Riff Tone

Empty Spaces

Fuel

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1990s model, as used by Carl Bell in studio)

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (studio recording amp for Fuel's late 90s/early 2000s albums)

PickupsHumbucker (Gibson 490R/498T or similar, stock Les Paul Standard)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid5.5

treble6.5

reverb2

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2003 (Natural Selection album). No direct source confirms the exact amp for 'Empty Spaces', but Fuel's Carl Bell is documented using Gibson Les Pauls and Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifiers for main riff tones on this era's recordings. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this track's riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and saturatedarticulate palm-muted chugsmodern alternative rock crunchaggressive and percussivefull-bodied midrangecontrolled low-endslightly scooped midsclear note separationcompressed rhythm attackminimal ambience

Difficulty

The riff requires solid palm muting technique, precise alternate picking, and dynamic control to maintain clarity under high-gain settings, but does not involve advanced chord voicings or extreme speed.