Riff Tone
Christmas Canon Rock
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Guitarrock2000s
Original Gear
GuitarESP Eclipse (likely 2000s model, as used by Chris Caffery and Joel Hoekstra in TSO during this era)
AmpMesa/Boogie TriAxis preamp into Mesa/Boogie 4x12 Recto cab (via Fractal Axe-Fx modeling for live and studio consistency)
PickupsEMG 81/85 active humbuckers
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
mid6
treble7
reverb2.5
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 2004 (The Lost Christmas Eve album). Gear confirmed for TSO's main rhythm tones in this era. TriAxis/Recto setup used for rhythm riff sections, not the Soldano SLO-100 lead preset. Effects and routing via Fractal Axe-Fx. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this riff section.
Tone Character(10)
tight and saturatedarticulate and punchymodern high-gain clarityfull-bodied low endpresent upper midsaggressive attackclear note separationtight palm-muted chugsarena-ready crunchslightly compressed
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, fast alternate picking and precise palm muting to maintain clarity at a medium-fast tempo, with syncopated rhythms demanding good timing and right-hand control.
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarrock2000s
Original Gear
GuitarESP Eclipse (likely 2000s model, as used by Chris Caffery and Joel Hoekstra in TSO during this era)
AmpMesa/Boogie TriAxis preamp into Mesa/Boogie 4x12 Recto cab (via Fractal Axe-Fx modeling for live and studio consistency)
PickupsEMG 81/85 active humbuckers
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
mid6
treble7
reverb2.5
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 2004 (The Lost Christmas Eve album). Gear confirmed for TSO's main rhythm tones in this era. TriAxis/Recto setup used for rhythm riff sections, not the Soldano SLO-100 lead preset. Effects and routing via Fractal Axe-Fx. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this riff section.
Tone Character(10)
tight and saturatedarticulate and punchymodern high-gain clarityfull-bodied low endpresent upper midsaggressive attackclear note separationtight palm-muted chugsarena-ready crunchslightly compressed
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, fast alternate picking and precise palm muting to maintain clarity at a medium-fast tempo, with syncopated rhythms demanding good timing and right-hand control.
More Trans-Siberian Orchestra tones
- A Last Illusion · solo
- Christmas / Sarajevo 12/24 (Instrumental) · solo
- Wizards in Winter (Instrumental) · solo
- Wizards in Winter (Instrumental) · riff