Riff Tone

The Evil Has Landed

Queens of the Stone Age

Guitarrock2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarEchopark 9-string (GBE strings doubled, similar to a 12-string for riff)

AmpUnknown high-headroom clean amp (possibly Ampeg V4 or similar, as per Homme's Villains-era studio use, but not confirmed for this track)

PickupsCustom-wound Echopark single coils (likely, as per Echopark builds for Homme, but not explicitly confirmed for this recording)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass7

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb2.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

fuzzUnknown Tone Bender-style Fuzz (model unknown)

modulationUnknown Octave Down Pedal (model unknown, possibly Electro-Harmonix POG or similar)

Notes

Studio recording, 2017 (Villains album). Guitar is confirmed as Echopark 9-string for the riff. Amp model not explicitly confirmed in sources; Homme is known for using Ampeg V4 and other high-headroom amps in this era. Effects chain includes fuzz and octave pedal. Settings and exact amp inferred from genre, era, and Homme's typical studio rig. No evidence of live-specific gear for the studio recording.

Tone Character(10)

chunky and garageythick, layered fuzzoctave-rich harmonicspunchy and percussiveaggressive attackVelcro-like fuzz texturetight low endslightly scooped midsbig, clean bottom blended with fuzzarticulate despite heavy distortion

Difficulty

The riff requires tight timing, aggressive picking, and control of octave/fuzz pedal tracking, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

Let’s talk about Homme’s tone techniques. : r/qotsa What kind of guitar does Josh use on Evil Has Landed - Reddit The Evil Has Landed - Guitar tone and tab : r/qotsa - Reddit

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