Riff Tone

No Surprises

Radiohead

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarRickenbacker 360/6 (with capo)

AmpAudio Kitchen Big Chopper

PickupsRickenbacker Hi-Gain single coils

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid6.5

treble7

reverb3.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1996-1997, OK Computer sessions. Ed O'Brien played the clean riff section with a Rickenbacker 360/6 and a capo, through an Audio Kitchen Big Chopper amp. No evidence of additional pedals or effects for the clean riff. Settings estimated based on typical clean tones for this amp and genre.

Tone Character(10)

chiming and bell-likeglassy top endarticulate and transparentlush, clean sustaingentle, rounded attacksubtle amp reverbno audible drive or breakupdistinctive Rickenbacker jangleopen and airywarm, slightly compressed

Difficulty

The riff is technically straightforward but requires careful clean picking, accurate capo placement, and consistent dynamics to achieve the iconic bell-like tone.

Sources

Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien: Hail to the Texturalist - Premier Guitar Ed O'Brien: 'The guitar to me is like an oscillator on a synthesizer' | Guitar World The Gear of Radiohead's 'OK Computer' | Reverb News

This tone has been researched 6 times by the community

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