Riff Tone
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
Pixies
Guitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Telecaster (likely late 1970s or early 1980s, as used by Joey Santiago on Doolittle sessions)
AmpVox AC30 (as used by Joey Santiago in studio for Doolittle era, including 'Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)')
PickupsFender single-coil (stock Telecaster pickups, bridge position)
Amp Settings
gain4.5
bass5.5
mid6.5
treble6.5
reverb5
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1989. Gear inferred from Doolittle-era interviews and typical Pixies studio setup. No direct evidence of pedal use for this specific song, but amp overdrive is likely. No evidence of live/touring gear or alternate guitars for this section.
Tone Character(10)
bright and janglyslightly gritty cruncharticulate single-coil attackclear note separationtight and percussive rhythmmodest amp breakupdynamic pick responsetouch of amp reverb for ambiencesurf-inspired clarityno heavy fuzz or high-gain
Difficulty
The riff is rhythmically straightforward and uses basic chord shapes, but requires control of pick attack and timing to achieve the characteristic surf-rock crunch and clarity.
Sources
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Telecaster (likely late 1970s or early 1980s, as used by Joey Santiago on Doolittle sessions)
AmpVox AC30 (as used by Joey Santiago in studio for Doolittle era, including 'Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)')
PickupsFender single-coil (stock Telecaster pickups, bridge position)
Amp Settings
gain4.5
bass5.5
mid6.5
treble6.5
reverb5
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1989. Gear inferred from Doolittle-era interviews and typical Pixies studio setup. No direct evidence of pedal use for this specific song, but amp overdrive is likely. No evidence of live/touring gear or alternate guitars for this section.
Tone Character(10)
bright and janglyslightly gritty cruncharticulate single-coil attackclear note separationtight and percussive rhythmmodest amp breakupdynamic pick responsetouch of amp reverb for ambiencesurf-inspired clarityno heavy fuzz or high-gain
Difficulty
The riff is rhythmically straightforward and uses basic chord shapes, but requires control of pick attack and timing to achieve the characteristic surf-rock crunch and clarity.
More Pixies tones
- Where Is My Mind? (2007 Remaster) · riff
- Where Is My Mind? (2007 Remaster) · solo
- Hey · riff
- Here Comes Your Man · riff
- All I Think About Now · riff
- Bone Machine (2007 Remaster) · riff
- Brick Is Red (2007 Remaster) · riff
- Gouge Away · riff
- Hey · distorted
- Hey · solo