Song Rig

Fell on Black Days

Kim Thayil · Superunknown · 1994

Tone Overview

What Makes This Sound Unique

Melancholic, dreamy grunge — a slower, more emotionally open texture than Soundgarden's heavier tracks. The clean intro arpeggio rings on a Rickenbacker-bright clean tone, then the distorted verse enters with a warm, medium-gain crunch. One of Soundgarden's most accessible guitar textures.

Signal Chain

1Rickenbacker or single-coil guitar (intro clean arpeggio)
2Marshall (moderate gain for verse)
3chorus/reverb for clean sections

Amp Settings

Gain / Volume6

Bass6

Mid6

Treble6

Presence5

Reverb4

Intro: very clean with gentle reverb. Verse: moderate gain — less heavy than Spoonman or Black Hole Sun. The emotional arc of the song is served by restraint. B standard tuning maintained for tonal consistency with the rest of the album.

Technique

How to Play It

Clean intro: arpeggiated open chords with fingers rather than a flat pick for the softer attack. Verse: controlled strumming with moderate attack. The dynamic contrast between the intro and verse is built through picking technique, not effects switching.

Budget Alternative

Achievable With

Single-coil guitar (clean) + Marshall or equivalent at moderate gain (crunch). The reverb-washed clean intro can be achieved with any reverb pedal (Boss RV-6 or TC Hall of Fame).

Your Gear