Flying Whales by Gojira (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Flying Whales by Gojira guitar tone is built on a EVH 5150 III, dialed in at gain 9/10, bass 6, mid 4.5, treble 6.5, presence 6.5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

Amp settings (0–10)

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 284 metal tones in our researched catalog: Gain 9 sits above the metal average (7.3) — a hotter, more saturated take than most metal tones; mids at 4.5 are right around average (5.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Custom (likely 1980s-2000s, as used by Joe Duplantier on From Mars to Sirius) · Amp: EVH 5150 III (red channel, no boost)

Studio recording, From Mars to Sirius (2005). Gear confirmed for album era; riff section uses high-gain amp channel with no pedal boost. No evidence of pedals or additional effects in riff section.

Gear used on this tone

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Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Gibson Les Paul Custom (likely 1980s-2000s, as used by Joe Duplantier on From Mars to Sirius) → EVH 5150 III (red channel, no boost)

Effects

Guitar → EVH 5150 III (red channel, no pedals, no effects)

Tone character

tight and percussive, saturated high-gain, chunky low end, articulate pick attack, modern metal clarity, minimal ambience, focused midrange, aggressive palm muting, clear note separation, low noise floor

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 Flying Whales sound.

Difficulty

4/5 · Riff

The riff requires advanced palm muting, tight rhythm control, and fast alternate picking, making it challenging for most players.

Worth knowing

• No explicit numeric amp settings found; values estimated based on typical EVH 5150 III usage for modern metal and genre/era conventions.
• No evidence of pedals or effects in the riff section; confirmed by user statements and lack of audible effects.
• Guitar and pickup model inferred from multiple sources for this album era, but not directly tied to this exact song in studio.
• If alternate guitars/amps were used in other sections or live, they are not included here.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Gojira's 'Flying Whales' riff tone is extremely high-gain, tight, and modern, with a focused low end, slightly scooped but not hollow mids, and clear but not harsh highs. Their use of Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifiers and Diezel amps in this era, plus genre conventions, point to these settings for a crushing, articulate modern metal sound with minimal ambience.

Flying Whales guitar tone — FAQ

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Sources

• What makes " the Gojira slide" or the (Whale raking etc) so unique ...
• Gojira – From Mars to Sirius - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard

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