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Riff Tone
Sleeping Beauty
A Perfect Circle
Guitarrock2000s
Original Gear
Guitar1960 Gibson Les Paul Classic Reissue (custom build, 'cinnaburst' finish, as used by Billy Howerdel)
AmpFractal Audio Axe-Fx II (modeling Billy's modded Marshall/Friedman Naked amp tone)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
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Notes
Studio recording, circa 2000 (Mer de Noms era). Billy Howerdel used a custom Les Paul with Tom Anderson humbuckers and a Fractal Axe-Fx II for amp and effects modeling, replicating his modded Marshall/Friedman Naked amp. Settings and effects are based on studio use, not live.
Tone Character(10)
tight and saturatedmodern high-gain clarityarticulate palm-muted chugsfull-bodied low endcutting upper midsaggressive attackcontrolled feedbackstudio-polished distortiondynamic pick responsecompressed, focused sustain
Difficulty
The riff requires tight palm muting, precise timing, and dynamic control to maintain clarity under high-gain settings. The use of subtle effects and syncopated rhythms adds to the technical challenge.
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock2000s
Original Gear
Guitar1960 Gibson Les Paul Classic Reissue (custom build, 'cinnaburst' finish, as used by Billy Howerdel)
AmpFractal Audio Axe-Fx II (modeling Billy's modded Marshall/Friedman Naked amp tone)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording, circa 2000 (Mer de Noms era). Billy Howerdel used a custom Les Paul with Tom Anderson humbuckers and a Fractal Axe-Fx II for amp and effects modeling, replicating his modded Marshall/Friedman Naked amp. Settings and effects are based on studio use, not live.
Tone Character(10)
tight and saturatedmodern high-gain clarityarticulate palm-muted chugsfull-bodied low endcutting upper midsaggressive attackcontrolled feedbackstudio-polished distortiondynamic pick responsecompressed, focused sustain
Difficulty
The riff requires tight palm muting, precise timing, and dynamic control to maintain clarity under high-gain settings. The use of subtle effects and syncopated rhythms adds to the technical challenge.