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Riff Tone
Black Balloon
The Goo Goo Dolls
Guitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson Les Paul
AmpMarshall JCM800
Amp Settings
gain5
bass5.5
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Notes
Studio recording, 1998 (Dizzy Up the Girl album). Guitar Chalk and Equipboard both reference Les Paul and JCM800 as the core rig for Goo Goo Dolls' crunchy rhythm tones on this album. No direct studio photo for Black Balloon, but this is the most consistently cited pairing for the riff section.
Tone Character(10)
thick sustaincreamy overdriven tonescrunchy edge for rhythmbalanced low-end warmthslightly boosted mids for fullnessbright and jangly highshigh-end sparkleclean-but-warm texturelayered, emotional soundarticulate attack
Difficulty
The riff requires familiarity with alternate tunings, precise arpeggiated picking, and layering harmonics, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson Les Paul
AmpMarshall JCM800
Amp Settings
gain5
bass5.5
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording, 1998 (Dizzy Up the Girl album). Guitar Chalk and Equipboard both reference Les Paul and JCM800 as the core rig for Goo Goo Dolls' crunchy rhythm tones on this album. No direct studio photo for Black Balloon, but this is the most consistently cited pairing for the riff section.
Tone Character(10)
thick sustaincreamy overdriven tonescrunchy edge for rhythmbalanced low-end warmthslightly boosted mids for fullnessbright and jangly highshigh-end sparkleclean-but-warm texturelayered, emotional soundarticulate attack
Difficulty
The riff requires familiarity with alternate tunings, precise arpeggiated picking, and layering harmonics, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.