Riff Tone

Wicked Games

The Weeknd

Guitarother2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarUnknown solidbody electric (exact model not confirmed, likely Fender Stratocaster or similar based on genre/era/recording style)

AmpUnknown (no direct source; likely Fender-style clean amp, possibly Fender Princeton or similar based on era and genre)

PickupsSingle-coil (likely, based on clean, glassy tone; exact model not confirmed)

Amp Settings

gain2.5

bass5.5

mid5.5

treble6.5

reverb5.5

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2011 (Trilogy/House of Balloons era). No direct evidence of exact guitar or amp model for the studio recording. Some forum users reference a '65 Princeton cabinet for a similar tone, but this is not confirmed for the original recording.

Tone Character(10)

clean and glassyambient and atmosphericbright and articulatesubtle reverb washsoft attackminimal sustainno audible distortionslightly compressedopen and airygentle, haunting presence

Difficulty

The riff is straightforward with basic chords and a slow, steady rhythm. The main challenge is maintaining a clean, even tone and soft dynamics.

Sources

Wicked Games Chords by The Weeknd Weeknd - Sacrifices - Guitar Processing : r/synthrecipes - Reddit The Weeknd - Wicked Games Guitar Effect : r/synthrecipes - Reddit

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