Riff Tone
Special Needs
Placebo
Guitarrock2000s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson Les Paul Custom (likely 1990s/2000s, as used by Brian Molko in studio)
AmpMarshall JCM900 (most commonly used by Placebo for studio recordings in this era)
PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock, likely 490R/498T or similar)
Amp Settings
gain6
bass6
mid7
treble6.5
reverb3
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 2003 (Sleeping With Ghosts album). No direct evidence for pedals or alternate guitars for this specific song's riff section. Gear inferred from era, live photos, and typical Placebo studio setup.
Tone Character(10)
tight and focused rhythm crunchslightly saturated, not high-gainarticulate chord definitionpresent midrange punchclear attack with moderate sustainopen, dynamic responseslight amp breakupnot overly compressedclassic British rock characterno heavy fuzz or scooped sound
Difficulty
The riff requires tight rhythmic accuracy and dynamic control, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast playing.
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Original Gear
GuitarGibson Les Paul Custom (likely 1990s/2000s, as used by Brian Molko in studio)
AmpMarshall JCM900 (most commonly used by Placebo for studio recordings in this era)
PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock, likely 490R/498T or similar)
Amp Settings
gain6
bass6
mid7
treble6.5
reverb3
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 2003 (Sleeping With Ghosts album). No direct evidence for pedals or alternate guitars for this specific song's riff section. Gear inferred from era, live photos, and typical Placebo studio setup.
Tone Character(10)
tight and focused rhythm crunchslightly saturated, not high-gainarticulate chord definitionpresent midrange punchclear attack with moderate sustainopen, dynamic responseslight amp breakupnot overly compressedclassic British rock characterno heavy fuzz or scooped sound
Difficulty
The riff requires tight rhythmic accuracy and dynamic control, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast playing.
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