Tone Settings for Gold on the Ceiling by The Black Keys (guitar and amp)

1. Volume

• Set your guitar volume to full (10) for maximum output and sustain.
• Use your amp’s volume to balance overall loudness without sacrificing gain.

2. Tone

• Guitar tone knob set around 6–8 to keep brightness while taming excess treble.
• Use amp EQ with boosted mids and slightly rolled-off highs.
• Keep bass moderate to avoid muddiness, especially at higher gain levels.

3. Pickup Selector

• Use the bridge pickup for a biting, punchy tone.
• Occasionally switch to middle or neck position for warmer rhythm sections if needed, but bridge is primary.

4. Humbucker or Single Coil Preferred?

• Humbuckers are strongly preferred for thick, gritty overdrive tone.
• Deliver a smoother, more compressed distortion tone ideal for garage/blues rock.

5. Ideal guitar type which is a Electric (Les Paul-style)

• Solid-body electric guitar with dual humbuckers (e.g. Gibson or Epiphone Les Paul).
• Mahogany body for warm, sustained tone with a maple top for brightness.
• Set neck construction enhances sustain and resonance.

• Gibson Les Paul Standard: Thick, punchy tone ideal for the song’s gritty riffs
• Fender Telecaster: Bright and biting, good for cutting through the mix
• Orange Rockerverb 100: British-voiced amp with rich distortion and warmth
• Big Muff Pi: Classic fuzz pedal for saturated, vintage-driven tone
• Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb: Adds space and depth to solos and riffs
• MXR M169 Carbon Copy Delay: Analog delay for subtle echoes and ambiance
• Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Strings: Balanced tone and feel for blues-rock playing
• Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner: Reliable tuning pedal for live or studio
• Dunlop Tortex Picks (0.88mm): Excellent grip and control for riff-heavy parts
• Pedaltrain Nano+ Pedalboard: Compact board to organize essential pedals

• Use a gritty, high-gain fuzz pedal to match the saturated tone of the original riff.
• Dial amp EQ with boosted mids and presence to cut through the mix.
• Select the bridge pickup on your guitar for added bite and clarity.
• Set tempo to approx. 84 BPM for accurate groove and timing.
• Use a short slapback delay on vocals for a retro, lo-fi feel.
• Layer rhythm guitar with doubled tracks panned hard left and right.
• Maintain a heavy attack with palm-muted accents during the verses.
• Apply light analog saturation or tape emulation on the master bus.
• Tune guitar to standard tuning (EADGBE) as used in the original track.
• Use dynamic microphones (e.g. Shure SM57) on guitar cabs for authentic tone capture.