Wretch album cover - Kyuss
Guitar tone settings

How to Dial In "(Beginning of What's About to Happen) Hwy 74" by Kyuss - Guitar Tone Settings

Kyuss·1991·Wretch
The rig

Gear for "(Beginning of What's About to Happen) Hwy 74"

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
Bass7
Mid5
Treble5.5
Presence5.5
Volume7.5

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.

TuningC Standard(C F B♭ E♭ G C)
Pickup selector
NeckNk+MdMiddleBr+MdBridge
Guitar knobs
Tone7.5
Volume10
Recording notes

From Wretch (1991). Wretch is the first full-length album by American rock band Kyuss, released in September 1991. No source we found ties a guitar or amp to this recording, so a Gibson SG Standard through a Marshall JCM900 4100 Dual Reverb, the rig we use for Kyuss' other songs from Wretch, stands in. Set the amp to a driven, high-gain crunch and use the bridge pickup. Published transcriptions put it in C standard (C F B♭ E♭ G C), two whole steps below standard.

FAQ

Common Questions About the "(Beginning of What's About to Happen) Hwy 74" Tone

  1. What guitar did Kyuss use on "(Beginning of What's About to Happen) Hwy 74"?

    The guitar on "(Beginning of What's About to Happen) Hwy 74" (released 1991) isn't documented; the Gibson SG Standard above gets the sound. Pickup selector: bridge pickup on the guitar. The track is in C Standard (C F B♭ E♭ G C), so retune before you dial anything in.

  2. What amp settings does "(Beginning of What's About to Happen) Hwy 74" need?

    Settings for this sound: Gain 7.5, Bass 7, Mid 5, Treble 5.5, Presence 5.5, Volume 7.5. 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 "(Beginning of What's About to Happen) Hwy 74" without the original gear?

    Yes. ToneMirror takes the settings above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "(Beginning of What's About to Happen) Hwy 74" 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 "(Beginning of What's About to Happen) Hwy 74" by Kyuss are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.

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