GuitarDistortedRiff
Fistful Of Steel Guitar Tone Settings — Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine · 1990s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Custom 'Arm The Homeless' Electric Guitar
Pickups
EMG single-coil in neck (disguised as humbucker), EMG humbucker in bridge
Amp
Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head
Pickup Position
Neck pickup
Studio recording, 1992. Guitar is Tom Morello's main custom instrument for the debut album. Pickup selection for riff is likely neck (see source 7 for neck pickup's role in riff tone).
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6
Gain7
Reverb0
Treble7
Presence6.5
Effects Chain
- DigiTech Whammy (original WH-1) · modulation
- MXR M104 Distortion+ · distortion
Guitar → MXR Distortion+ → DigiTech Whammy (2 oct up) → Marshall JCM800 2205 (Peavey 4x12 cab)
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- motorized, modulated octave sweeps
- raw and aggressive
- punchy attack
- gritty distortion
- articulate muted picking
- unconventional, experimental effects
- mid-forward presence
- dynamic response to picking
- minimal ambience (dry studio sound)
Sources
- Fistful Of Steel Tabs by Rage Against The Machine
- Rage Against the Machine Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard
- The story of Tom Morello's Arm the Homeless & Fender replica
- Tom Morello’s guitar rig is now a Neural DSP plugin – watch the Rage Against the Machine firebrand demo his signature software… with a wrench | Guitar World