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 — Soundking AK20-RA

The Rage Against the Machine guitar tone for “Killing In the Name (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99)”, dialed in for a Soundking AK20-RA with a Kramer Striker 300 St. Live, The Battle of Mexico City (10/28/99) — rawer, more aggressive than 1992 studio version

Original rig

Marshall JCM800 2205 50W (overdrive channel only), Fender Telecaster (Drop D) / 'Arm the Homeless' custom (EMG H/85), DigiTech Whammy WH-1, MXR Phase 90, 2x Boss DD-3, DOD FX40B EQ boost, Peavey 4x12 cabinet

Tight, aggressive mid-forward crunch with nasal bite from half-cocked wah position; controlled gain, not saturated

Amp settings — Soundking AK20-RA

CHANNELOverdrive (single channel amp — use drive control for grit)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	3
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	5
Reverb	0
Master	5

Don’t have a Soundking AK20-RA? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Overdrive/Boost Pedal (TS-style or EQ pedal)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Morello uses a DOD FX40B EQ as a clean boost with slight mid push around 800Hz-1kHz. A Tube Screamer with low drive and high level approximates this. Essential for the tight, forward attack.

Drive/Gain 2 · Tone 6 · Level 7

02DigiTech Whammy (WH-1 or current Whammy 5)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Set to +2 octave (Whammy mode). Heel-down = dry, toe-down = 2 octaves up. THE defining effect for the solo's 'DJ scratch' sound. Non-negotiable for authenticity.

Mode 10 · Expression 0

Why these settings

Your Soundking AK20-RA is a budget solid-state practice amp with limited headroom and a scooped, darker voicing compared to the JCM800's punchy mids. I pushed mid to 7 (vs Morello's flat 5) to compensate for the amp's mid-scoop, dropped bass to 3 to prevent mud (the JCM800 is naturally tighter), and set gain at 6 — higher than his ~5-6 because solid-state amps don't compress and saturate the same way. Your Kramer's humbuckers are hotter than his Tele single coils, so I rolled tone to 7 to avoid harshness. Without the boost pedal, you'll lack the tight attack — consider any cheap TS clone.

PRO TIPMorello gets his clean tones by rolling the guitar volume to 3-4 while staying on the dirty channel — try this for the verse dynamics instead of switching channels. For the 'kill switch' stutter effect, rapidly flip your pickup selector toggle back and forth while holding a note; practice the rhythm of the verse riff this way.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Soundking AK20-RA. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

Find your amp

Browse

Killing In the Name (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Rage Against the Machine tonesALL SONGS Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.