Riff Tone

Mr. Brightside

The Killers

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson ES-335 (black, stock pickups, as used by Dave Keuning on Hot Fuss era studio recordings)

AmpFender Hot Rod DeVille 212 III (studio recording, 2003-2004 era)

PickupsGibson ES-335 stock humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6.5

mid6.5

treble7.5

reverb4

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusUnknown Chorus pedal (model unknown)

Notes

Studio recording, 2003-2004 (Hot Fuss album). Guitar is a black Gibson ES-335 with stock humbuckers. Amp is Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 III. Pickup selector set to bridge position for main riff. Clean tone with subtle overdrive, chorus and reverb effects. Settings and effects are for the studio recording, not live.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatefat, rounded midrangeclear, ringing arpeggiospresent and punchyslightly edgy bitespacious and ambientchorus shimmertight note separationmelodic and anthemicsubtle overdrive (edge-of-clean)

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking with wide stretches and consistent clarity at high frets, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

Weekend riff: The Killers - Mr Brightside | MusicRadar The Killers Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard The Killers guitar lesson: learn Dave Keuning's anthemic style | Guitar World Dave Keuning: “Learn more voicings if you want to express different emotions through your guitar” | MusicRadar

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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