Tone library / Rage against the machines / Killing in the name of

Killing in the name of amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

The Rage against the machines guitar tone for “Killing in the name of”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Epiphone Les Paul Classic. Studio version, Rage Against the Machine (1992) — main drop-D rhythm riff

Original rig

1982 Gibson Les Paul Standard (EMG-H / Alnico neck pickup) into 1980s Marshall JCM800 2205 (50W, split-channel gain) and Peavey 4x12 with Celestion G12K-85s

Aggressive mid-forward crunch with tight low-end, percussive attack, and scooped highs for clarity
Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII
CHANNELCrunch Amp TypeBOOSToff
GAIN 7 BASS 6 MID 7 TREBLE 5 REVERB 0 MASTER 5
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain7
Bass6
Mid7
Treble5
Reverb0
Master5
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Guitar
PICKUPneck TONE10 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01DigiTech Whammy WH-1

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; essential for the octave-up solo, but rhythm tone comes purely from the amp

Mode 10

02Boss BF-3 Flanger (or Ibanez DFL)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; set in front or FX loop for intro sweep and breakdown texture

Manual 6 · Depth 7 · Rate 4 · Resonance 6
Why these settings

Tom Morello recorded this entire track on his Les Paul's neck pickup into a JCM800 split-channel crunch, never changing his core amp EQ. The Katana 50 MkII's Crunch amp type accurately emulates that Marshall preamp drive without needing external dirt. The Katana 50 lacks a hardware presence knob, so presence is nulled; keeping treble at 5 avoids the harsh top end typical of high-gain bridge humbuckers while letting the neck pickup bite.

PRO TIPDrop your low E string to D and play the iconic main riff exclusively on your neck pickup with hard, aggressive pick attack near the bridge to get that unmistakable throatiness without mud.

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These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 MkII. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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