🎸 Metal · 2000s

CAFO by Animals as Leaders (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Animals as Leaders · riff

The CAFO by Animals as Leaders guitar tone is built on a Fractal Axe-FX, dialed in at gain 7.5/10, bass 3.5, mid 5.5, treble 6, presence 6 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

7.5

GAIN

3.5

BASS

5.5

MID

TREBLE

PRESENCE

1.5

REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 284 metal tones in our researched catalog: Gain 7.5 sits right around the metal average (7.3); mids at 5.5 are right around average (5.2).

Guitar controls

VOLUME

TONE

Original gear

Amp: Fractal Axe-FX (Friedman BE model) into a Port City power section — 8-string

Tosin Abasi plays an 8-string into a Fractal Axe-FX (a Friedman BE model for rhythm/lead, Shiver for cleans) through a Port City Pearl head/2×12. On 8-string the key is a TIGHT low end — bass dialed low (~3-4) to avoid mud, mids moderate (~5-6), treble ~5-7 for crisp attack. CAFO opens with a sweeping tapping part into an intense djent riff.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Friedman songs & tones →🎚️ Fractal Axe-FX songs & tones →

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

bridge (8-string, tight & articulate)

Effects / signal chain

distortion

Tone character

tight extended-range djent, articulate, bass-controlled, technical

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

tight extended-range djent distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the CAFO sound.

Difficulty

5/5 · Riff

The 8-string sweep-tapping and thumping technique are extremely demanding; the tone is a tight, high-gain djent — bass LOW to avoid mud, mids moderate, treble crisp.

Worth knowing

CAFO is 8-string djent — the key is a TIGHT low end: bass dialed LOW (~3-4) so the extra string doesn’t turn to mud, mids moderate (~5-6), treble ~5-7 for crisp attack, high but precise gain. Not a bass-heavy tone despite the low range.
On an extended-range guitar, cut the bass (~3-4), keep mids moderate and treble crisp, high-gain but tight; gate it and palm-mute precisely.
Settings are community-researched starting points, not official recall sheets.

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

Recognise famous songs from just the amp dials — a quick 10-round game. Beat your friends. Play free →

🎸 Which guitar legend is your tone twin? Take the quiz & share your result →

CAFO guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the CAFO guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 7.5, bass 3.5, mid 5.5, treble 6, presence 6, reverb 1.5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the CAFO tone?

Original gear/effects: Amp: Fractal Axe-FX (Friedman BE model) into a Port City power section — 8-string; distortion.

Can I get the CAFO tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like Animals as Leaders on CAFO — what gear and pedals?

Start with bridge (8-string, tight & articulate), the amp EQ above (gain 7.5, bass 3.5, mid 5.5, treble 6, presence 6, reverb 1.5), and distortion. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

Share this tone

Sources

Free practice tools

🎤 Online guitar tuner → · 🎶 Guitar chords → · 🎸 Guitar tunings → · 🎚️ Tuning chart → · 🎼 Guitar scales → · 🎚️ Chord transposer & capo → · 🥁 Metronome → · 🎶 Song chords → · 🎧 Guess the Tone game → · 🎸 Tone Legend quiz → · 📊 Tone data report →

🔥 The most famous guitar tones of all time → · 🗂️ Browse tone collections (by genre & language) →

Songs by level: 🎯 Easy · 🎸 Intermediate · 🔥 Hardest — each with the amp settings.

More like this

🎸 more Metal guitar tones → · 🎛️ best metal amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎚️ Distortion tone guide → · 🎯 more tight tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com