How to get a percussive guitar tone

The averaged amp settings for a percussive guitar tone are gain 6, bass 6, mid 5.5, treble 7, presence 6 (out of 10), measured across 314 researched tones. Start there, then adapt to your own guitar, amp and pedals below.

Starting point for a percussive tone: gain 6 · bass 6 · mid 5.5 · treble 7 · presence 6 (out of 10, averaged across 314 tones)

Amps most used for this character: Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (×22) · Marshall JCM800 2203 (×12) · Fender Twin Reverb (×12) · Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (×7)

🎛️ Dial any of these in for YOUR rig — free →
Master of Puppets — MetallicaEnter Sandman — MetallicaSweet Child O' Mine — Guns N' RosesMy Own Summer (Shove It) — DeftonesCreeping Death — MetallicaAin't Talkin' 'Bout Love — Van HalenUnholy Confessions — Avenged SevenfoldSeek & Destroy — MetallicaCowboys from Hell — PanteraEverlong — Foo FightersSmells Like Teen Spirit — NirvanaOne — MetallicaAerials — System of a DownSomewhere I Belong — LINKIN PARKParanoid — Black SabbathEvery Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) — The PoliceWelcome To The Jungle — Guns N' RosesBasket Case — Green DaySultans of Swing — Dire StraitsFloods — PanteraWhen I Come Around — Green DayDiamond Eyes — DeftonesMoney for Nothing — Dire StraitsCreep — RadioheadToxicity — System of a DownBeat It — Michael JacksonHoly Diver — DioFree Bird — Lynyrd SkynyrdRide the Lightning — MetallicaAnimal I Have Become — Three Days GraceDammit — blink-182Symphony of Destruction — MegadethWalk — PanteraChapter Four — Avenged SevenfoldMr. Crowley — Ozzy OsbourneSunami Style — SunamiDear Maria, Count Me In — All Time LowEntombed — DeftonesIron Man — Black SabbathBound for the Floor — Local HIn Dying Days — As Blood Runs BlackEarrings — Malcolm ToddClairvoyant Disease — Avenged SevenfoldDuality — SlipknotEpidemic of Hate — Dying FetusToday — The Smashing PumpkinsJane! — The Long FacesIn My Darkest Hour — MegadethPour Some Sugar On Me — Def LeppardPurple Haze — The Jimi Hendrix ExperiencePassenger — DeftonesAll She Wrote (2024 Remaster) — FireHouseRepulsive In It's Splendid Beauty — CrowbarBlind — KornCemetery Gates — PanteraPraise the Lord (Opium of the Masses) — Dying FetusSunshine of Your Love — CreamHand Of Blood — Bullet for My Valentine浄土独唱 — IsilielRat Salad — Black SabbathHeartbreaker — Led ZeppelinDirt — Alice in ChainsDecadence Dance — EXTREMEIn My Dreams — Dokken...And Justice for All — MetallicaPride and Joy — Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double TroubleSecond Heartbeat — Avenged SevenfoldPlanet Telex — RadioheadSleep Walk — DeftonesKashmir — Led ZeppelinBckyrd — Hot MulliganNumb — LINKIN PARKInside Out — XYZBeauty and a Beat (feat. Nicki Minaj) — Justin BieberDown — 311Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? — PrinceStay Together for the Kids — blink-182Hangar 18 — MegadethSay It Ain't So (2024 Remaster) — WeezerHole In the Earth — DeftonesEn la Ciudad de la Furia — Soda Stereo5 Minutes Alone — PanteraLounge Act (Boombox Rehearsals) — NirvanaSonne — RammsteinFor Whom the Bell Tolls — Metallica七月、影法師、藍色、ロッカー — n-bunaMeatplow — Stone Temple PilotsDecapitation Fornication — Infant Annihilatorthe great southern trendkill — PanteraEngine No. 9 — Xiron Sharpens IronxSanteria — SublimeNot Good Enough for Truth in Cliche' — Escape the FateKool Thing — Sonic YouthHey Jude — The BeatlesStep on Me — The CardigansStream of Consciousness — Dream TheaterClown — Korn100 — Dean BluntHey Barbara — IV OF SPADESWhen the Curtain Falls — Greta Van FleetNo More Tears — Ozzy OsbourneBulls On Parade (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) — Rage Against the MachineBleed It Out — LINKIN PARKThe Devil In I — Slipknothail to the king — Avenged SevenfoldIn the End — LINKIN PARK...And Justice for All — MetallicaHard Lines, Sunken Cheeks — PanteraPull Me Under — Dream TheaterDemolition Lovers — My Chemical RomanceWaking the Demon — Bullet for My ValentineCan't Stop — Red Hot Chili PeppersKnock Me Down — Red Hot Chili PeppersMy Curse — Killswitch EngageFlying Whales — GojiraWaterloo Sunset — The KinksCircus Envy (Remastered) — R.E.M.Peace Sells — MegadethLullaby of a Deadman — Kevin Sherwood, Corey Redgrift & Elena Siegman*Sobs Quietly* — Mom Jeans.Flick of the Switch — AC/DC*Sobs Quietly* — Mom Jeans.Ball and Biscuit — The White StripesOne More Song (Imposter Syndrome) — Heart Attack ManHells Bells — AC/DCGans Media Retro Games — Hot MulliganBattery — MetallicaWith You — LINKIN PARKSir This Is A Cutthroat Fashion — Her Words KillAll Along the Watchtower — The Jimi Hendrix ExperienceСпокойная ночь — KinoPsychosocial (Live) — SlipknotFreezing Moon — Mayhem115 (Remastered) — Kevin Sherwood & Elena SiegmanDeck Wine — MariettaTeenage Dirtbag — WheatusSanta Monica — EverclearFalling Away from Me — KornWherever I May Roam — MetallicaI Stay Away — Alice in Chains

Percussive guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings give a percussive guitar tone?

Averaged across 314 researched percussive tones: gain 6, bass 6, mid 5.5, treble 7, presence 6 (out of 10). That EQ is the shape that produces the percussive character — start there, then fine-tune by ear.

How do I get a percussive guitar tone with my gear?

Start from gain 6, bass 6, mid 5.5, treble 7, presence 6 (out of 10), then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for your specific amp, guitar and pickups so the percussive character survives on your own rig — free, no new gear.

Which amp is best for a percussive tone?

Across these tones the percussive character comes most from Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, Marshall JCM800 2203, Fender Twin Reverb, Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+. But you don’t need a specific amp — the percussive quality is mostly EQ + gain shaping, which GuitarToneAdapt re-dials for whatever you own.

Other tone characters: scooped mid · warm · bright · tight · high gain · singing sustain · punchy · articulate · compressed · dynamic touch-sensitive · aggressive · clean · heavy low-end · mid-forward
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