Riff Tone

(Don't Fear) The Reaper

Blue Öyster Cult

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitarc. 1960s Gibson ES-175

Amp1975 Music Man 410-65 combo (four 10-inch Eminence ceramic-magnet speakers)

PickupsGibson PAF-style humbucker (bridge position)

Amp Settings

gain4

bass4.5

mid7.5

treble6

reverb1.5

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1976. Clean rhythm/riff section used the ES-175 (bridge pickup) into the Music Man 410-65, channel 2, input 1, Bright switch on. Settings from studio session notes. No pedals used for clean riff section; effects were studio plate reverb and tape delay for ambience.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatehaunting jangleclean and shimmeringsubtle studio ambiencetight and percussive attackwarm midrangeslightly scooped lowsclear note separationno audible distortionbridge pickup clarity

Difficulty

The riff requires accurate arpeggiated picking and clean chord transitions to maintain the song's signature haunting jangle and clarity, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed.

Sources

Blue Oyster Cult's (Don't Fear) The Reaper guitar tone The 25 greatest classic rock guitar tones of all time Buck Dharma on Blue Öyster Cult's ride and going digital

This tone has been researched 3 times by the community

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