Blues for the Red Sun album cover - Kyuss
Guitar tone settings

How to Dial In "Molten Universe" by Kyuss - Guitar Tone Settings

The rig

Gear for "Molten Universe"

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 Blues for the Red Sun (1992). Their second studio album, produced by Chris Goss and the band, it was released in 1992. 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 nearest rig to the one documented for Kyuss, stands in. Set the amp to a driven, high-gain crunch and use the bridge pickup. Published transcriptions put it two whole steps down (C standard).

FAQ

Common Questions About the "Molten Universe" Tone

  1. What guitar did Kyuss use on "Molten Universe"?

    The guitar on "Molten Universe" (released 1992) 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 "Molten Universe" 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 "Molten Universe" without the original gear?

    Yes. ToneMirror takes the settings above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "Molten Universe" 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 "Molten Universe" by Kyuss are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.

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