Riff Tone

Killing in the Name (Live at 2000 Democratic National Convention)

Rage Against the Machine

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

Guitar1982 Fender Telecaster 'Sendero Luminoso'

AmpMarshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet

PickupsFender single coil (stock Telecaster neck pickup)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid7

treble6.5

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Live performance at the 2000 Democratic National Convention; Tom Morello's dedicated drop D Telecaster used for clean intro/riff sections; amp settings based on live and studio sources from the 1990s-2000s era.

Tone Character(10)

warm and full-bodiedspanky and articulatefat neck pickup sounddry, unprocessed amp tonedynamic and percussive attackclear single coil definitionno reverb or ambienceslight edge but not breaking uppunchy and present midstight low end

Difficulty

The clean riff requires tight rhythmic precision and dynamic control to maintain clarity and punch, but uses straightforward fretting and picking patterns.

Sources

Tone Settings for Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine (guitar and amp) - Guitar Chalk How Tom Morello Got His Tone In Killing In the Name Gear Rundown: Tom Morello Rage Against The Machine’s 'Killing In The Name' Guitar Tone Dissected

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