Riff Tone

Sober

TOOL

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

Guitar1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom (Silverburst)

AmpMarshall Super Bass 100 (vintage, hot-rodded)

PickupsGibson T-Top humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid7

treble6.5

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Sober' (Undertow, 1993). Adam Jones used his 1979 Silverburst Les Paul Custom with stock T-Top humbuckers into a Marshall Super Bass 100, often blended with a Diezel VH4 in later eras but not confirmed for this recording. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for the studio riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivefocused midrange punchthick, saturated distortionarticulate note separationaggressive pick attackminimal ambiencedry, immediate responsecontrolled feedbackslightly scooped but not hollowheavy, authoritative riffing

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, percussive palm muting and precise rhythmic control, with a heavy pick attack and dynamic muting to maintain clarity and articulation. Not technically advanced, but demanding for tightness and consistency.

Sources

Dear Guitar Hero: Adam Jones of Tool Talks Tone, Gear, Videos, the Band's Anonymity, Time Between Albums and More | Guitar World Adam Jones | Equipboard How to get the Sober guitar tone? : r/ToolBand - Reddit

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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