No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age guitar tone is built on a Ampeg VT-40, dialed in at gain 6/10, bass 6.5, mid 6.5, treble 6, presence 5.5 (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 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 6 sits above the rock average (4.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most rock tones; mids at 6.5 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Amp: Ampeg VT-40 (Baxandall EQ mid-push) — the QOTSA amp

Maton JH signature; C standard tuning (C F A# D# G C), thicker strings; Boss SD-1 + Univox Super-Fuzz.

Gear used on this tone

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

Pickups

humbucker (Maton JH)

Effects / signal chain

overdrive, fuzz

Tone character

warm mid-push, fuzzy desert crunch, down-tuned groove, thick low end

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

mid-pushed fuzz/overdrive crunch distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the No One Knows sound.

Difficulty

5/5 · Riff

The riffs are groove-driven and very playable; the tone needs C-standard tuning, a fuzz/OD and the Ampeg mid-push.

Worth knowing

• No One Knows is THE QOTSA riff — C standard, a Boss SD-1 (level/tone maxed, drive low) into a mid-pushed amp. Keep gain moderate and the bass up; the groove does the work.
• Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme sound is a warm, MID-PUSHED, fuzz-fuelled desert-rock tone, usually DOWN-TUNED to C standard (low-high: C F A# D# G C). The signature amp is an Ampeg VT-40 — its Baxandall EQ gives the mid-forward push central to the sound. Guitars are Maton JH signature.
• The dirt is fuzz/overdrive-driven, not a high-gain amp: for No One Knows he runs a Boss Super Overdrive (SD-1) with Level and Tone maxed and Drive low. Other fuzzes: Univox Super-Fuzz, Fulltone Fat-Boost. Keep bass up (6-7), mids up, gain moderate — the groove and the mid-push matter more than saturation. Tune to C standard with heavier strings.
• Settings are community-researched starting points, not official recall sheets.

No One Knows guitar tone — FAQ

Share this tone

Sources

• Josh Homme Amp Settings — Guitar Chalk
• Josh Homme / QOTSA Guitar Tone & Gear — MusicStrive
• Nailing Josh Homme Sound — Reverb

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