Riff Tone

Shout at the Devil

Mötley Crüe

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1970s Fender Stratocaster 'Isabella' (white, heavily modified, likely with DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker in bridge)

AmpMarshall Super Lead (Plexi) head, modded by Jose Arredondo, into Marshall 1960BV 4x12 cabinets

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge humbucker, likely swapped into Strat), single coils (middle/neck, but not used for riff)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid5

treble7.5

reverb1

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1983. Mick Mars used his white Strat 'Isabella' and a Melody Maker for some parts, but the main riff is widely attributed to the Strat with a humbucker in the bridge. Amps were Jose-modded Marshall Plexis, stacked in the studio. No evidence of pedals for the riff section; distortion from amp. Effects chain is dry/tight for riff. No chorus, delay, or reverb pedals audible on riff. Studio, not live.

Tone Character(10)

thick, grinding distortiontight, percussive palm mutingaggressive, gritty attackBritish high-gain crunchfocused midrange punchsaturated, harmonically richminimal ambienceraw and energeticarticulate pick attackpowerful, resonant rhythm sound

Difficulty

The riff is rhythmically straightforward but requires tight, consistent palm muting and precise picking to achieve the punchy, aggressive sound. Not technically advanced, but demands control and stamina for the classic metal attack.

Sources

Mötley Crüe Members, Gear & Sound - Equipboard Mick Mars on the highs and lows of life in Mötley Crüe | Guitar World Mötley Crüe: Health Kick - Guitar World

This tone has been researched 6 times by the community

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account