Riff Tone

Fire Woman

The Cult

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Custom 'Woodie' (1979, natural wood front, humbuckers)

AmpMarshall (likely JCM800 or JMP) + Matchless DC-30 (studio blend, no JC-120 on this track)

PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock 1979 Les Paul Custom)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb2

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

flangerBoss Boss BF-2 Flanger

delayBoss Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

delayBoss Boss DM-2 Delay

Notes

Studio recording, 1988-1989 for 'Sonic Temple'. Billy Duffy used his 'Woodie' Les Paul Custom for Fire Woman (no Gretsch on this track per Duffy). Amp blend was Marshall (main drive) and Matchless DC-30 (introduced by Bob Rock for Sonic Temple). JC-120 not used for main riff. Effects are all pedal-based, not amp-based. See sources for confirmation.

Tone Character(10)

big, open, crunchy rhythm toneBritish-voiced driveclear, articulate attackmodulated shimmer from flangerspacious, wide stereo imagetight low endcutting upper midsslight delay for widthnot overly saturatedclassic hard rock punch

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, consistent downstrokes at a fast tempo, clean chord changes, and control to keep the sound articulate despite heavy modulation and delay effects.

Sources

Billy Duffy on his most iconic Gretsch and Gibson guitars | Guitar World The Cult – Sonic Temple - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard Billy Duffy | Equipboard Boss BF-2 Flanger - What To Know & Where To Buy | Equipboard Interview: Billy Duffy - Captain Riffs - Premier Guitar

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