Riff Tone

Portuguese Knife Fight

Cage the Elephant

Guitarrock2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarFender Mustang (likely vintage or reissue, as used by Brad Shultz in studio era)

AmpFender Hot Rod DeVille

PickupsFender single-coil Mustang pickups

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb2.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

fuzzUnknown Fuzz or Distortion pedal (model unknown)

Notes

Studio recording, 2015 (Tell Me I'm Pretty album). Amp model and settings from Guitar Chalk. Guitar model inferred from Premier Guitar rig rundown and era. Pickup type inferred from Mustang model. No explicit pedalboard info for this song's studio recording; live rig includes Mustangs and Jaguars but Mustang is most likely for riff. No evidence of effects loop.

Tone Character(10)

buzzy and rawgarage rock edgemidrange punchslightly compressedbright and cuttinglo-fi gritdirect and aggressivesizzling top endtight, percussive attacknot overly saturated

Difficulty

The riff requires tight timing, aggressive picking, and dynamic control to maintain the raw, buzzy tone with a low guitar volume setting. Intermediate players will find the rhythmic precision and tone-shaping challenging.

Sources

Cage the Elephant Amp Settings (gear and tone tips) - Guitar Chalk How do I get the guitar buzz from 'Portuguese Knife Fight' - Reddit Cage the Elephant Guitar Gear Guide - Premier Guitar

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