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Riff Tone
Born of a Broken Man
Rage Against the Machine
Guitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarArm The Homeless custom guitar
AmpMarshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet
Amp Settings
gain6.5
bass6
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Notes
Studio recording, 1999. Tom Morello's 'Arm The Homeless' guitar with EMG H neck pickup into Marshall JCM800 2205. No evidence of additional drive/distortion pedals for the riff section. Settings and effects are for the studio album version, not live.
Tone Character(10)
mid-heavy EQ with pronounced midstight and percussive attackwarm and slightly nasal neck pickup toneclear note separation in power chordsdynamic response to pickingdry, unprocessed sound (no reverb)crunchy but not overly saturated distortiondistinctive single-coil clarityaggressive, punchy rhythmarticulate with minimal compression
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, aggressive rhythm playing with precise palm muting and dynamic control, as well as quick transitions between power chords and single-note lines.
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1990s
Original Gear
GuitarArm The Homeless custom guitar
AmpMarshall JCM800 2205 head with Peavey 4x12 cabinet
Amp Settings
gain6.5
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording, 1999. Tom Morello's 'Arm The Homeless' guitar with EMG H neck pickup into Marshall JCM800 2205. No evidence of additional drive/distortion pedals for the riff section. Settings and effects are for the studio album version, not live.
Tone Character(10)
mid-heavy EQ with pronounced midstight and percussive attackwarm and slightly nasal neck pickup toneclear note separation in power chordsdynamic response to pickingdry, unprocessed sound (no reverb)crunchy but not overly saturated distortiondistinctive single-coil clarityaggressive, punchy rhythmarticulate with minimal compression
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, aggressive rhythm playing with precise palm muting and dynamic control, as well as quick transitions between power chords and single-note lines.