Riff Tone

Descending

TOOL

Guitarmetal2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst (1979)

AmpDiezel VH4

PickupsSeymour Duncan SH-4 JB (bridge), Seymour Duncan SH-2n Jazz (neck)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid6

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

delayBoss Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

eqMXR MXR 10-Band EQ

noise_gateUnknown Noise Gate (model unknown)

Notes

Studio recording for 'Descending' riff section, album: Fear Inoculum (2019). Adam Jones is known to use his 1979 Les Paul Custom Silverburst with Seymour Duncan pickups into a Diezel VH4 for the main riff tones on Fear Inoculum. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for the riff section on this track. Settings are estimated based on genre, amp type, and era due to lack of explicit numeric data.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivehigh-gain saturationarticulate note separationmassive low endslightly scooped midsmodern metal clarityclear pick attackdynamic response to pickingcontrolled feedbackcomplex, layered distortion

Difficulty

The riff requires advanced rhythmic precision, tight palm muting, and dynamic control to maintain clarity and articulation under high gain, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

Tool – Fear Inoculum - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album Any tricks to get somewhat sound close to Tool-level distortion using ...

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