Dammit by blink-182 (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Dammit by blink-182 guitar tone is built on a Marshall JCM900, dialed in at gain 8.5/10, bass 5.5, mid 6.5, treble 7, presence 6 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

Amp settings (0–10)

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 64 punk tones in our researched catalog: Gain 8.5 sits well above the punk average (5.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most punk tones; mids at 6.5 are right around average (5.8).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Standard (studio recording, 1997) · Amp: Marshall JCM900 (clean channel, gain at 10) blended with Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (dirty channel, gain at 10)

Studio recording for 'Dammit' (Dude Ranch, 1997). Tom DeLonge used a Gibson Les Paul Standard into both a Marshall JCM900 (clean channel, gain maxed) and a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (dirty channel, gain maxed), blended together. No evidence of pedals or modulation/time-based effects on the riff section. Pickup selector likely set to bridge for maximum attack and clarity. No evidence of effects loop or additional processing for the riff section.

Gear used on this tone

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Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Gibson Les Paul Standard (studio recording, 1997) → Marshall JCM900 (clean channel, gain at 10) blended with Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (dirty channel, gain at 10)

Effects

Gibson Les Paul Standard → Marshall JCM900 (clean, gain 10) + Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (dirty, gain 10) → blended in studio

Tone character

tight and percussive, aggressive and crunchy, mid-forward and cutting, articulate pick attack, raw punk edge, minimal sustain, fast note decay, no ambient effects, slight string noise, punchy power chords

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

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

Difficulty

1.5/5 · Riff

The riff is based on fast, aggressive power chords with simple picking and palm muting, making it accessible to beginners but requiring stamina and tight rhythm for authentic punk feel.

Worth knowing

• Exact pickup model for studio recording is not confirmed, but Les Paul Standard humbucker is highly likely based on era and photos.
• Amp settings are estimated based on Tom DeLonge's own description of 'gain at 10' on both amps and typical Marshall/Mesa settings for 90s punk.
• No evidence of pedals or effects used on the riff section; all distortion comes from amp gain.
• No evidence of reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, or other effects on the riff section—riff is dry and direct.
• Presence setting estimated based on typical JCM900/Mesa Rectifier settings for this genre/era.
• If alternate sources suggest different guitars (e.g., Strat, ES-335), these are not supported for the studio recording of this song.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Tom DeLonge's 'Dammit' tone is classic 90s pop-punk: crunchy but not overly saturated, with forward mids and a tight low end. He used a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier with moderate gain, mids pushed for clarity, and little to no reverb, matching the dry, punchy production of the era.

Dammit guitar tone — FAQ

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Sources

• Blink-182 - Dammit | Wiki @ Ultimate-Guitar.com
• Thomas DeLonge's Guitar Gear - Equipboard

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