedclassic stoner/desert rock

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate-level rhythmic precision, tight palm muting, and a strong, consistent picking hand to maintain the song's punchy, percussive groove.

Sources

Maton BB1200 Guitar - What To Know & Where To Buy | Equipboard Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age with his signature Peavey Decade Too combo amp Ultimate QotSA Tuning Cheat Sheet - Reddit DigiTech WH-4 Whammy (4th Gen) - What To Know & Where To Buy

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account