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Intolerance — TOOL1 / 2
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Intolerance Riff Guitar Tone Settings — TOOL

TOOL · 1990s · metal

studio

Original Recording

Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Standard (Adam Jones's silverburst, 1979)
Pickups
Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB (bridge humbucker), original neck humbucker
Amp
Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (early 1990s revision, rackmount)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup

Studio recording, Undertow album (1992-1993). Adam Jones is known for using his 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst with the bridge pickup for heavy riff sections. The amp for the album was primarily a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier. No evidence found for live or alternate gear for this specific song/section.

Amp Settings

Mids
6
Bass
6
Gain
7
Reverb
1
Treble
6.5
Presence
6

Effects Chain

  • Noise Gate (model unknown) · noise_gate

Gibson Les Paul Standard (bridge pickup) → Noise Gate (model unknown) → Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (light spring reverb)

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Tone Character

  • tight and percussive
  • saturated distortion
  • articulate attack
  • focused low end
  • slightly scooped mids
  • aggressive metallic edge
  • minimal ambience
  • crushing power chords
  • clear note separation
  • dynamic to picking attack

Notes & Caveats

  • ⚠️No direct source lists exact amp or pedal settings for 'Intolerance' riff; settings estimated based on typical 1990s Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier usage for metal rhythm tones.
  • ⚠️No pedalboard or effects chain for this specific song/section found in sources; pedal and effect info inferred from genre, era, and audio.
  • ⚠️No evidence of time-based or modulation effects (delay, chorus, flanger, etc.) in the riff section; only high-gain amp distortion is clearly audible.
  • ⚠️Guitar and amp models confirmed for Adam Jones on Undertow era, but pickup model inferred from known modifications.
  • ⚠️Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Adam Jones on 'Intolerance' uses a crunchy, mid-forward tone typical of early 90s TOOL, likely from a Diezel or Marshall amp with moderate gain, tight bass, and present mids/treble for clarity; the recording is very dry with little to no reverb, matching the album's production style.

Sources