🎸 Rock · 1990s

Hunger Strike by Temple of the Dog (Riff · Clean) — Guitar Tone

by Temple of the Dog · riff

The Hunger Strike by Temple of the Dog guitar tone is built on a Mesa/Boogie Mark III, dialed in at gain 0/10, bass 6.5, mid 6.5, treble 6.5, presence 5.5 (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

6.5

BASS

6.5

MID

6.5

TREBLE

5.5

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 0 sits well below the rock average (4.8) — cleaner and more dynamic than typical rock; mids at 6.5 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

7-8

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Stratocaster '62 Reissue · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Mark III (likely, based on forum consensus and era)

Studio recording, 1990/1991. Mike McCready played the main riff using a '62 reissue Strat in position 4 (neck + middle). Amp is not confirmed in interviews, but multiple sources and era suggest Mesa/Boogie Mark III. No evidence of pedals or additional effects for the riff section.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Mesa/Boogie songs & tones →🎚️ Fender Stratocaster songs & tones →🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →

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

Pickups

Position 4 (neck + middle)

Signal chain

Fender Stratocaster '62 Reissue → Mesa/Boogie Mark III (likely, based on forum consensus and era)

Effects

reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 3)

Tone character

warm and smooth, articulate and clear, slightly scooped mids, chimey Strat character, rounded top end, no audible breakup, dynamic and touch-sensitive, open and airy, present but not harsh treble, full-bodied clean

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, medium dynamics · clean distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Hunger Strike sound.

Difficulty

2.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires Drop D tuning, clean fingerpicking or hybrid picking technique, and precise timing for the arpeggiated pattern, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.

Worth knowing

Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
No official amp or pedal settings published for this song; amp model inferred from era and forum consensus.
No evidence of pedals or additional effects used on the riff section; settings estimated based on typical Mesa/Boogie clean tones and genre.
Exact amp model not confirmed by artist or producer interview.
All settings are estimated based on typical usage for Mesa/Boogie Mark III clean channel with a Strat in early '90s grunge/alt-rock context.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Kim Thayil used a Marshall JCM800 with moderate gain for a classic hard rock crunch, and the tone is mid-forward but not scooped, with a warm, slightly dark edge and subtle room reverb typical of early 90s grunge production.

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

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Hunger Strike guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Hunger Strike guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 0, bass 6.5, mid 6.5, treble 6.5, presence 5.5, reverb 3. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Hunger Strike tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Fender Stratocaster '62 Reissue · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Mark III (likely, based on forum consensus and era); reverb.

Can I get the Hunger Strike 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 Temple of the Dog on Hunger Strike — what gear and pedals?

Start with Position 4 (neck + middle), the amp EQ above (gain 0, bass 6.5, mid 6.5, treble 6.5, presence 5.5, reverb 3), and 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

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