Year of the Black Rainbow album cover - Coheed and Cambria
Guitar tone settings

How to Dial In "Guns of Summer" by Coheed and Cambria - Guitar Tone Settings

The rig

Gear for "Guns of Summer"

Suggested rig · the original isn't documented.

The settings

Knob Positions, Pickup, and Tuning

Amp settings

Where to set the knobs for this tone. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale.

Gain7.5
Bass6
Mid5.5
Treble6.5
Presence6
Volume7

On your amp, these numbers won't sound the same.

Get the settings for my amp
Guitar setup

How the artist had their guitar configured for this take.

TuningDrop D(D A D G B E)
Pickup selector
NeckNk+MdMiddleBr+MdBridge
Guitar knobs
Tone10
Volume10
Recording notes

From Year of the Black Rainbow (2010). Year of the Black Rainbow is the fifth studio album by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria, released on April 13, 2010 through Columbia. No source we found ties a guitar or amp to this recording, so a Gibson Explorer through a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, the rig we use for Coheed and Cambria's other songs from Year of the Black Rainbow, stands in. Set the amp to a driven, high-gain crunch and use the bridge pickup. Published transcriptions put it in drop D.

FAQ

Common Questions About the "Guns of Summer" Tone

  1. What guitar did Coheed and Cambria use on "Guns of Summer"?

    The guitar on "Guns of Summer" (released 2010) isn't documented; the Gibson Explorer above gets the sound. Pickup selector: bridge pickup on the guitar. The track is in Drop D (D A D G B E), so retune before you dial anything in.

  2. What amp settings does "Guns of Summer" need?

    Settings for this sound: Gain 7.5, Bass 6, Mid 5.5, Treble 6.5, Presence 6, Volume 7. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale; match them on your amp first, then nudge to taste. ToneMirror can translate these positions for whatever amp you actually own.

  3. Can I play "Guns of Summer" without the original gear?

    Yes. ToneMirror takes the settings above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "Guns of Summer" tone on a Katana, a Helix, a tube combo, or anything else. The translation accounts for EQ curve, gain structure, and pickup type so the result actually sounds like the record, not just the same knob numbers on different gear.

Related tones

Tone references for "Guns of Summer" by Coheed and Cambria are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.

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