Guitar tone · rock, Rap metal / funk metal

Rage Against the Machine guitar tone: gear & amp settings

The gear and amp settings behind 17 Rage Against the Machine songs, researched from rig rundowns, interviews and gear forums. The rig that shows up most: Custom 'Arm The Homeless' Electric Guitar into Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet.

Guitars Rage Against the Machine used

Custom 'Arm The Homeless' Electric Guitar5 songs
1982 Fender Telecaster 'Sendero Luminoso'3 songs
Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay (early 1990s, 4-string, active electronics)2 songs
Fender Telecaster American Designer Edition (Drop D, main guitar for studio recording)1 song
Music Man StingRay Special (early 90s, 4-string, active electronics)1 song
1982 Fender American Telecaster1 song
Custom 'Arm The Homeless' (Tom Morello's main guitar, live 1999)1 song
1982 Fender Telecaster (black, stock)1 song

Amps Rage Against the Machine used

Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet6 songs
Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet6 songs
Marshall JCM800 2205 50-watt head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet4 songs
Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabinet2 songs
Marshall JCM 800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet2 songs
Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head2 songs
Marshall JCM800 2205 head (studio recording, early 1990s)1 song
Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet1 song

40 Rage Against the Machine tones

Song	Part	Guitar	Amp	Gain
Killing in the Name (Live at 2000 Democratic National Convention) · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' Electric Guitar	Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Head with Peavey 4x12 Cabinet	7.5
Killing In the Name (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' Electric Guitar	Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head	7.5
Killing in the Name (Live at 2000 Democratic National Convention) · solo	Solo · distorted	1982 Fender Telecaster American Standard (black, stock)	Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabinet	7.5
Freedom · riff	Riff · distorted	Fender American Telecaster (early 1980s, heavily stickered, Drop D tuning)	Marshall JCM 800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7
Wake Up · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' guitar	Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7.5
Killing in the Name · solo	Solo · distorted	Fender Telecaster American Designer Edition (Drop D, main guitar for studio recording)	Marshall JCM800 2205 head (studio recording, early 1990s)	7.5
Sleep Now In the Fire · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' guitar (Tom Morello's main guitar, custom body, EMG H active humbuckers, Kahler tremolo, killswitch)	Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7
Bulls On Parade (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' Electric Guitar	Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	8
Killing in the Name · riff	Riff · distorted	1982 Fender Telecaster American Standard	Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7
Killing In the Name · riff	Riff · clean	1982 Fender American Telecaster (Drop D, stickers, stock single-coil neck pickup)	Marshall JCM 800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	0
Bombtrack (Live at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN - April 1993) · riff	Riff · clean	1982 Fender Telecaster (black, stock)	Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabinet	0
Bombtrack (Live at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN - April 1993) · distorted	Distorted · distorted	Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay (no pickguard, 4-string, likely stock electronics)	Ampeg SVT (likely SVT-CL or SVT-II) into Ampeg 8x10 cabinet	7
Bombtrack (Live at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN - April 1993) · clean	Clean · clean	Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay (no pickguard, 4-string, likely early 90s model)	Ampeg SVT (likely SVT Classic or SVT-II, through 8x10 cabinet)	0
Bombtrack (Live at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN - April 1993) · solo	Solo · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' (Tom Morello's signature guitar, early 1990s configuration)	Marshall JCM800 2205 50-watt head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7
Bombtrack (Live at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN - April 1993) · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' (Tom Morello's main guitar, live 1993)	Marshall JCM800 2205 50-watt head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7
Born of a Broken Man · riff	Riff · distorted	Arm The Homeless custom guitar	Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet	6.5
Born of a Broken Man · riff	Riff · clean	1982 Fender Telecaster 'Sendero Luminoso'	Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet	0
Bullet In the Head (Live at Melkweg, Amsterdam - February 1993) · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm the Homeless' Guitar	Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7
Bulls on Parade · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' S-style guitar (Custom Performance body, 22-fret Kramer Carrera neck, locking nut)	Marshall JCM800 2205 50-watt head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	8
Bulls On Parade (Live) · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' guitar (Tom Morello's main guitar, live)	Marshall JCM 800 2205 50-watt head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	8
Fistful Of Steel · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' Electric Guitar	Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head	7
Freedom · solo	Solo · distorted	1982 Fender American Telecaster	Marshall JCM800 2205 50-watt head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7
Freedom · distorted	Distorted · distorted	Music Man StingRay (early 1990s, 4-string, likely 2-band EQ)	Ampeg SVT (1970s, tube head) into Ampeg 8x10 cabinet; Ampeg SVT-2PRO for distortion blend	7
Freedom · clean	Clean · clean	Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay (likely Tim Commerford signature model)	Ampeg SVT (tube head, possibly multiple heads for clean and overdriven)	0
Guerrilla Radio (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) · riff	Riff · distorted	Ibanez Custom Artstar (Vox Ultrasonic/Gibson ES-335 style, with onboard effects)	Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7
killing in the name · clean	Clean · clean	Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay (early 1990s, 4-string, active electronics)	Ampeg SVT Classic + Ampeg 8x10 cabinet	0
Killing In the Name · solo	Solo · clean	Fender Telecaster (American-made, drop D, single-coil bridge pickup)	Marshall JCM800	0
Killing in the Name (Live at 2000 Democratic National Convention) · distorted	Distorted · distorted	Music Man StingRay Special (early 90s, 4-string, active electronics)	Ampeg SVT Classic + 8x10 cabinet	6
Killing in the Name (Live at 2000 Democratic National Convention) · solo	Solo · clean	1982 Fender Telecaster 'Sendero Luminoso'	Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet	0
Killing in the Name (Live at 2000 Democratic National Convention) · clean	Clean · clean	Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay (early years)	Two Ampeg SVT‑II Pro heads into two Ampeg SVT‑810 8×10" cabinets	0
Killing in the Name (Live at 2000 Democratic National Convention) · riff	Riff · clean	1982 Fender Telecaster 'Sendero Luminoso'	Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet	0
Killing In the Name (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) · riff	Riff · clean	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' Electric Guitar	Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Head	0
Killing In the Name (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) · solo	Solo · distorted	1982 Fender Telecaster (Arm The Homeless custom guitar not used live in 1999; Telecaster confirmed for live performances in this era)	Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabinet	7.5
Know Your Enemy (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) · riff	Riff · distorted	Custom 'Arm The Homeless' (Tom Morello's main guitar, live 1999)	Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7.5
Know Your Enemy (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) · clean	Clean · clean	Fender Jazz Bass (custom, passive, likely natural finish, with custom-wound pickups)	Ampeg SVT (classic tube head, likely with Ampeg 8x10 cab)	0
Take The Power Back (Live in Vancouver, B.C. - April 1993) · clean	Clean · clean	Music Man StingRay (early RATM years)	Ampeg SVT-II Pro heads into Ampeg SVT 8x10 cabinets	0
Testify · riff	Riff · distorted	1982 Fender American Telecaster (Tom Morello's main Drop D Telecaster, with stickers)	Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	7
Wake Up · solo	Solo · clean	1982 Fender Telecaster 'Sendero Luminoso' (aka 'Arm The Homeless')	Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet	0
Wake Up · clean	Clean · clean	Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay (early 1990s, 4-string, active electronics)	SWR SM-400S head into SWR Goliath 4x10 cabinet (studio era, not Ampeg SVT for this album)	0
Wake Up · solo	Solo · distorted	Arm The Homeless custom (Tom Morello's main guitar, custom body, EMG pickups, Floyd Rose tremolo)	Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet (Celestion G12T-75 speakers)	7.5

Rage Against the Machine songs on popular amps

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

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Frequently asked questions

What amp did Rage Against the Machine use?

Across 17 researched songs, the amps that come up most are Marshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet (6 songs), Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet (6 songs), Marshall JCM800 2205 50-watt head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet (4 songs), Marshall JCM800 2205 head with Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabinet (2 songs).

What guitar did Rage Against the Machine use?

Most often: Custom 'Arm The Homeless' Electric Guitar (5 songs), 1982 Fender Telecaster 'Sendero Luminoso' (3 songs), Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay (early 1990s, 4-string, active electronics) (2 songs), Fender Telecaster American Designer Edition (Drop D, main guitar for studio recording) (1 song).

How do I get Rage Against the Machine's tone on my amp?

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