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Riff Tone
Whale & Wasp
Alice In Chains
Guitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarG&L Rampage
AmpMarshall JCM800 (Bogner-modded, studio recording)
Amp Settings
gain5
bass6
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Notes
Studio recording, 1993/1994 (Jar of Flies sessions). Gear confirmed for Alice in Chains heavy/distorted tones of this era. No direct evidence for alternate guitars or amps on 'Whale & Wasp' riff; Les Paul sometimes layered but Rampage is primary for Cantrell's heavy tones.
Tone Character(10)
lush and saturatedethereal and ambientsinging, violin-like sustainrich harmonic overtonessmooth, fluid distortionwide stereo imagemelodic and expressivehaunting, atmospheric texturesmodulation-richreverb-heavy
Difficulty
The riff is not technically fast but demands nuanced control of sustain, expressive phrasing, and careful use of effects to achieve the signature ambient, violin-like tone.
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarG&L Rampage
AmpMarshall JCM800 (Bogner-modded, studio recording)
Amp Settings
gain5
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording, 1993/1994 (Jar of Flies sessions). Gear confirmed for Alice in Chains heavy/distorted tones of this era. No direct evidence for alternate guitars or amps on 'Whale & Wasp' riff; Les Paul sometimes layered but Rampage is primary for Cantrell's heavy tones.
Tone Character(10)
lush and saturatedethereal and ambientsinging, violin-like sustainrich harmonic overtonessmooth, fluid distortionwide stereo imagemelodic and expressivehaunting, atmospheric texturesmodulation-richreverb-heavy
Difficulty
The riff is not technically fast but demands nuanced control of sustain, expressive phrasing, and careful use of effects to achieve the signature ambient, violin-like tone.