🎸 Rock · 2000s

Pens And Needles by Hawthorne Heights (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Hawthorne Heights · riff

The Pens And Needles by Hawthorne Heights guitar tone is built on a Electro-Harmonix Sovtek MIG-100, dialed in at gain 8/10, bass 5.5, mid 5.5, 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

5.5

BASS

5.5

MID

TREBLE

PRESENCE

1.5

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 8 sits well above the rock average (4.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most rock tones; mids at 5.5 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

VOLUME

7-8

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Gibson SG Standard · Amp: Electro-Harmonix Sovtek MIG-100

Studio recording, 2006. Gear inferred from era-specific Equipboard entries for J.T. Woodruff and Micah Carli, who both used Gibson SGs and Sovtek MIG-100 heads during this album cycle. No evidence of alternate guitars/amps for the main riff section. No pedalboard or effect specifics for this track in studio; live gear may differ.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Gibson SG songs & tones →🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →

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

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Gibson SG Standard → Electro-Harmonix Sovtek MIG-100

Effects

Guitar → (no pedals) → Sovtek MIG-100 (with light spring reverb)

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 2)

Tone character

tight and saturated, aggressive palm-muted chugs, articulate and percussive attack, mid-heavy modern emo tone, slightly scooped but present mids, clear note separation, compressed and focused, minimal ambience, crunchy, high-gain rhythm, punchy low end

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

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

Difficulty

3.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires fast, tight alternate picking and palm muting at a high tempo, with precise chord changes and rhythmic accuracy typical of post-hardcore/emo riffing.

Worth knowing

No direct studio documentation or rig rundown for 'Pens And Needles' found; gear and settings inferred from era-correct Equipboard entries and genre conventions.
No pedal or effect specifics for this song's riff section; no evidence of modulation or time-based effects in the main riff.
Amp settings estimated based on typical Sovtek MIG-100 usage in post-hardcore/emo context and comparison to similar Hawthorne Heights tracks.
If alternate guitars/amps were used in the studio, no source confirms this for the main riff section.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Hawthorne Heights' 'Pens And Needles' features a saturated, modern post-hardcore tone with tight low end, slightly scooped mids, and aggressive treble/presence for clarity. Their typical use of high-gain amps (like Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier) and minimal reverb in this era matches these settings.

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

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Pens And Needles guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Pens And Needles guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 8, bass 5.5, mid 5.5, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 1.5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Pens And Needles tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Gibson SG Standard · Amp: Electro-Harmonix Sovtek MIG-100; Guitar → (no pedals) → Sovtek MIG-100 (with light spring reverb).

Can I get the Pens And Needles 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 Hawthorne Heights on Pens And Needles — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 8, bass 5.5, mid 5.5, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 1.5), and Guitar → (no pedals) → Sovtek MIG-100 (with light spring 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