Riff Tone

Never Say Die

Black Sabbath

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarJohn Birch Custom SG

AmpLaney Supergroup MK1 LA100BL

PickupsCustom John Birch single coil and humbucker (exact model unspecified, likely high-output custom wound)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6.5

mid7

treble7

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1978. Guitar and amp confirmed for Never Say Die album sessions. No evidence of live/tour substitutions or alternate guitars for riff section.

Tone Character(10)

British crunchtight and percussivemidrange punchraw and aggressivearticulate attackslightly fuzzy edgeclassic 70s hard rock driveclear note definitionnot overly saturateddynamic response

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, fast alternate picking and precise timing with syncopated chord changes, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

Black Sabbath – Never Say Die! (2013 Remaster) - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard Tony Iommi's classic Black Sabbath guitar tone: secrets behind the sound | Guitar World Tony Iommi's Guitar Gear | Equipboard

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