🎸 Rock · 2010s+

One More Light by LINKIN PARK (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by LINKIN PARK · riff

The One More Light by LINKIN PARK guitar tone is built on a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier 100W 3-channel Solo Head, dialed in at gain 4/10, bass 6, mid 6.5, treble 6.5, presence 5.5 (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

6.5

MID

6.5

TREBLE

5.5

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 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 4 sits right around the rock average (4.8); mids at 6.5 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

7-8

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Custom Shop Cardboard Chaos Stratocaster · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier 100W 3-channel Solo Head (Multi-Watt)

Studio recording, 2016-2017. Guitar confirmed for overdubs on 'One More Light' album. Amp confirmed as primary studio amp for Brad Delson in this era. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for the studio riff section.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Mesa/Boogie songs & tones →🎚️ Fender Stratocaster songs & tones →🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Mesa Dual Rectifier songs & tones →

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

Pickups

Position 4 (neck + middle)

Signal chain

Fender Custom Shop Cardboard Chaos Stratocaster → Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail → Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer → Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier 100W 3-channel Solo Head (Multi-Watt)

Effects

compression, reverb

Tone character

bright and articulate, clean with slight breakup, open and airy, smooth top end, clear note separation, subtle compression, gentle dynamic response, not saturated, studio-polished, moderate warmth

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, slow tempo, soft dynamics · edge distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the One More Light sound.

Difficulty

2/5 · Riff

The riff is straightforward with open chords and clean articulation, but requires dynamic control and a sensitive touch to maintain the subtle breakup and studio polish.

Worth knowing

No direct source lists exact amp knob settings for 'One More Light' riff; settings estimated based on typical Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier clean/edge-of-breakup tones for modern rock, and the audible character of the recording.
Fender Custom Shop Cardboard Chaos Stratocaster is confirmed for overdubs on the album, but not 100% confirmed for the main riff; however, it's the only guitar tied to 'One More Light' studio sessions.
Pedal/effect usage for the riff is not explicitly documented for this song; effects inferred from studio gear lists and audio.
No evidence of heavy gain/distortion pedals or high-gain amp channel for the riff section.
No evidence of alternate amp models or live rig for the studio recording.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. The riff section of 'One More Light' uses a clean-to-edge-of-breakup tone with moderate warmth and clarity, typical of Brad Delson's approach for emotive ballads. Amp settings favor forward mids and balanced bass/treble for presence in the mix, with subtle reverb for space, matching Linkin Park's polished, modern rock production style.

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

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One More Light guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the One More Light guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 4, bass 6, mid 6.5, treble 6.5, presence 5.5, reverb 3. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the One More Light tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Fender Custom Shop Cardboard Chaos Stratocaster · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier 100W 3-channel Solo Head (Multi-Watt); compression, reverb.

Can I get the One More Light 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 LINKIN PARK on One More Light — what gear and pedals?

Start with Position 4 (neck + middle), the amp EQ above (gain 4, bass 6, mid 6.5, treble 6.5, presence 5.5, reverb 3), and compression, reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

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More like this

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