Riff Tone

Born of a Broken Man

Rage Against the Machine

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarArm The Homeless custom guitar

AmpMarshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet

PickupsEMG H (neck, single coil in humbucker housing), EMG 85 (bridge)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid7.5

treble6.5

reverb0

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1999. Tom Morello's 'Arm The Homeless' guitar with EMG H neck pickup into Marshall JCM800 2205. No evidence of additional drive/distortion pedals for the riff section. Settings and effects are for the studio album version, not live.

Tone Character(10)

mid-heavy EQ with pronounced midstight and percussive attackwarm and slightly nasal neck pickup toneclear note separation in power chordsdynamic response to pickingdry, unprocessed sound (no reverb)crunchy but not overly saturated distortiondistinctive single-coil clarityaggressive, punchy rhythmarticulate with minimal compression

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, aggressive rhythm playing with precise palm muting and dynamic control, as well as quick transitions between power chords and single-note lines.

Sources

Amp Settings for "Born of a Broken Man" by Rage Against the Machine Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine & Audioslave Rig Rundown Guitar Gear Tour Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello Guitar Rig Rundown Gear Tour - Premier Guitar

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