Nail the ToneStone Temple Pilots

Interstate Love Song

Stone Temple Pilots · Purple · 1994

Dean DeLeo has said this track is his 1957 Les Paul TV Special and his sunburst Telecaster, layered — P-90s and single-coils, not humbuckers, which is why the riff cuts instead of booming. The amp side is not documented for this specific session, but his rig in that era was a Demeter TGP-3 preamp into a VHT Classic power amp with a clean, chimey Vox AC30 blended underneath, so aim for medium-gain crunch with mids pushed and enough clean top to keep the note attack sharp. Bridge pickup, gain only about halfway, and double-track the riff if you can.

Where these numbers come from: worked out from the documented rig and the sound of the record

Tuning

Standard tuning, no capo

Standard tuning, key of E major on the riff and choruses; an acoustic guitar doubles the intro figure and verses under the electrics, so the electric riff itself is all standard-tuned open-position and low-string shapes.

Part: Riff

Guitar

  • Gibson Les Paul TV Special (1957) · P-90 · bridge pickup
  • Fender Telecaster (sunburst) · single-coil · bridge pickup

Amp

Demeter TGP-3 preamp into VHT Classic power amp

GAIN
5.0
BASS
5.0
MID
6.5
TREBLE
6.0
PRESENCE
5.0

DeLeo assembled this preamp/power-amp rig while writing Core and it has been the crunch side of his studio and stage sound ever since; he uses channel two for the medium-gain, less saturated tones, which is what the Interstate riff sits in. A competing account in Guitar Player says Purple's key sounds came from small vintage tube amps, notably a 1950s Supro, so a small cranked combo is a legitimate alternate path to the same tone.

Amp

Vox AC30

GAIN
3.5
BASS
4.0
TREBLE
6.5

DeLeo runs an AC30 set clean and chimey alongside the dirty rig for clarity and top-end sparkle; blend it under the crunch track rather than using it alone. The AC30 Top Boost channel has no mid control, hence the null.

Pedals

  • Rocktron Intelliverb · rack reverb · Short, low-level plate — just enough to put the riff in a room, not an audible wash
  • S.I.B. Varidrive · tube overdrive/preamp · Live-rig item: DeLeo's tech says it is kicked in only for the intro of this song. Not documented on the 1994 session — treat as optional low-gain push
  • Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble · chorus · Used very sparingly in DeLeo's rig; if you use it here, fast rate and shallow depth for a light shimmer, off for the main riff

Tone character

mid-gain crunch · P-90 bite · forward mids · chimey top end · tight, controlled low end · double-tracked width

easy

The riff is a descending set of low-string double-stops and power chords in one hand position with a laid-back, behind-the-beat feel to hold; the jazzy verse voicings (C#7/B, A#m7b5) are the harder part of the song.

Want this on your own amp?

These are the record's settings. Tell us what you play through and we'll translate every knob to the amp you actually own — free.

Adapt it to my gear

Sources