Solo Tone

Killing in the name of rage against the machine

Unknown Artist

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

Guitar1982 Fender American Telecaster

AmpMarshall JCM800 2205 50-watt head with Marshall 1960A 4x12 cabinet

PickupsFender single-coil (stock Telecaster neck pickup)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb0.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

modulationDigiTech DigiTech Whammy WH-1

delayBoss Boss DD-2 Digital Delay

Notes

Studio recording, 1991-1992. Used exclusively for drop D songs including 'Killing in the Name' solo. Guitar always on neck pickup, bridge pickup volume set to zero for kill-switch effect. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for the solo section.

Tone Character(10)

aggressive and saturatedwarm neck pickup fullnesstight and percussive attackpronounced octave jumpsminimal ambience (very dry)crisp note separationmodern, processed solo sounddynamic pick attackslightly compressedcutting midrange presence

Difficulty

The solo requires advanced coordination between hands and feet to control the Whammy pedal for pitch-shifting, precise timing with delay, and clean articulation under high-gain conditions.

Sources

Tom Morello's Guitar Gear, Pedalboard & Amps | Equipboard Instruments of Rage: Tom Morello's Guitars and Gear Explained HOW TO SOUND LIKE YOUR HEROES - Tom Morello - Guitar World Tom Morello's 'The Atlas Underground' - Premier Guitar [NEWBIE] Trying to learn the "killing in the name of" guitar solo ...

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account