Riff Tone

The Rock Show

blink-182

Guitarpunk2000s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson ES-333 Tom DeLonge Signature

AmpMesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (studio, blended with Marshall JCM900 and Marshall JMP-1 preamp)

PickupsSeymour Duncan SH-6 Distortion (bridge humbucker, only pickup wired)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid5.5

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Take Off Your Pants and Jacket' (2001). Tom DeLonge used his signature ES-333 with only the bridge humbucker wired. Amp blend confirmed for this era: Mesa Triple Rectifier for distortion, Marshall JCM900/JMP-1 for additional color. No evidence of pedals or effects used for the riff section; distortion is amp-based. Settings estimated based on genre, amp, and era.

Tone Character(9)

tight, percussive palm-muted power chordsaggressive, saturated high-gain rhythmbright, cutting attackarticulate pick attackchunky, focused low endslightly scooped midsminimal ambience or reverbno modulation or time-based effects audibleclassic early 2000s pop-punk rhythm tone

Difficulty

The riff is fast and requires tight palm muting and consistent downstrokes, but uses simple power chords and straightforward rhythm, making it accessible for most players with some experience.

Sources

Thomas DeLonge's Guitar Gear - Equipboard Clearing Up Stuff About Amps : r/TomDelongeGuitars - Reddit Did Tom use a footswitch or a Distortion pedal when playing live?

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