Riff Tone

Not My Funeral

Children of Bodom

Guitarmetal2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarESP Alexi Laiho Signature (likely ESP Alexi-600 or custom shop, black finish, scalloped upper frets, Floyd Rose, single bridge humbucker, preamp boost)

AmpMarshall JVM410H head into Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabinet (Celestion Greenbacks)

PickupsEMG HZ H4 (passive humbucker) with onboard preamp booster

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid4.5

treble8

reverb2

presence7

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Not My Funeral' (2011, 'Relentless Reckless Forever' album). Alexi Laiho used his main ESP Alexi signature guitar with EMG HZ H4 pickup and built-in preamp boost. Amp was Marshall JVM410H, OD2 Red channel, settings confirmed by auction photos and multiple rig rundowns. Effects minimal; chorus and delay pedals sometimes present but not always used for rhythm/riff. No evidence of additional distortion/OD pedals for rhythm. Pickup selector: bridge only (single pickup guitar).

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutingrazor-sharp high endscooped mids for claritychunky low endarticulate note separationmodern metal saturationminimal effects colorationfast alternate picking clarityfocused and punchy

Difficulty

The riff section requires fast, accurate alternate picking and palm muting at high speed, with complex rhythm changes and tight synchronization, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

Alexi Laiho setup? - forum topic | Ultimate Guitar Late Children of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho’s studio and stage amps and pedals are up for auction | Guitar World CHILDREN OF BODOM ALEXI LAIHO - Guitar Gear Alexi Laiho | Equipboard

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