Schism amp settings — Boss ME-80
The Tool guitar tone for “Schism”, dialed in for a Boss ME-80 with a PRS SE Silver Sky. Studio album cut, Lateralus (2001) - Main heavy verse/chorus riff
1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom (Seymour Duncan Distortion bridge) -> Diezel VH4 (Channel 3) + Marshall Super Bass + Mesa Dual Rectifier blend
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 1 |
| Master | 6 |
01ME-80 COMP/FX Block (Compressor / Clean Boost)
Tightens attack and adds punch to match high-output humbucker dynamics
02ME-80 NS Block (Noise Suppressor)
Tames single-coil hum under high gain
03ME-80 DELAY Block (Digital Delay)
Set to approx 380-400ms for subtle ambient width
The Silver Sky vintage-output single coils naturally lack the massive low-mid punch and output of Adam Jones's Seymour Duncan Distortion humbucker. We push the ME-80 amp bass to 7 and use the front compressor block to fatten the signal and boost input level, while rolling the guitar tone knob to 8 to avoid ice-pick single-coil treble on high-gain riffs. The Boss ME-80 preamp block does not feature a dedicated presence knob, so it is omitted.
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These settings are for a Boss ME-80. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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