Riff Tone

The Knife

Genesis

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson ES-335 (1960s, likely a 1962 model)

AmpMarshall 50-watt head (likely JTM45 or Plexi, late 1960s)

PickupsGibson PAF humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1970. Guitarist: Anthony Phillips. No evidence of pedals or effects beyond amp overdrive; sources and isolated tracks suggest direct guitar-to-amp setup. No evidence of live/touring rig for this specific recording.

Tone Character(10)

thick and saturatedaggressive British crunchpunchy midrangebiting attackslightly fuzzy edgeforward, present in the mixtight and percussive rhythmraw, energetic driveminimal sustain (no delay/reverb)classic late-60s Marshall tone

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, aggressive alternate picking and tight rhythmic control, with precise muting and chord stabs to maintain clarity at high gain and tempo.

Sources

Guitar tone on The Knife : r/Genesis Genesis - The Knife (first progressive metal song?)I isolated the guitar track from The Knife using the 5.1 mix.

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