Riff Tone

Evolution (The Grand Design)

SYMPHONY X

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarESP M-II Custom (Romeo's main guitar in late 1990s studio recordings)

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (studio recording amp for V: The New Mythology Suite era)

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

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass5.5

mid5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

noise_gateUnknown Noise gate pedal (model unknown)

Notes

Studio recording, 1999-2000. Gear based on Michael Romeo's known studio setup for this album. No direct studio documentation for this song, but consistent with era and genre. No evidence of live gear or alternate guitars for riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutingarticulate high-gain rhythmscooped but present midschunky low endclear note separationmodern metal saturationfast attackminimal ambiencecompressed, focused rhythm

Difficulty

The riff section demands advanced right-hand technique, tight palm muting, and precise synchronization at high speed, making it very challenging for most players.

Sources

Symphony X Tone help | Fractal Audio Systems Forum Evolution (The Grand Design) Tab by Symphony X - Songsterr

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