Riff Tone

Gouge Away

Pixies

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (late 1970s/early 1980s, likely black finish)

AmpMarshall JCM800 (likely 2203 head, 4x12 cab, studio recording)

PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock, late 70s/early 80s)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Doolittle' (1988-1989). Joey Santiago ran straight into a Marshall amp with no pedals, using blankets over the cab for dryness. No evidence of pedals or outboard effects for the riff/distorted section. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical Marshall usage for Pixies' Doolittle sessions.

Tone Character(10)

gritty and rawdry and unprocessedtight and percussivemid-forward crunchaggressive pick attackminimal sustainno reverb or ambiencedynamic and responsiveslightly compressed from amp overdriveclassic Marshall bark

Difficulty

The riff requires tight palm muting and dynamic pick control for the percussive, aggressive sound, but uses straightforward power chords and rhythm, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

The Pixies' 'Gouge Away': The Song Kurt Cobain Said He Ripped Off | Ultimate Guitar

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