Riff Tone

No More Tears

Ozzy Osbourne

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

Guitar1981 Gibson Les Paul Custom

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 100-watt head (6550 tubes) into Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12T-75 speakers

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

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6.5

mid5

treble7

reverb1.5

presence4.5

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusBoss Boss CH-1 Super Chorus

Notes

Studio recording, 1991. All sources confirm this rig for the No More Tears album. Clean tone achieved by rolling back amp gain and guitar volume, pedals off except chorus. Chorus pedal (Boss CH-1) is always on for added body and subtle modulation. No wah, overdrive, or delay used in clean sections. Pickup position inferred as neck or both for warmth.

Tone Character(10)

warm and roundedsubtle chorus shimmerclear and articulateslightly scooped midstouch-sensitive dynamicsfull-bodied cleansactive pickup claritytight low endsmooth top endmodulated but not warbly

Difficulty

The clean riff requires precise picking and muting to maintain clarity, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast tempo, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

Zakk Wylde's guitar tone on Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tears: how he got his sound | Guitar World “We were doing that riff and cracking up laughing the whole time”: Zakk Wylde on how a “joke” riff won Ozzy Osbourne his first ever Grammy | MusicRadar

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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