Riff Tone
Unchain the Night
Dokken
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP Kamikaze (George Lynch signature, 1985-86, maple body, Floyd Rose, single humbucker)
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 (100W head, likely modded, used in studio for 'Under Lock and Key')
PickupsSeymour Duncan Custom Shop Dokken-era Distortion humbucker
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass5.5
mid5
treble7
reverb1.5
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1985. Gear confirmed for Dokken's 'Under Lock and Key' era. No evidence of other guitars or amps used for the riff section. No evidence of live/tour substitutions.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate note separationscooped but present midscrisp attackbright and cutting treblepercussive low endslight amp reverb for spaceclassic 80s metal rhythm sound
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise alternate picking at a moderate tempo, with syncopated rhythms and muting technique that demand intermediate to advanced right-hand control.
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP Kamikaze (George Lynch signature, 1985-86, maple body, Floyd Rose, single humbucker)
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 (100W head, likely modded, used in studio for 'Under Lock and Key')
PickupsSeymour Duncan Custom Shop Dokken-era Distortion humbucker
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass5.5
mid5
treble7
reverb1.5
presence6.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1985. Gear confirmed for Dokken's 'Under Lock and Key' era. No evidence of other guitars or amps used for the riff section. No evidence of live/tour substitutions.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate note separationscooped but present midscrisp attackbright and cutting treblepercussive low endslight amp reverb for spaceclassic 80s metal rhythm sound
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise alternate picking at a moderate tempo, with syncopated rhythms and muting technique that demand intermediate to advanced right-hand control.
Unchain the Night settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
More Dokken tones
- In My Dreams · riff
- In My Dreams · solo
- It's Not Love · riff
- Night By Night · riff
- Alone Again · distorted
- Alone Again · riff
- Alone Again · riff
- Alone Again · solo
- Breaking the Chains · solo
- Breaking the Chains · riff