Outside by Staind (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Outside by Staind guitar tone is built on a Diezel VH4 100W Tube Guitar Head, dialed in at gain 7/10, bass 6, mid 5.5, treble 6.5, presence 6 (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 7 sits right around the metal average (7.3); mids at 5.5 are right around average (5.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: PRS Mike Mushok Signature SE Baritone · Amp: Diezel VH4 100W Tube Guitar Head

Studio recording, 2001. Gear confirmed for Mike Mushok on 'Break the Cycle' era; no evidence of alternate guitars or amps for the riff section of 'Outside'.

Gear used on this tone

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

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

PRS Mike Mushok Signature SE Baritone → Diezel VH4 100W Tube Guitar Head

Effects

reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (digital, level 2)

Tone character

heavy and aggressive, tight and percussive, dense and immersive, punchy low end, modern high-gain saturation, clear note definition, raw and emotive, slightly scooped mids, articulate attack, minimal ambience

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

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

Difficulty

2.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires tight palm muting and rhythmic accuracy in a low baritone tuning, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or fast tempo.

Worth knowing

• No explicit amp knob settings found in sources; settings estimated based on Diezel VH4 typical usage for modern metal and the song's tone.
• No direct confirmation of pedal usage or amp effects for the studio recording; effects list based on audio analysis and typical genre practices.
• Pickup choice inferred from genre and riff tone; not directly cited.
• No evidence of additional pedals or modulation/time-based effects in the riff section; only amp gain and minimal reverb are likely.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. The 'Outside' riff tone is a saturated but not ultra-high-gain sound typical of late 90s/early 2000s post-grunge/alt-metal, with a balanced EQ (slightly scooped but not Metallica-level), moderate presence for clarity, and minimal reverb as is standard for radio rock of this era. Aaron Lewis often used Mesa/Peavey amps with moderate gain and a balanced EQ for thick, articulate riffs.

Outside guitar tone — FAQ

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Sources

• Staind Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard
• Staind Tuning - Reddit

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