Equipment use documented
Fender Telecaster · Sendero Luminoso (1982)
Original knob values: unknown. Numerical suggestions await further version and control references for this item.
Check the era, documented model and limits
ARTIST / 17RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE — RAP METAL / ALTERNATIVE
Tom Morello
Tightly cut low-D riffs and dramatic pitch changes driven by precise rhythm.
RECREATION STUDY
Killing in the Name
Drop D riffs · Whammy lead texture
Suggested pickupBridge single-coil
TuningD A D G B E
Suggested values are starting points for recreation.
MATCH THE HARDWARE FIRST
Start with the instrument’s own controls
This path references the 1982 Telecaster, 50-watt JCM800 2205, GCB95 and original WH-1. Do not treat a 2203, 2204 or Whammy V as identical hardware. The complete loop order remains unresolved.
Equipment basis and value provenance are separate. Suggested values for matching hardware are still not verified artist settings.
2019 The Atlas Underground tour · artist’s rig rundown
Equipment use documented
Marshall JCM800 2205 · 50W
Original knob values: unknown. Numerical suggestions await further version and control references for this item.
Check the era, documented model and limitsEquipment use documented
Dunlop GCB95 Cry Baby
Original knob values: unknown. Numerical suggestions await further version and control references for this item.
Check the era, documented model and limitsEquipment use documented
DigiTech Whammy · original WH-1
Original knob values: unknown. Numerical suggestions await further version and control references for this item.
Check the era, documented model and limitsConnections and branches in the sources
Effects loop · full order
The article’s pedal list does not establish the complete order inside the loop.
The guide’s post-amp wah/pitch placement is a proposal; song-specific engagement also needs evidence.
Routing evidence ↗Using different equipment?
The substitute path provides a full simplified chain and suggested values for alternative gear.
DOCUMENTED USE
What does the evidence establish?
2019 The Atlas Underground tour · artist’s rig rundown
Confirmation applies only to the stated era and claim. It does not validate a complete recording rig or our modeler presets.
Confirmed in sourceEQUIPMENT
Fender Telecaster · Sendero Luminoso (1982)
The rundown identifies his 1982 Telecaster for drop-D songs.
Premier Guitar — Tom Morello Rig RundownEvidence location: Sendero Luminoso description
Confirmed in sourceEQUIPMENT
Marshall JCM800 2205 · 50W
His main amp is explicitly identified as a 50-watt JCM800 2205.
Premier Guitar — Tom Morello Rig RundownEvidence location: Amplifier and cabinet descriptions
Confirmed in sourceEQUIPMENT
Dunlop GCB95 Cry Baby
The pedal list names a GCB95 Cry Baby.
Premier Guitar — Tom Morello Rig RundownEvidence location: Effects pedal list
Confirmed in sourceEQUIPMENT
DigiTech Whammy · original WH-1
The rundown identifies an original WH-1.
This is a different generation from the Whammy V reference photo.
Premier Guitar — Tom Morello Rig RundownEvidence location: Effects pedal list
Not establishedROUTING
Effects loop · full order
The article’s pedal list does not establish the complete order inside the loop.
The guide’s post-amp wah/pitch placement is a proposal; song-specific engagement also needs evidence.
Not establishedSETTING
Recreation guide · knob values
These sources do not establish our complete numerical guide as the artist’s actual settings.
Suggested values are starting points, not verified original recording settings.
Sources and review record
How we review evidence ↗Premier Guitar — Tom Morello Rig Rundown
Artist interviewAccount / record by: Tom Morello
Period / original record: 2019 · Published: 2019-02-13 · Source reviewed: 2026-09-13
Reference photos are separate from evidence of actual use. See photo credits for the original images and reuse terms.
Start with the connections. Guitar → modeler INPUT → headphones or FRFR. Use both amp and cabinet simulation. For a physical guitar speaker, disable cabinet simulation and adjust the output mode.
The proposal fits within HX Stomp’s eight-block count. Actual DSP use still needs testing; omit optional modulation if necessary.
Tone and gain values are normalized 0–10 starting points. If the device uses a different range, begin at a similar proportion; this is not an acoustic equivalence. Time, frequency and mix retain their shown units. Leave unlisted parameters at defaults.
01
AMP
Brit 2204
- Drive / Gain
- 5.5
- Bass
- 4
- Mid
- 6
- Treble
- 6
- Presence
- 4
A JCM800 / Plexi-style approximation of the two-channel 2205. Post-amp effects form a simplified loop-style proposal.
02
WAH
Fassel
- Position
- 45 %
- Mix
- 100 %
Assign EXP to Position, Heel 0 to Toe 100. Bypass wah for riffs or introductions that do not need it. HX Stomp, QC and GT-1000CORE need an external expression pedal.
03
PITCH
Pitch Wham
- Heel Pitch
- 0 st
- Toe Pitch
- 24 st
- Mix
- 100 %
BYPASS for riffs. Assign EXP to Position 0–100 for unison to +2 octaves in the solo. Connect an external EXP to QC / HX Stomp.
04
CAB
4x12 Greenback 25
- Low Cut
- 80 Hz
- High Cut
- 6.5 kHz
For headphones / FRFR. Cabinet choices are tonal alternatives, not necessarily the original touring speakers. If QC lacks the cut filters here, use a separate Low-High Cut block.
05
REVERB
Room
- Decay / Time
- 1.5 s
- Mix
- 5 %
An editorial ambience suggestion, not evidence of use on a recording or tour.
Model names based on Helix 3.80
Official model / parameter documentation
Make the final adjustments by ear
- Start at a low output level and check for input clipping.
- Bypass pedals and establish the amp’s basic tone.
- Match engaged and bypassed volume as you enable effects.
- Adjust bass for loose lows and treble or high cut for sharp highs.