Riff Tone

Song for the Dead

Queens of the Stone Age

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarMaton BB1200

AmpAmpeg V-4 (studio), possibly Orange Matamp OR120 (live, but Ampeg V-4 is more cited for studio clean sections)

PickupsMaton humbuckers (likely proprietary, medium output, semi-hollow configuration)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass7

mid7

treble6

reverb1

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2002. The Maton BB1200 with Ampeg V-4 is cited as Homme's main clean tone setup for 'Songs for the Deaf' era. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for the clean riff section. Settings estimated based on typical Ampeg V-4 clean usage and genre/era. No pedal or amp-based overdrive used for clean section.

Tone Character(10)

thick and punchywarm and presentarticulate and clearrich midrangedynamic and touch-sensitivecontrolled low endno audible breakupsemi-hollow resonancefocused, non-muddystudio-quality clean

Difficulty

The clean riff requires tight, syncopated picking at a fast tempo and dynamic control to maintain clarity and articulation, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) Amp Settings (gear and tone tips) - Guitar Chalk Gear Rundown: Josh Homme How to get that 'desert rock'/Early Queens of the Stone Age tone on ...

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