Tone library / Rage Against the Machine / Killing In the Name (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99)

Killing In the Name (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) amp settings — Positive Grid Spark 40

The Rage Against the Machine guitar tone for “Killing In the Name (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99)”, dialed in for a Positive Grid Spark 40 with a Ibanez RG550. Live, Battle of Mexico City (October 28, 1999)

Original rig

Marshall JCM800 2205 50W head (overdrive channel), Fender Telecaster (neck pickup for Whammy solo), DigiTech Whammy WH-1 (+2 octave mode), MXR Phase 90 (intro riff), DOD FX40B EQ (solo boost), Peavey 4x12 cab

Aggressive mid-forward crunch with tight low-end, live-pushed harder than studio

Amp settings — Positive Grid Spark 40

CHANNELMarshall JCM800 amp model

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	6
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	7
Reverb	0
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01DigiTech Whammy (built-in pitch shift block)

RECOMMENDED — enable +2 Octave mode in Spark app for solo; heel down = bypass, toe down = +2 octaves for turntable scratch effect

Shift 10 · Mix 10

02MXR Phase 90 (built-in phaser block)

RECOMMENDED — enable ONLY for intro riff, bypass for main riff and solo

Speed 4

Why these settings

The RG550's humbuckers output hotter than Morello's Telecaster single coils, so gain is dropped 1 from the verified JCM800 setting (9 to 8) and treble is cut 1 (7 to 6) to prevent ice-pick high-end. Bass is cut 1 (7 to 6) because the Ibanez mahogany body is warmer than the Tele's ash. The Spark's JCM800 model is accurate to the original voicing. Switch to neck pickup ONLY during the Whammy solo for smoother pitch-shift tone.

PRO TIPThe signature solo 'DJ scratch' is aggressive tremolo picking on a single note (low E string, 12th fret in Drop D) while rocking the Whammy expression from heel to toe — the picking rhythm creates the stuttering effect, not the pedal speed. Kill the note between scratches by lifting your fret-hand finger to create silence, mimicking a DJ scratch's stop-start.

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These settings are for a Positive Grid Spark 40. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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