What amps are used on The Pretender?

The Pretender uses a combination of a Mesa/Boogie Road King and a Vox AC30. The Mesa provides the heavy foundation while the Vox adds chiming, textured overdrive for depth.

How to get The Pretender's chorus tone?

Layer two tones — a high-gain Mesa-style for thickness and a crunchy British-style for texture. If using one amp, a Mesa-style channel with moderate gain works. Drop D tuning. Let the dynamics build.

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The Pretender Amp Settings

by Foo Fighters

The Pretender builds from atmospheric cleans to one of the Foo Fighters' heaviest choruses. The dual-guitar setup of Grohl and Shiflett — Mesa Road King and Vox AC30 — creates a massive, dynamic sound that explodes in the chorus.

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What Makes This Tone Iconic

The Pretender is a masterclass in dynamic build. The quiet intro with clean, reverb-drenched guitar gradually layers in more aggression until the massive, wall-of-sound chorus hits. The blend of Mesa Rectifier heaviness and Vox chime creates a rich, textured distortion that's more nuanced than straight high-gain. It's heavy but musical.

Key Tone Elements

Mesa/Boogie Road King for thick, heavy rhythm and lead
Vox AC30 for chiming, textured overdrive layers
Clean-to-heavy dynamic build throughout the song
Multiple guitar layers creating massive chorus sound
Drop D tuning for heavier low-end

Original Recording Settings

Well-SourcedResearched tone data for "The Pretender" by Foo Fighters

Original Gear

Guitar: 1967 Gibson Trini Lopez Standard / Gibson DG-335
Pickups: PAF-style (Trini Lopez) / Gibson Burstbucker (DG-335) (bridge)
Amplifier: Mesa/Boogie Road King / Vox AC30
Channel: Clean (AC30 for intro/verse) / Overdrive (Road King for chorus)
Tuning: standard
Pickup Selector: bridge
Strings: 0.010-0.046

Guitar tech Joe Beebe: 'I like the Mesa Boogie Road Kings because they sound good and they're bullet-proof.' 'Dave insists upon using the Vox AC-30s for his clean sounds.' Recorded at Studio 606 West, Northridge, CA. Produced by Gil Norton. Mixed by Rich Costey.

Amp Settings

Gain

7.0

Bass

6.0

Mid

7.0

Treble

6.0

Presence

5.0

Master Volume

5.0

Volume

7.0

Estimated. Massive sound comes from multiple layered guitars rather than extreme gain settings. Forum experts note 'not that much distortion' on individual tracks. Mix engineer Rich Costey described 'endless walls of guitar overdubs, almost like a swarm of bees.'

Effects Chain

→

MXR Phase 90

phaser

→

Boss DM-2 Analog Delay / Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

delay

→

1.MXR Phase 90 — In signal chain.

2.Boss DM-2 Analog Delay / Boss DD-3 Digital Delay — Both available. All overdrive comes directly from the amp with no drive pedals in the chain.

Playing Technique

Arpeggiated clean intro (fingerpicked-style), building through droning pre-chorus riff with open strings, to explosive power chord choruses. Mix engineer Rich Costey described countermelodies layered in same frequency range. Last chorus adds octave guitars. Volume knob manipulation for clean-to-gain transitions.

Sources+

MusicTeacher.com: Dave Grohl Guitar Rig - guitar tech Joe Beebe quotes on Road King and AC30
Sound On Sound: 'Secrets of the Mix Engineers: Rich Costey' - mixing details for The Pretender
Equipboard.com - Dave Grohl (pedal chain documentation)
Vintage Guitar: 'Fretprints: Dave Grohl'
Wikipedia: The Pretender (Foo Fighters song)