Riff Tone

Wild Side

Mötley Crüe

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarBC Rich Warlock (custom, early/mid-80s, likely with DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker in bridge)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head with Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1986)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker (bridge position, passive)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid5

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Girls, Girls, Girls' album (1986); Mick Mars used a BC Rich Warlock with a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge into a Marshall JCM800. No evidence of clean amp channel or clean pedal use for the riff; the song is metal/rock and the clean sections are rare, but user requested clean tone. No evidence of chorus, delay, or reverb pedals on the clean section. No evidence of effects loop or studio-only effects for clean part.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulateslightly scooped midstight and percussive attackclear note separationminimal breakupcrisp highscontrolled low endmodest natural reverbno audible modulationdynamic response to picking

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate skill due to its syncopated rhythm, palm muting, and the need for precise picking to maintain clarity in a clean tone context.

Sources

How To Sound Like Mick Mars - Get The Dirt On His Tone John 5 reveals his Mötley Crüe guitar rig | Guitar World

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