🎸 Metal · 2000s

Coming Undone by Korn (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Korn · riff

The Coming Undone by Korn guitar tone is built on a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier, dialed in at gain 9/10, bass 6, mid 4.5, treble 6.5, presence 6.5 (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)

GAIN

BASS

4.5

MID

6.5

TREBLE

6.5

PRESENCE

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 9 sits above the metal average (7.3) — a hotter, more saturated take than most metal tones; mids at 4.5 are right around average (5.2).

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

7-8

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Ibanez K7 (Head or Munky signature 7-string) · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier

Studio recording, 2005-2006 for 'See You on the Other Side'. Korn's main riff tones in this era were tracked with Ibanez K7 7-strings and Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifiers. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for the studio recording.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Mesa/Boogie songs & tones →🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Mesa Dual Rectifier songs & tones →🎚️ Ibanez RG songs & tones →🎚️ DigiTech Whammy songs & tones →

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

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Ibanez K7 (Head or Munky signature 7-string) → DigiTech Whammy 4 → Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier

Effects

modulation, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (digital, level 2)

Tone character

tight and percussive, scooped mids, chunky low end, aggressive palm muting, high-gain saturation, articulate note separation, slightly compressed, modern, processed distortion, minimal ambience, focused, punchy rhythm

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, loud dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Coming Undone sound.

Difficulty

2.5/5 · Riff

The riff is rhythmically straightforward but requires tight palm muting and coordination with the Whammy pedal for pitch-shifted effects, making it moderately challenging for beginners.

Worth knowing

No direct studio amp knob settings found for 'Coming Undone'; amp and pedal choices are confirmed for the era and genre, settings estimated based on typical Korn/Mesa Rectifier nu-metal tones.
Pedalboard listings from Equipboard include several effects, but only the Whammy pedal is specifically mentioned for this song's riff in Source 1.
No explicit evidence of time-based or modulation effects in the riff section; reverb is minimal and likely from the amp or post-processing.
Guitar model is inferred from Korn's studio gear for this album/era; both Head and Munky used Ibanez K7 7-strings with DiMarzio PAF 7 pickups.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Korn's 'Coming Undone' features a super-saturated, tight, modern nu-metal tone with a pronounced low end but not flubby, slightly scooped mids, and clear but not harsh highs. Munky and Head used Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifiers with high gain, moderate bass, slightly scooped mids, and boosted presence for clarity, with a very dry, studio-tight sound and almost no reverb.

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

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Coming Undone guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Coming Undone guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 9, bass 6, mid 4.5, treble 6.5, presence 6.5, reverb 1. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Coming Undone tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Ibanez K7 (Head or Munky signature 7-string) · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier; modulation, reverb.

Can I get the Coming Undone 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 Korn on Coming Undone — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 9, bass 6, mid 4.5, treble 6.5, presence 6.5, reverb 1), and modulation, reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

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Sources

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More like this

🎸 How to get Korn’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Metal guitar tones → · 🎚️ Mesa Dual Rectifier settings → · 🎛️ best metal amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎯 more scooped mids tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

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