Riff Tone

Piggy

Nine Inch Nails

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1990s, studio recording)

AmpMarshall JMP-1 preamp into Zoom 9030 multi-effects/speaker sim (studio direct, no cab mic), possibly NEVE preamp in console

PickupsSeymour Duncan Invader (humbucker, bridge position, as per era and interviews)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass5.5

mid5

treble6.5

reverb1

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

modulationZoom Zoom 9030 Multi-Effects (chorus, delay, speaker sim)

compressionUnknown Compression (studio, likely rack or plugin)

Notes

Studio recording for 'The Downward Spiral' (1994). Guitar was tracked direct (no miking), using Marshall JMP-1 preamp into Zoom 9030 for speaker simulation and effects. Guitar likely a Les Paul with high-output humbucker (Invader), as referenced in interviews and era-specific gear rundowns. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this section.

Tone Character(10)

heavily saturated industrial distortiontight and percussive attackscooped midrange for mechanical feeldark, lo-fi industrial texturecompressed, aggressive rhythmminimal ambience, dry mixslightly rolled-back tone knob for darknesssubtle stereo width from chorus/delaydirect-injected (DI) guitar soundstudio compression for tightness

Difficulty

The riff is not technically complex but requires tight timing, precise muting, and dynamic control to achieve the mechanical, industrial feel characteristic of the track.

Sources

Nine Inch Nails Amp Settings (gear and tone tips) - Guitar Chalk How to get that 90s NINE INCH NAILS guitar tone - YouTube How to Sound Like Nine Inch Nails: The Guitar Sounds of Trent ...

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