Riff Tone

Romantic Dreams

Deftones

Guitarmetal2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarESP Stef B-8 Fluence

AmpFractal Axe-Fx II (amp modeling) into Engl Tube Poweramp E850/100, Orange 4x12 cabinets

PickupsFishman Fluence Signature Stephen Carpenter 8-string (active humbuckers)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid5.5

treble6.5

reverb2

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2012-2013 (Koi No Yokan sessions). Stephen Carpenter used Axe-Fx II for amp and effects modeling, with Engl tube poweramp and Orange cabs for power and speaker coloration. No evidence of traditional pedals; effects and amp tones were modeled in the Axe-Fx II. All gear confirmed for this album/session, not live rig.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivemassive wall-of-soundarticulate high-gainslightly scooped midsrich harmonic overtonescrushing modern metal rhythmclear note separationambient spaciousnessextended low rangeaggressive palm muting

Difficulty

The riff requires precise palm muting and rhythm control on an 8-string guitar, with syncopated patterns and tight high-gain tone, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

Deftones: A Little Darkness - Premier Guitar Deftones' Stephen Carpenter prefers amp modeler factory presets | Guitar World

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account