🎸 Rock · 1990s

Creep by Radiohead (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Radiohead · riff

The Creep by Radiohead guitar tone is built on a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Trem-O-Verb Combo Amp, dialed in at gain 7/10, bass 6, mid 7, treble 7, presence 6 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

GAIN

BASS

MID

TREBLE

PRESENCE

REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 7 sits well above the rock average (4.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most rock tones; mids at 7 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

7-8

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Telecaster (Jonny Greenwood's main guitar on 'Creep') · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Trem-O-Verb Combo Amp

Studio recording, 1992. Distorted riff/chorus section. Amp set for heavy distortion, no tremolo. No evidence of additional pedals except likely Marshall Shredmaster for distortion. Settings estimated based on amp type, era, and genre. No evidence of time-based or modulation effects in the riff section.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Marshall songs & tones →🎚️ Mesa/Boogie songs & tones →🎚️ Fender Telecaster songs & tones →🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Mesa Dual Rectifier songs & tones →

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Fender Telecaster (Jonny Greenwood's main guitar on 'Creep') → Marshall Shredmaster → Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Trem-O-Verb Combo Amp

Effects

distortion, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 2)

Tone character

aggressive and saturated, tight, percussive attack, raw, crunchy distortion, mid-forward punch, bright top-end bite, slight low-end warmth, articulate power chords, dynamic response to picking, no audible reverb or ambience, no modulation or delay effects

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, loud dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Creep sound.

Difficulty

2.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires solid rhythm skills and dynamic control to nail the transition and power of the distorted chorus, but uses basic power chords and straightforward technique.

Worth knowing

No direct studio amp knob settings found; values estimated based on Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Trem-O-Verb typical settings for 90s alt-rock.
Pedal use not explicitly confirmed for studio recording, but Marshall Shredmaster is strongly associated with early Radiohead distortion tones.
No evidence of delay, chorus, flanger, or other time/modulation effects in the riff section; only distortion is clearly audible.
Pickup position inferred from typical Telecaster use for aggressive rhythm parts and tonal characteristics.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Jonny Greenwood used a crunchy, mid-forward British amp tone (likely a Marshall or Fender with a RAT pedal) for the 'Creep' riff, typical of early 90s alternative rock. The sound is punchy and present but not overly distorted, with moderate bass, strong mids, balanced treble, neutral presence, and minimal reverb as per the dry production style.

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →

Chords

🎼 Creep chords — key, capo & the main progression →

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

Recognise famous songs from just the amp dials — a quick 10-round game. Beat your friends. Play free →

🎸 Which guitar legend is your tone twin? Take the quiz & share your result →

Creep guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Creep guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 7, bass 6, mid 7, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 2. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Creep tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Fender Telecaster (Jonny Greenwood's main guitar on 'Creep') · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Trem-O-Verb Combo Amp; distortion, reverb.

Can I get the Creep tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like Radiohead on Creep — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 7, bass 6, mid 7, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 2), and distortion, reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

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Sources

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More like this

🎸 How to get Radiohead’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Rock guitar tones → · 🎚️ Mesa Dual Rectifier settings → · 🎛️ best rock amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎯 more high gain tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com