Riff Tone

Seasons In the Abyss

Slayer

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarJackson Soloist (custom, Jeff Hanneman signature prototype, Kahler tremolo, EMG 81/85 pickups)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head

PickupsEMG 81 (bridge, active humbucker)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass5

mid5

treble5.5

reverb0

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1990. Used for rhythm/riff section of 'Seasons in the Abyss'. Guitar confirmed from live and studio era photos and interviews. Amp confirmed as main studio and live amp for both Hanneman and King during this era.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivechunky and focusedmid-forward aggressioncontrolled high-gain saturationarticulate palm-muted chugsslightly rolled-off trebleharmonically richbridge pickup bitedynamic with arpeggiated chordsclear note separation

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting, fast alternate picking, and precise transitions between chugging and open chords, making it challenging for most intermediate players.

Sources

Slayer’s reputation as thrash’s fiercest band rested upon the guitar partnership of Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King – and their harmonically evil style will make your rhythm riffing that bit more diabolical | Guitar World Kerry King: King of Pain | Guitar World Jeff Hanneman - Equipboard

This tone has been researched 5 times by the community

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