Riff Tone

Lonely Boy

The Black Keys

Guitarrock2010s+

Original Gear

Guitar1954 Fender Stratocaster

AmpUnknown tube amp (likely vintage Fender or similar, driven to mild breakup)

PickupsOriginal 1954 Fender single-coil pickups

Amp Settings

gain4

bass6

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb2.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

modulationBoss Boss PS-5 Super Shifter

Notes

Studio recording, 2011. Guitar confirmed as '54 Strat by Dan Auerbach in Guitar World. Amp model not specified in any source for this song/section; likely a vintage tube combo driven just to edge of breakup. Clean section uses bridge pickup and pitch-shifting pedal for riff. No evidence of fuzz or heavy distortion for clean riff section.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatepunchy attackpresent and clearslightly gritty edge-of-breakupdynamic and responsivetight low endcrisp highspercussiveraw and simpleminimal effects coloration

Difficulty

The riff is straightforward in terms of notes and rhythm, but the use of the pitch-shifting pedal to dive the low E string an octave and return smoothly, combined with the need for precise picking near the bridge for brightness and clarity, adds moderate technical challenge.

Sources

Dan Auerbach breaks down the guitar playing on 5 classic Black Keys tracks | Guitar World How to play The Black Keys - Lonely Boy intro riff | MusicRadar Dan Auerbach's Guitars, Amps, Pedalboard & Gear | Equipboard

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account