Riff Tone

Words in the Water

Thrice

Guitarrock2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarErnie Ball Music Man Dustin Kensrue Signature StingRay

AmpLine 6 Helix (amp modeling, studio recording)

PickupsMusic Man Custom Humbucker (bridge), Music Man Custom Single Coil (neck)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6

mid6

treble7

reverb4

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusUnknown Chorus pedal (model unknown)

delayUnknown Delay pedal (model unknown)

Notes

Studio recording, 2011 (Major/Minor era). Thrice used Line 6 Helix for amp and effects modeling in later years, but for 'Words in the Water' (2011), likely used traditional amps (e.g., Orange, Fender, or Marshall) in the studio. No explicit confirmation of exact amp for this song's studio recording; live, Kensrue uses Helix exclusively as of 2021. No direct evidence of pedals or amp model for this specific riff section.

Tone Character(10)

lush and ambientshimmering highsarticulate chord voicingsdynamic and touch-sensitiveclear note separationwarm and slightly compressedmodulation swirlreverberant spacenot overly saturatedstudio-quality clarity

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate skill due to syncopated picking, clean chord voicings, and dynamic control to maintain clarity with ambient effects.

Sources

Rig Rundown: Thrice [2021] - Premier Guitar God, I love Thrice. The Alchemy Index is amazing. : r/Music

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