Riff Tone

Nemo

Nightwish

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarESP Horizon Custom (Emppu Vuorinen signature, likely with EMG 81/85 pickups)

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head (studio recording, 2004)

PickupsEMG 81 (bridge), EMG 85 (neck) active humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid4.5

treble6.5

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Nemo' (Once, 2004). Guitarist: Emppu Vuorinen. ESP Horizon Custom with EMG pickups into Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier. No direct evidence of pedal use for riff section; effects inferred from audio. Settings estimated based on genre, amp, and era. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for studio recording.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate chuggingmodern metal claritycompressed attackfull-bodied low endclear note separationslight ambient reverb

Difficulty

The riff requires accurate palm muting and alternate picking to maintain clarity and tightness in a high-gain, modern metal context. While not extremely fast or technically complex, it demands good control and timing.

Sources

Nightwish – Oceanborn - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album Best amp for Nightwish sound and goth metal - forum topic

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