Riff Tone

Mama

My Chemical Romance

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul with Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P-90s (Ray Toro, left channel); Gibson Les Paul (Frank Iero, right channel)

AmpMarshall JCM800 (Ray), Marshall Plexi (modded, Frank)

PickupsSeymour Duncan Phat Cat P-90 (Ray), likely Gibson stock humbuckers (Frank)

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

modulationUnknown Octave pedal (model unknown)

fuzzUnknown Fuzz pedal (possibly Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, model not confirmed for this song)

Notes

Studio recording, 2006 (The Black Parade sessions). Guitars are doubled and panned left/right. Ray's Les Paul with Phat Cats through JCM800; Frank's Les Paul through modded Plexi. Marshall cabs with Greenbacks or G12s. Octave pedal and possible fuzz/Big Muff used for certain sections. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and amp type due to lack of explicit numbers.

Tone Character(10)

growly and aggressivelow, rumbling bottom endtight and percussive attackthick, layered distortioncinematic and experimentalheavy, palm-muted chugsarticulate midrangeslightly scooped but presentcomplex, multi-tracked textureoccasional octave doubling

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise timing to lock in with the layered, octave-doubled parts. While not technically virtuosic, the heaviness and rhythmic complexity push it above intermediate difficulty.