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Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood - Guitar Tab

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Key E minor
Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood guitar tab video
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Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Dr. Feelgood album cover
Dr. Feelgood
1989 4:50
Listen on Spotify
Motley Crue Hard Rock 1989 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Dr. Feelgood

The title track from Motley Crue's 1989 album sits squarely in the wheelhouse of Hard Rock guitar playing, built around a heavy, syncopated main riff that demands tight palm muting and precise picking. The song is tuned down to Eb Standard, so before you touch a fret, drop every string a half step or your riff will clash badly with the recording. At 120 BPM the feel is deliberate and punchy rather than blindingly fast, but that moderate tempo means every note in the main riff is exposed, and sloppy fretting will show immediately. The hardest part is keeping the muted chug absolutely consistent while nailing the rhythmic accents that give the riff its swagger. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop that opening figure slowed down until the pick attack and muting feel automatic, then gradually bring it back up to 120. The lead work calls for confident bends and vibrato in E minor, so focus on intonating those bends cleanly before worrying about speed.

  • The song is played in Eb Standard tuning, meaning every string is tuned down a half step from standard, which affects both riff feel and chord voicings.
  • The main riff relies heavily on palm muting with sharp rhythmic accents, so consistent right-hand technique is the core challenge here.
  • At 120 BPM the tempo is moderate, but the syncopated groove punishes any imprecision in muting or fretting, making slow practice essential.

How to Play Dr. Feelgood

The song moves through: Intro, Interlude, Verse, Bridge, Pre-solo, Solo 2, Break, Outro.

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording. The arrangement runs through 8 distinct sections, and the solo is the steepest jump, so isolate it on its own.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Mick Mars used custom Fender Stratocasters with humbucker pickups for specific recordings, providing tonal variety beyond his signature Les Paul thickness. The Strat's brighter character offered alternative textures while maintaining the aggressive humbucker-driven attack essential to Motley Crue's sound.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Mars' primary weapon throughout Motley Crue's career, the Les Paul Standard delivered the thick, sustained rhythm tones and warm PAF-style humbucker attack that define the band's heavy metal foundation. Its stock Gibson electronics and natural resonance let the cranked Marshall amp create the signature crunch without additional processing.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Mars' most iconic guitar choice, the black and white Les Paul Customs from the late 70s and 80s provided the dense, aggressive tones that powered Motley Crue's biggest hits. The custom model's weight and construction contributed to the sustained, sludgy rhythm guitar sound that became the band's sonic trademark.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The core of Mick Mars' legendary tone, his heavily modified JCM800 heads with scooped mids and cranked preamp gain created Motley Crue's characteristic thick, saturated crunch. Driven hard with a Les Paul's humbuckers, this combination produced the warm yet aggressive distortion that defined 80s hair metal.

Soldano SLO-100
Amp

Soldano SLO-100

Mars adopted the Soldano SLO-100 in later years for its smoother, more refined high-gain character compared to the Marshall's rawer saturation. The Soldano's tighter response and cleaner articulation suited Motley Crue's evolution while maintaining the band's heavy, sustain-driven aesthetic.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Featured prominently on 'Kickstart My Heart' intro and various solos, Mars' Dunlop Cry Baby wah pedal added dynamic expression to his otherwise amp-driven tone. The wah's sweeping character became an iconic texture in Motley Crue's arsenal of lead guitar effects.

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