Riff Tone

Monkey Wrench

Foo Fighters

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Explorer (late 90s, black, as used by Dave Grohl on the original studio recording)

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (studio recording, late 90s revision; sometimes cited as used for dirty tones on 'The Colour and the Shape')

PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock, likely 496R/500T or similar for late 90s Explorer)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

distortionPro Co Pro Co Turbo RAT

Notes

Studio recording, 1996-1997. Dave Grohl played all guitar parts. Explorer confirmed for studio, Gretsch White Falcon seen in video but not used for main riff recording. Amp is Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier for heavy/distorted parts per tech interviews; Fender Twin and Vox AC30 used for clean/other tones. Pro Co Turbo RAT distortion pedal also used for additional gain. No evidence of modulation or time-based effects on riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight, percussive attackaggressive, saturated distortionchunky low endcutting upper midsarticulate pick responseminimal ambiencefast, staccato riffinghigh output, punchy soundfocused, modern rock tonemulti-tracked for thickness

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, consistent alternate picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, demanding good right-hand control and stamina. The aggressive attack and precise timing add to the challenge, but the chord shapes themselves are not complex.