Riff Tone

Gardenia

Kyuss

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

Guitar1990s Ovation Ultra GP

AmpAmpeg V-4 (1970s model, cranked)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain9

bass8

mid7

treble5.5

reverb0

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1994, Welcome to Sky Valley album. Josh Homme used the Ovation Ultra GP with DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups into a cranked Ampeg V-4 head for the main riff tone. No evidence of pedals in the studio chain for the riff, just amp distortion. Live setups may differ.

Tone Character(10)

monstrous, thick fuzzed-out riffmid-forward, punchy attackwarm, massive low endsustained, compressed distortionhuge, saturated, desert rock wall of sounddry, unprocessed amp toneslightly rolled-off highsfat, blooming power chordsorganic, touch-sensitive responseno audible modulation or time-based effects

Difficulty

The riff is rhythmically straightforward but requires tight muting, control of heavy gain, and clarity in a low tuning, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

[NEWBIE] SFT pedal=Kyuss? : r/Guitar - Reddit Fuzz aficionados, I need your help for stoner rock! : r/Guitar - Reddit How to get a Kyuss/early QOTSA like tone? : r/guitarpedals - Reddit Kyuss - Gardenia (This classic) : r/stonerrock - Reddit

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