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Riff Tone
Stiff Competition
Cheap Trick
Guitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarHamer Standard (Explorer-style, late 1970s, Rick Nielsen's main guitar at the time)
AmpAmpeg VT-22 (likely, as Rick Nielsen used Ampeg amps in the studio for this era, specifically referenced as 'trusty Ampeg Rocket' for early classics in Source 1; VT-22 is the most probable studio model for 1978)
Amp Settings
gain6.5
bass6
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Notes
Studio recording, 1978, 'Heaven Tonight' album. Gear inferred from Rick Nielsen's known studio setup for this era and Source 1's reference to Ampeg amps for early Cheap Trick classics including 'Stiff Competition'. No direct pedal evidence for this track's riff section.
Tone Character(10)
snarling and aggressivetight and percussivemidrange puncharticulate chord definitioncrunchy attackslightly compressedclassic hard rock edgefocused low endpresent upper midsno audible modulation or delay
Difficulty
The riff requires solid rhythmic control, tight palm muting, and aggressive picking, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or complex chord voicings.
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarHamer Standard (Explorer-style, late 1970s, Rick Nielsen's main guitar at the time)
AmpAmpeg VT-22 (likely, as Rick Nielsen used Ampeg amps in the studio for this era, specifically referenced as 'trusty Ampeg Rocket' for early classics in Source 1; VT-22 is the most probable studio model for 1978)
Amp Settings
gain6.5
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording, 1978, 'Heaven Tonight' album. Gear inferred from Rick Nielsen's known studio setup for this era and Source 1's reference to Ampeg amps for early Cheap Trick classics including 'Stiff Competition'. No direct pedal evidence for this track's riff section.
Tone Character(10)
snarling and aggressivetight and percussivemidrange puncharticulate chord definitioncrunchy attackslightly compressedclassic hard rock edgefocused low endpresent upper midsno audible modulation or delay
Difficulty
The riff requires solid rhythmic control, tight palm muting, and aggressive picking, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or complex chord voicings.