Riff Tone

The Pretender

Foo Fighters

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson RD Standard

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (studio recording, 2007 era)

PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock RD Standard, likely Dirty Fingers or similar high-output humbuckers)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

compressionUrei Urei 1176 Compressor (studio rackmount, not pedal)

Notes

Studio recording for 'The Pretender' (2007). Dave Grohl used a Gibson RD Standard into a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier for the main riff section. Compression was added in mixing (Urei 1176), but no evidence of additional pedals or modulation effects in the riff section. No explicit pedalboard evidence for the studio session; live rigs may differ.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive and punchyhigh-gain saturationarticulate palm mutingcompressed but dynamicmodern hard rock clarityfocused midrangelayered wall-of-soundminimal ambiencecutting bridge pickup attack

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, consistent alternate picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, demanding precision and stamina for clean articulation.

Sources

Dave Grohl's Guitar Rig, Gear & Pedalboard | Equipboard Dave Grohl's Guitar Rig, Gear & Pedalboard | Equipboard Distortion pedal for Foo Fighter's tones? - The Gear Page Queens of the Stone Age – Songs For The Deaf - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard

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