🎸 Metal · 1990s

Falling Away from Me by Korn (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Korn · riff

The Falling Away from Me by Korn guitar tone is built on a Peavey 5150 Mk I/II, dialed in at gain 8.5/10, 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)

8.5

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 8.5 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

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Ibanez K7 (Apex) 7-string · Amp: Peavey 5150 Mk I/II (studio), Diezel Herbert (possible layering)

Studio recording, 1999 (Issues album). Guitar is the Ibanez K7 (Apex) with DiMarzio PAF 7 pickups. Peavey 5150 Mk I/II was primary amp for rhythm/riff sections, with some layering possibly from Diezel Herbert. No evidence of live rig or other amps for this specific recording. Pickup selector likely bridge for main riff.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Tube Screamer songs & tones →🎚️ Peavey 5150 / 6505 songs & tones →🎚️ Ibanez RG songs & tones →🎚️ Diezel 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 (Apex) 7-string → Ibanez Tube Screamer (model unknown, possibly TS9 or TS808) → Noise gate (model unknown) → Peavey 5150 Mk I/II (studio), Diezel Herbert (possible layering)

Effects

overdrive, noise_gate, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (digital, level 2)

Tone character

tight and percussive, scooped mids, aggressive palm muting, saturated high-gain, dark and chunky, articulate attack, compressed and massive, slightly fuzzy top end, low-tuned, extended range, minimal ambience

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 Falling Away from Me sound.

Difficulty

3.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires tight, percussive palm muting and syncopated rhythm on a 7-string guitar, demanding accuracy and stamina, but does not involve advanced lead techniques.

Worth knowing

No direct numeric amp settings found for this song/section; values estimated based on Peavey 5150 typical nu-metal usage and era.
Pedal/effects chain for riff section is inferred from interviews and audible characteristics; no explicit studio pedalboard photo or session notes found.
Some sources mention layering with Diezel Herbert, but Peavey 5150 is confirmed as main rhythm amp for Issues album.
No evidence of chorus, delay, or time-based effects on the riff section; modulation effects are used elsewhere in Korn's catalog but not clearly audible here.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Korn's 'Falling Away from Me' features a very high-gain, tight, and modern nu-metal tone with slightly scooped mids, controlled bass for tightness, and pronounced presence for clarity. The tone is dry (no reverb), matching their Mesa/Boogie Rectifier-based rigs and late-90s production style.

⚡ 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 →

Falling Away from Me guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Falling Away from Me guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 8.5, 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 Falling Away from Me tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Ibanez K7 (Apex) 7-string · Amp: Peavey 5150 Mk I/II (studio), Diezel Herbert (possible layering); overdrive, noise_gate, reverb.

Can I get the Falling Away from Me 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 Falling Away from Me — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 8.5, bass 6, mid 4.5, treble 6.5, presence 6.5, reverb 1), and overdrive, noise_gate, reverb. 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 → · 🎯 Easy guitar songs to play (with settings) → · 🗂️ Browse tone collections (by genre & language) →

More like this

🎸 How to get Korn’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Metal guitar tones → · 🎚️ Peavey 5150 settings → · 🎛️ best metal amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎚️ Overdrive tone guide → · 🎯 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