Riff Tone

Sleepless Nights

King Diamond

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Custom (likely 1970s/1980s, as used by Andy La Rocque on King Diamond studio albums of this era)

AmpMarshall JCM800 head and cabinet (most likely, as per Andy La Rocque's studio use in this era and genre conventions)

PickupsSeymour Duncan JB Humbucker (bridge position, as per Andy La Rocque's typical setup for rhythm/riff sections in late 1980s King Diamond recordings)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass5.5

mid4.5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1988-1989 for 'Conspiracy' album. No direct evidence of pedals for the riff section; overdrive/distortion is primarily amp-based. No evidence of modulation or time-based effects on the main riff. All gear choices are based on era-accurate interviews and genre conventions, as no direct studio documentation for this song's riff section was found.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutingsaturated high-gainarticulate note separationcrisp attackfocused midrangeminimal ambienceclassic 1980s metal rhythmamp-driven distortionno audible modulation or delay

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, demanding good right-hand control and timing, but does not involve advanced techniques like sweep picking or complex chord voicings.

Sources

Andy La Rocque on why he is no longer a 120mph soloist | Guitar World

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