Riff Tone

Just

Radiohead

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Telecaster (mid-80s Japanese reissue, maple neck)

AmpFender Eighty-Five (late-80s solid-state combo, 1x12")

PickupsStock Fender single-coil pickups

Amp Settings

gain8

bass7

mid3.5

treble7.5

reverb2

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

distortionMarshall Marshall Shred Master

Notes

Studio recording, 1994-1995 (The Bends sessions). Jonny Greenwood used the Telecaster into a Fender Eighty-Five amp for the main riff and heavy sections. Pedals confirmed for this era and song include the Marshall Shred Master for distortion. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for the studio version.

Tone Character(10)

aggressive and saturatedtight, percussive rhythmbright and cutting top endmid-scooped, modern alternative rockarticulate single-coil attackcompressed and punchyminimal ambience/reverbdynamic pick responsecranked, amp-like distortionin-your-face, dry mix

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking with tight palm muting and dynamic accents, making it challenging for intermediate players and above.

Sources

Jonny Greenwood's guitar tone on Radiohead's My Iron Lung | Guitar World Jonny Greenwood's Guitar Gear, Pedalboard & Amps | Equipboard

This tone has been researched 13 times by the community

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