Artists / Queens of the Stone Age

Villains artwork

The Way You Used to Do guitar tone

Queens of the Stone Age · Villains · 2017 · Alternative

Crunch

Main Riff

AmpOrange Rockerverb
GuitarFender Jazzmaster
PickupBridge single-coil
GAIN4.5
BASS4.5
MID6
TREBLE6
PRESENCE5.5
REVERB1.5

SIGNAL CHAIN

  1. Boss SD-1 overdrive
    Drive 3.5 · Tone 4.5 · Level 5.5
    Mild push for the dirty rhythm parts.

Palm-mute the verses lightly, open up for the chorus.

Lead

Solo Boost

AmpOrange Rockerverb
GuitarFender Jazzmaster
PickupBridge single-coil
GAIN5.5
BASS4.5
MID6.5
TREBLE6
PRESENCE5.5
REVERB1.5

SIGNAL CHAIN

  1. Boss SD-1 overdrive
    Drive 3.5 · Tone 4.5 · Level 5.5
    Mild push for the dirty rhythm parts.
  2. MXR Carbon Copy delay
    Time 4.5 · Repeats 3 · Mix 3
    Kicks in for the solo — repeats tucked under the dry signal.

Lead variant: extra gain and mids to cut through, delay for width. Pick nearer the bridge and let bends sustain.

These are starting points, not gospel. Every amp is a little different, so let your ears do the last 10%.

Open in ToneAmp

Adapt this tone to your own amp and pedals in the app.

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