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Riff Tone
Return of the Rat
Wipers
Guitarpunk1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson SG Standard (likely 1970s, as seen in era photos and interviews)
AmpAmpeg VT-40 (confirmed by official Wipers site and interviews for 'Is This Real?')
Amp Settings
gain6.5
bass5.5
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Notes
Studio recording, 1979-1980 for 'Is This Real?'. Greg Sage used Ampeg VT-40 amps and his own DIY gear. For the main riff, the SG and Ampeg are most consistently cited. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for the original recording.
Tone Character(10)
chuggy, feedback-lacedwall of soundchunky, driving rhythm toneraw, aggressive attacktight, percussive riffingmid-forward, dry 'grunge' type tonechewy, dynamic overdrivefuzz-like saturationcutting, biting edgeminimal sustain, fast decay
Difficulty
The riff is fast and requires consistent, aggressive picking and tight rhythm, but uses straightforward power chords and punk techniques.
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarpunk1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson SG Standard (likely 1970s, as seen in era photos and interviews)
AmpAmpeg VT-40 (confirmed by official Wipers site and interviews for 'Is This Real?')
Amp Settings
gain6.5
bass5.5
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording, 1979-1980 for 'Is This Real?'. Greg Sage used Ampeg VT-40 amps and his own DIY gear. For the main riff, the SG and Ampeg are most consistently cited. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for the original recording.
Tone Character(10)
chuggy, feedback-lacedwall of soundchunky, driving rhythm toneraw, aggressive attacktight, percussive riffingmid-forward, dry 'grunge' type tonechewy, dynamic overdrivefuzz-like saturationcutting, biting edgeminimal sustain, fast decay
Difficulty
The riff is fast and requires consistent, aggressive picking and tight rhythm, but uses straightforward power chords and punk techniques.