No. 0971976·classic-rock·5 blocks

(Don't Fear) The Reaper

The shimmering clean riff that drives Blue Öyster Cult's classic. Buck Dharma cut it not on his signature SG but on co-producer Murray Krugman's hollowbody Gibson ES-175, chosen for its warmer, woodier jangle, through a clean Music Man 410-65 combo at the Record Plant in New York. The shimmer comes from the hollowbody plus an EMT plate and a 15-ips tape delay tracked live — not a chorus pedal. Standard tuning, A-minor riff.

Agents of Fortune coverAgents of Fortune
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 8 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Gibson ES-175
Pickups
HH
Tuning
neck
Strings
standard
Volume Pedal
Deluxe Comp
US Double Nrm
4x10 Tweed P10R
Plate
Tube Echo
Tilt
Volume Pedal
← Volume pedal
Volume/Pan
Pedal
100%
Deluxe Comp
← Studio compression
Dynamics
Threshold
-34dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
60ms
Release
300ms
Mix
55
Level
0dB
US Double Nrm
← Music Man 410-65 (clean)
Amp
Drive
3.5
Bass
5
Mid
5
Treble
6.5
Presence
5.5
ChVol
6
Master
9
Bias
5
BiasX
5
Sag
5
Hum
5
Ripple
5
4x10 Tweed P10R
← Music Man 4x10 (built-in)
Cab
LowCut90Hz
HighCut11000Hz
Resonance
0.5
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Plate
← EMT plate (Record Plant)
Reverb
LowCut200Hz
HighCut8000Hz
Mix
22
Decay
1.8s
Predelay
20ms
Level
0
Tube Echo
← 15-ips tape delay
Delay
LowCut200Hz
HighCut6000Hz
Time
90ms
Feedback
12
Mix
12
Level
0
Tilt
← Tilt EQ (global brightness)
EQ
Tilt
0.5
CenterFreq
1000Hz
Level
0

What we checked

Computed by a program, on this recipe, every time this page is built. How this works

Preset files — 0 of 3 complete
  • Helix 1 block missing from the file
    Which ones

    Not in the file: Tube Echo. The recipe calls for this block, but we have no verified model ID for it on this platform, so the preset is written without it. Add it by hand using the settings above.

  • Quad Cortex 4 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Studio Comp, US Double Nor, Plate, Tilt EQ. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

  • Katana 3 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Clean, Delay, Reverb. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

Helix DSP
46.7% of one chip — fits (1 block has no published cost and is counted as zero)
Sources
3 cited, 3 from publications that do original gear reporting
Attribution
Not yet ratedThis recipe predates the attribution-confidence field and hasn't been reviewed for it.
What we didn't check
  • Nobody played this through a real amp. There is no human listening test behind any number on this page.
  • The settings are reasoned from the sources below, not measured off the record.
  • No audio has been rendered for this recipe yet, so you cannot hear it before you load it.
  • 3 platforms on this page (TONEX, Kemper, Fractal) get a model pointer, not a preset file — nothing was built or checked for them.
The mic in this chain

Shure SM57

Still made, still the studio default. The cheapest part of this chain to get right.

Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The mic is listed because the chain uses it, not because anyone paid for the placement.

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