Riff Tone

ten seconds to love live at tacoma

Mötley Crüe

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or early 1980s, heavily modified by Mick Mars)

AmpMarshall Plexi 1959SLP (100-watt head) into Marshall 4x12 cabinets with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker (bridge position, as per Mick Mars' typical mods of the era)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid6

treble7

reverb1

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Live performance, Tacoma Dome, 1987 (Girls, Girls, Girls tour era). Mick Mars is confirmed to use Stratocasters with high-output humbuckers and Marshall Plexi heads wide open for live shows in the 1980s. No pedal use for rhythm/riff sections per interview; distortion from amp. No evidence of effects loop or pedalboard for riff section.

Tone Character(10)

aggressive and grittycrunchy, saturated rhythmtight palm-muted chugspowerful and resonantmidrange punchbright but not harshhigh-output, biting attackraw and electrifyingfull-bodied distortionarticulate note separation

Difficulty

The riff requires tight palm muting, fast alternate picking, and aggressive attack to match the song's energy, but does not involve advanced techniques or complex chord voicings.

Sources

Mötley Crüe Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard Mick Mars' Guitar Gear, Stratocasters & Rig | Equipboard Rock chronicles: Rock Chronicles. 1980s: Motley Crue | Ultimate Guitar

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