Razorblade Kiss amp settings — Marshall MS-2 Micro

The HIM guitar tone for “Razorblade Kiss”, dialed in for a Marshall MS-2 Micro with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Razorblade Romance (1999)

Original rig

Laney GH100L head through 4x12 cab, Gibson Les Paul with humbuckers, Dunlop Cry Baby Wah (used by session player Zebraman on specific tracks), recorded at Rockfield Studios by John Fryer

Warm mid-heavy crunch with goth rock darkness, moderate gain with thick low-mids and controlled highs, melancholic and smooth

Amp settings — Marshall MS-2 Micro

BOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	0
Bass	6
Treble	4
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE6 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Nux XTC OD

Primary gain source - amp stays clean, pedal provides all the crunch

Gain 6 · Tone 4 · Volume 7

Why these settings

The MS-2 is a tiny solid-state practice amp with only Gain, Tone (bass-treble sweep), and Volume - no separate EQ or presence. It cannot produce the Laney's warm tube saturation on its own. The XTC OD becomes your entire gain stage here - amp gain at 0 keeps it clean while the pedal delivers the mid-focused crunch. Tone at 4 on the amp rolls off the MS-2's inherent brightness. Your Strat's single coils are brighter and thinner than Linde's Les Paul humbuckers, so neck pickup with tone rolled to 6 adds necessary warmth.

PRO TIPLinde's playing on this track uses deliberate palm-muting on the verses with the picking hand positioned closer to the neck than typical metal - this softens the attack and creates that signature goth rock darkness rather than aggressive chunk.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Marshall MS-2 Micro. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.