Riff Tone

It Ain't Like That

Alice In Chains

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarG&L Rampage (Jerry Cantrell's original, 1980s-early 90s, Kahler tremolo, single humbucker)

AmpBogner-modified Marshall JCM800 (studio recording, Dirt album era)

PickupsSeymour Duncan JB (bridge humbucker, stock in Cantrell's Rampage)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb0.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1991 (Dirt album). Jerry Cantrell used his G&L Rampage with a Seymour Duncan JB bridge pickup into a Bogner-modded Marshall JCM800 for the main riff. No confirmed pedal use for the riff section; distortion is from the amp. No evidence of time-based or modulation effects on the riff. Pickup selector: bridge only (single humbucker guitar).

Tone Character(10)

thick and saturatedtight and percussiveaggressive attackarticulate note separationdry, in-your-facemid-heavy punchslightly scooped but not hollowcrunchy metallic edgeheavy grunge/metal riffingno ambient effects

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, percussive palm muting and precise timing to maintain clarity with high-gain saturation. While not technically advanced in terms of speed or complex chords, the articulation and control needed for the iconic riff push it above basic intermediate.