Riff Tone

YUKON

Justin Bieber

Guitarother2010s+

Original Gear

Guitar1988 Yamaha RGX 612S

AmpNeural DSP Quad Cortex

PickupsYamaha RM Standard single coils (neck/middle), Yamaha RM-Pro humbucker (bridge)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid6

treble6.5

reverb3.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

otherBoss Boss RC-600 Loop Station

Notes

Live performance at 2026 Grammy Awards; guitar plugged into Neural DSP Quad Cortex amp modeler; Boss RC-600 Looper used for riff section; no evidence of traditional tube amp or additional pedals. Year: 2026. All information is for the live Grammy performance, not the studio recording.

Tone Character(10)

clean and glassybright and articulateslightly scooped midspercussive attackdynamic responseminimal sustainfast note decaystudio-like clarityno audible effects colorationwarm neck pickup tone

Difficulty

The riff requires accurate timing for looping and clean, articulate playing, but does not involve complex chords or advanced techniques.

Sources

Justin Bieber just gave the most literal ‘stripped-down’ Grammys performance possible, playing an ‘80s Yamaha electric guitar and an Akai MPC Live III in just his underwear | MusicRadar Boss RC-600 Loop Station Looper Pedal - What To Know & Where To Buy | Equipboard How Musicians Use Loopers In 2026 | Equipboard

This tone has been researched 3 times by the community

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