Tone library / Foo Fighters / Everlong

Everlong amp settings — Donner DEA-1

The Foo Fighters guitar tone for “Everlong”, dialed in for a Donner DEA-1 with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, The Colour and the Shape (1997) — iconic drop-D verse and chorus riff

Original rig

Gibson Trini Lopez / ES-335 into Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (Modern High Gain) and ProCo Rat

Punchy, saturated post-grunge crunch with scooped low-mids and sharp pick attack
Amp settings — Donner DEA-1
CHANNELDistortion / Drive switch ON
GAIN 7 BASS 6 MID 5 TREBLE 6 MASTER 6
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain7
Bass6
Mid5
Treble6
Master6
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01ProCo Rat 2

RECOMMENDED — not owned

Distortion 6 · Filter 5 · Volume 7
Why these settings

The Donner DEA-1 is a small solid-state practice amp with Gain, Treble, Middle, and Bass (no presence or reverb). Engage the built-in Drive switch and run gain at 7 to capture Dave Grohl's heavy saturation, rolling tone down to 8 on your Strat bridge pickup to compensate for single-coil brightness versus his humbucker-equipped Trini Lopez. Adding an external distortion pedal like a ProCo Rat will provide the true aggressive clipping of the studio cut. Clean intro: switch amp Drive button off and pick lightly over the neck position.

PRO TIPTune to Drop D (D-A-D-G-B-E) and use aggressive, relentless sixteenth-note down-up alternate picking right near the bridge saddles to get the song's signature driving percussive attack.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Donner DEA-1. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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