Riff Tone

The Road Behind

GWAR

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarESP Eclipse (custom, Balsac the Jaws of Death signature)

AmpMesa/Boogie TriAxis preamp into Mesa/Boogie Stereo Simul-Class 295 power amp

PickupsEMG 81/85 active humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid5

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1994. Gear confirmed for Balsac the Jaws of Death (Mike Derks) in this era and used for heavy rhythm sections. Signal chain includes Lexicon MPX G2 and BBE Sonic Maximizer for studio sweetening, Palmer PDI-03 speaker simulator for direct recording. No evidence of pedal-based effects on the riff section; distortion from amp/preamp. No evidence of modulation or time-based effects on the riff.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivesaturated high-gain crunchaggressive palm mutingarticulate power chord definitionmodern metal claritychunky low endfocused midrange punchclear note separation under gainminimal ambiencecompressed, controlled dynamics

Difficulty

The riff requires solid palm muting and tight rhythm playing, but uses straightforward power chords and moderate tempo, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

Rig Rundown: Gwar (2014) - Premier Guitar

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