Jerry Cantrell

• Drop D tuning is mandatory for most Alice in Chains riffs — the open D string under a power chord creates the characteristic "sludge"
• Palm muting defines his rhythm playing — the mute should be very heavy, right at the saddles, with almost no string resonance
• The GE-7 mid-boost is the secret weapon — push the 800Hz band by +3–4dB to give the guitar more cut without adding more distortion gain
• Minor third harmony above the main riff is a signature Cantrell technique — double the melody a minor third up for the AIC harmony guitar parts
• The Whammy is set to one octave up, and kick to the toe position for the screaming harmonic — it's not an effect used on most notes
• Down-picking dominates his rhythm playing — alternate picking for faster lead work, but all chug riffs are heavy downstrokes
• The bridge pickup provides the focused attack for palm muting — neck pickup for the cleaner, more melancholic parts
• Tune to Eb standard for most recordings, not full standard — the slightly looser string tension helps with the heaviness
• The overall gain level is medium, not extreme — what makes it heavy is the playing technique (palm muting, downpicking) not massive distortion

Jerry Cantrell's Alice in Chains tone is among the darkest and most distinctive in rock — heavily palm-muted minor riffs, precise down-picking, dual vocal harmonies mirrored in guitar harmonies and an earthy, mid-forward crunch.