Riff Tone

Killing in the Name

Rage Against the Machine

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

Guitar1982 Fender Telecaster American Standard

AmpMarshall JCM800 2205 head into Peavey 4x12 cabinet

PickupsStock Fender single-coil pickups

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid7

treble6.5

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1991/1992. Tom Morello used his black 'Sendero Luminoso' Telecaster with stock single-coil pickups for the main riff. The amp was a Marshall JCM800 2205, as confirmed by multiple interviews and rig rundowns. No evidence of additional pedals for the main riff section; overdrive/distortion comes from the amp and possibly a Boss SD-1 or Blues Driver, but sources only confirm the Blues Driver for solos or leads, not the main riff. Pickup selector set to bridge. All information is for the original studio recording, not live performances.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive and bitingarticulate single-coil clarityfocused midrange punchdry, in-your-face soundcrisp pick attackminimal ambienceclassic Marshall crunchbridge pickup twang with heavy distortionno audible reverb or delay

Difficulty

While the riff is based on simple power chords and single-note lines, the difficulty lies in the tight, percussive rhythm, palm muting, and maintaining consistent timing and aggression throughout the song.