Riff Tone

Fire On the Mountain

Grateful Dead

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarDoug Irwin 'Wolf' custom guitar

AmpFender Twin Reverb (Silverface, late 1970s) into McIntosh MC2300 power amp

PickupsDiMarzio Super II humbucker (middle position), DiMarzio SDS-1 single coil (neck), DiMarzio Dual Sound humbucker (bridge)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5

mid5.5

treble7

reverb3.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

modulationMusitronics Mu-Tron III Envelope Filter

boostMXR MXR Micro Amp (clean boost)

Notes

Live performance, 1977 era (e.g., Cornell 5/8/77 and Spring '77 shows). Jerry Garcia's signal path included an onboard effects loop. Studio version is similar but most iconic tones are from live recordings.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatequacky envelope filter effectclean and percussivedynamic response to pickingtight low endslightly scooped midscutting trebletouch-sensitive attackliquid sustain (from envelope filter)open and airy

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate skill due to the need for precise picking dynamics to trigger the envelope filter, syncopated rhythm, and clean articulation.

Sources

Grateful Dead Amp Settings (gear and tone tips) - Guitar Chalk How to get fire on the mountain guitar effect? : r/gratefuldead - Reddit How did Jerry get that squawky sound on his guitar like on Fire on ...How to Capture Jerry Garcia’s Signature Tones - Premier Guitar

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