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Stone Temple Pilots - Vasoline - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Stone Temple Pilots - Vasoline guitar lesson video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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Stone Temple Pilots Grunge E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Vasoline

Drop D tuning is the whole story with "Vasoline." That low D string lets you play the song's hypnotic, single-note riff with one-finger power chords, which is exactly how the groove locks in at 100 BPM in E minor. The riff itself is deceptively simple to finger but surprisingly easy to rush, so keep your picking hand relaxed and let the pulse breathe. What actually trips players up is maintaining that steady, slightly menacing feel throughout without letting the tension drop between phrases. Stone Temple Pilots built the whole track around that restraint, and if you overplay it, the hypnotic quality disappears. The song is a solid entry point into Grunge riff writing, showing how much atmosphere you can create with minimal movement on the fretboard. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff slowed down until the pick attack and timing feel locked before bringing it back up to tempo.

  • The main riff is played in Drop D tuning, which allows one-finger barre shapes on the low string and gives the groove its heavy, droning quality.
  • At 100 BPM in E minor, the challenge is not speed but consistency, keeping the riff tight and even without rushing the spaces between notes.
  • Because the riff stays in a narrow range of the fretboard, focus your practice on right-hand pick attack and muting to control the tone cleanly.

How to Play Vasoline

Tuning: Drop D · Key: E minor · Tempo: 100 BPM

The drop D tuning lets you fret the low power chords with a single finger, which is central to the heavier riffing here.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 100 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Dean DeLeo uses Telecasters for STP's cleaner, stripped-back arrangements, leveraging their bright single-coil twang to cut through without muddiness. Their articulate bite provides the sparkly contrast to the band's heavier Les Paul-driven riffs.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

The Les Paul Standard's warm PAF-style humbuckers deliver the core-era STP crunch, offering rich midrange that bridges DeLeo's clean tones and overdriven Marshall breakup. This guitar anchors the band's signature heavy yet melodic sound.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While less documented than his Standards and Deluxe, the Custom's fuller PAF voicing suits STP's dense, layered arrangements. Its premium construction complements DeLeo's preference for guitar-amp interaction over heavy effects.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

DeLeo pushes the JCM800 into natural tube saturation for Stone Temple Pilots' signature overdriven tone, avoiding heavy distortion pedals. This head provides the warm, organic breakup essential to tracks like 'Plush' and 'Vasoline.'

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

The Twin Reverb's pristine headroom and lush reverb define STP's clean, atmospheric parts heard on ballads like 'Big Empty.' Its sparkle complements DeLeo's Telecaster work and dynamic volume knob manipulation.

Vox AC30
Amp

Vox AC30

The AC30's natural chime and breakup character provide warmth and psychedelic texture for STP's cleaner passages and atmospheric moments. Its vintage British tone balances the Marshall's aggression in the band's dynamic arrangements.

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