Doing It to Death Riff Guitar Tone Settings — The Kills
The Kills · 2010s+ · rock
studio
Original Recording
Studio recording for 'Doing It to Death' (2016). Jamie Hince uses a multi-amp blend for the core riff tone, with the Orange Dual Dark 100 as the primary amp (profiled via Kemper), and additional amps blended for tonal complexity. Guitar is a vintage Harmony Bobkat H15 with DeArmond Gold Foil pickups. Effects are a mix of pedals and rack units. Settings are estimated due to lack of explicit numbers for this song/section.
Amp Settings
Effects Chain
- Line 6 Filter Pro · modulation
- Death By Audio Echo Dream 2 · delay
- Death By Audio Robot · modulation
- Line 6 HX One · modulation
Harmony Bobkat H15 → Line 6 Filter Pro → Death By Audio Echo Dream 2 → Death By Audio Robot → Line 6 HX One → Kemper (Orange Dual Dark 100 profile) + Divided by 13 FTR 37 + Selmer Zodiac + Magnatone 280 (blended amps, spring reverb on amp)
Tone Matcher
Match This Tone to Your Gear
Tell us your guitar and amp — we’ll calculate the exact settings translated to your specific rig.
Adapt to MY Gear →7-day free trial · Cancel anytime.
Tone Character
- thick and fuzzy
- mid-heavy and gritty
- percussive and driving
- slightly lo-fi
- warm with biting top end
- articulate single-note riffing
- rich sustain
- controlled feedback
- distinctive British amp flavor
- garage rock texture
Notes & Caveats
- No explicit numeric amp or pedal settings for 'Doing It to Death' riff section found in sources; settings estimated based on typical Orange Dual Dark/Divided by 13/Selmer usage in modern garage rock context.
- Amp blend is confirmed for Jamie Hince's studio rig, but exact blend ratios and settings are not published.
- Pedal models are confirmed from rig rundowns and pedalboard photos, but exact settings and order are not fully documented for this specific song.
- Pickup selection inferred from typical riff tone and live footage; Harmony Bobkat H15 has two pickups, but bridge is most likely for main riff.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince favor gritty, mid-forward garage rock tones with moderate gain and a dry, punchy sound. The riff in 'Doing It to Death' is crunchy but not high gain, with pronounced mids and treble for bite, and minimal reverb, matching their typical amp settings and the genre's production style.