Helena amp settings — RJ guitar center RJ AG-15
The My chemical romance guitar tone for “Helena”, dialed in for a RJ guitar center RJ AG-15 with a RJ guitar RJ Basic Electrics Skycaster (Black, SSS). Studio version, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004) — main heavy rhythm & chorus riff
Gibson Les Paul Standard / Epiphone Elitist Les Paul into Marshall JCM800 / DSL / JVM heads, Boss BD-2, Boss BF-2 Flanger
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 4 |
| Master | 6 |
01Boss BF-2 Flanger
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; key to the iconic metallic sweep on the leads
02Boss DS-1 Distortion
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; to provide tighter high-gain crunch into the clean channel
The RJ AG-15 is a small solid-state practice amp with an 8-inch speaker, so engage its onboard Drive switch with gain at 7 to capture the heavy crunch without turning muddy. Because the Skycaster has single-coil pickups compared to the thick Gibson humbuckers on the record, tone is rolled back to 8 and treble on the amp is kept at 4 to tame harsh high-end spike. A dedicated distortion pedal is recommended down the line to achieve smoother tube-style saturation. For the quiet clean verse, switch the amp Drive button off or roll guitar volume down to 5.
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These settings are for a RJ guitar center RJ AG-15. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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