Riff Tone

No Sleep Till Brooklyn

Beastie Boys

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1970s/early 1980s, as used by Kerry King for session work)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet

PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock, likely T-Top or Dirty Fingers era)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid6

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1986. Rhythm guitar on 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn' was played by Kerry King (Slayer) using his Les Paul and Marshall JCM800, per multiple interviews and Beastie Boys/Slayer history. No evidence of live rig or alternate gear for the studio riff section.

Tone Character(9)

tight, punchy power chord attackmid-heavy, aggressive rhythm toneslight amp breakup, not high-gain saturationpercussive, palm-muted chugsbright, biting top endfull-bodied, thick low midsminimal reverb, dry studio soundno audible modulation or delayclassic 1980s hard rock/metal rhythm sound

Difficulty

The riff is based on straightforward power chords and palm muting at a medium-fast tempo, requiring tight rhythm and consistent muting but no advanced techniques.

Sources

Patch tone request (multiple) : r/BossKatana - Reddit Who played the other instruments on Fight For Your Right? - Reddit Top 10 Weirdest Guitar Sounds Ever Recorded

This tone has been researched 4 times by the community

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