Riff Tone

Fell On Black Days

Soundgarden

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarGuild S-100

AmpMarshall JMP 50 half stack blended with Mesa-Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo half stack

PickupsGuild HB-1 humbuckers (microphonic, vintage spec)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6

mid7

treble6

reverb2

presence4.5

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusIbanez Chorus pedal (likely Ibanez CS9 Stereo Chorus)

Notes

Studio recording, 1993-1994 (Superunknown sessions). Kim Thayil used the Guild S-100 with bridge pickup for the main riff. Amps were blended Marshall JMP 50 and Mesa-Boogie Dual Rectifier. Chorus effect was used in the studio for the riff. No evidence of fuzz/distortion pedals for the riff section; gain from amp. Drop D tuning.

Tone Character(10)

thick and warmorganic, full-bodied crunchbrighter bridge pickup attackambient, sitar-like overtones from microphonic pickupschorus shimmerdroning open stringsdynamic and riff-orientednot compressed or squashednot thin or cleanslightly ambient due to chorus effect

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate skill due to the use of drop D tuning, droning open strings, and syncopated melodic movement, as well as managing clarity with chorus and moderate gain. Microphonic pickups can be challenging to control without unwanted feedback.