Riff Tone

I Don't Know Anything

Mad Season

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely early 70s, sunburst, rosewood board)

AmpMarshall JMP 50-watt head (1970s, non-master volume, likely 2204 or 1987 model)

PickupsFender single-coil Strat pickups (stock or period-correct replacements)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6.5

mid7

treble6.5

reverb2.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1994. Gear confirmed for Mad Season 'Above' era. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for this track. Focus is on the heavy/distorted riff section.

Tone Character(10)

thick and saturatedBritish-voiced crunchopen and dynamicclear note separationslightly scooped midstight low endraw and uncompressedtouch-sensitiveclassic grunge drivenot overly compressed

Difficulty

The riff is moderately challenging due to its syncopated rhythm and need for dynamic picking, but uses straightforward chord shapes and is accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

Mike McCready Talks Mad Season Reissue, New Pearl Jam - Premier Guitar Mike Mccready's tone in Mad Season - forum topic [Discussion] Mike McCready Mad Season Tone?

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