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Riff Tone

Houses of the Holy

Led Zeppelin

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (1970s, likely 1959 model)
AmpMarshall JMP Super Lead (likely 1959 model, cranked for overdrive)

Amp Settings

gain4.5
bass5.5

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Effects & Signal Chain

Notes

Studio recording, 1972-1973. Jimmy Page is widely reported to have used a Les Paul into a Marshall Super Lead for the riff section of 'Houses of the Holy.' Some sources mention Supro amps for earlier Zeppelin, but for this era and this song's heavy riff, the Marshall JMP is most likely. No evidence of fuzz or wah for the riff. Effects are primarily studio processing (delay, phase inversion), not pedals.

Tone Character(10)
metallic and hollowringing, almost phaseydistinctive midrange bitetight and percussive attackBritish crunchnot fuzzy, but crunchyarticulate pick attackslightly compressedstudio-processed spaciousnessaggressive bridge pickup presence

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, syncopated picking and muting to achieve the metallic, percussive sound, with moderate technical challenge due to timing and articulation.

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