Guitar tone · rock, metal

Nine Inch Nails guitar tone: gear & amp settings

The gear and amp settings behind 11 Nine Inch Nails songs, researched from rig rundowns, interviews and gear forums. The rig that shows up most: Music Man StingRay (likely 4-string, active electronics) into Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier.

Guitars Nine Inch Nails used

Music Man StingRay (likely 4-string, active electronics)1 song
Unknown solidbody electric (likely Gibson Les Paul or Fender Telecaster, as used by Trent Reznor and Aaron North on With Teeth era)1 song
1990s Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely, based on era and studio gear at Sonic Ranch)1 song
Fender Telecaster (exact model not specified, but Telecaster referenced for Hurt riff section in multiple sources)1 song
Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1990s, studio recording)1 song
2004 Gibson Les Paul VOS (Jimmy Page #1 reissue)1 song
Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1980s or early 1990s, as used by Trent Reznor in studio)1 song
Unknown (likely Fender Telecaster or Gibson Les Paul, as used by NIN in this era, but not confirmed for this song/section)1 song

Amps Nine Inch Nails used

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier2 songs
SansAmp PSA-1.1 (preamp/DI), possibly into studio interface; no evidence of traditional amp in clean section1 song
Unknown high-gain amp (likely Marshall JCM800 or Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, both used by NIN in studio/live during With Teeth era)1 song
Diezel VH4 (studio recording, Downward Spiral era)1 song
Marshall JMP-1 preamp (direct out, no cab sim) into Zoom 9030 (cab sim only), no traditional amp/cabinet used1 song
Marshall JMP-1 preamp into Zoom 9030 multi-effects/speaker sim (studio direct, no cab mic), possibly NEVE preamp in console1 song
Unknown studio amp (Sonic Ranch studio selection, model not specified)1 song
Marshall JCM800 (likely 2203 or 2210, as used by NIN in early 1990s studio sessions)1 song

13 Nine Inch Nails tones

Song	Part	Guitar	Amp	Gain
Dead Souls · riff	Riff · distorted	2004 Gibson Les Paul VOS (Jimmy Page #1 reissue)	Unknown studio amp (Sonic Ranch studio selection, model not specified)	8
Discipline · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely, based on studio gear for era and tone type)	Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier	8
Every Day Is Exactly the Same · riff	Riff · distorted	Unknown solidbody electric (likely Gibson Les Paul or Fender Telecaster, as used by Trent Reznor and Aaron North on With Teeth era)	Unknown high-gain amp (likely Marshall JCM800 or Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, both used by NIN in studio/live during With Teeth era)	7.5
Gave Up · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Custom	Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier	8.5
Happiness In Slavery · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1980s or early 1990s, as used by Trent Reznor in studio)	Marshall JCM800 (likely 2203 or 2210, as used by NIN in early 1990s studio sessions)	8.5
Hurt · riff	Riff · distorted	Fender Telecaster (exact model not specified, but Telecaster referenced for Hurt riff section in multiple sources)	Marshall JMP-1 preamp (direct out, no cab sim) into Zoom 9030 (cab sim only), no traditional amp/cabinet used	4
Last · riff	Riff · distorted	1990s Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely, based on era and studio gear at Sonic Ranch)	Diezel VH4 (studio recording, Downward Spiral era)	8.5
Piggy · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1990s, studio recording)	Marshall JMP-1 preamp into Zoom 9030 multi-effects/speaker sim (studio direct, no cab mic), possibly NEVE preamp in console	7
Suck · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1980s/early 90s, as used by Trent Reznor on 'Broken')	Marshall JCM800 (studio recording, as typical for 'Broken' era NIN guitar tones)	8
The Hand That Feeds · clean	Clean · clean	Music Man StingRay (likely 4-string, active electronics)	SansAmp PSA-1.1 (preamp/DI), possibly into studio interface; no evidence of traditional amp in clean section	0
The Hand That Feeds · riff	Riff · clean	Unknown (likely Fender Telecaster or Gibson Les Paul, as used by NIN in this era, but not confirmed for this song/section)	Unknown (likely Marshall or Mesa/Boogie, as used by NIN in studio/live, but not confirmed for this clean section)	0
The Hand That Feeds · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely, based on era and NIN studio use)	Marshall JCM800 (likely, based on NIN studio/live rig for With Teeth era and genre)	8
We're In This Together · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1990s, possibly with EMG or stock humbuckers)	Marshall JCM900 (likely, based on NIN's 1990s studio/live rigs and genre conventions)	8.5

Nine Inch Nails songs on popular amps

Exact settings ToneAdapt players use for these songs on their own amps.

Last on Fender Mustang LT25

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Frequently asked questions

What amp did Nine Inch Nails use?

Across 11 researched songs, the amps that come up most are Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (2 songs), SansAmp PSA-1.1 (preamp/DI), possibly into studio interface; no evidence of traditional amp in clean section (1 song), Unknown high-gain amp (likely Marshall JCM800 or Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, both used by NIN in studio/live during With Teeth era) (1 song), Diezel VH4 (studio recording, Downward Spiral era) (1 song).

What guitar did Nine Inch Nails use?

Most often: Music Man StingRay (likely 4-string, active electronics) (1 song), Unknown solidbody electric (likely Gibson Les Paul or Fender Telecaster, as used by Trent Reznor and Aaron North on With Teeth era) (1 song), 1990s Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely, based on era and studio gear at Sonic Ranch) (1 song), Fender Telecaster (exact model not specified, but Telecaster referenced for Hurt riff section in multiple sources) (1 song).

How do I get Nine Inch Nails's tone on my amp?

Open any Nine Inch Nails song below to see the original gear and settings, then use ToneAdapt to adapt them to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.