🎸 Metalcore · 2015

Vice Grip by Parkway Drive (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Parkway Drive · riff

The Vice Grip by Parkway Drive guitar tone is built on a Peavey 5150 / 6505, dialed in at gain 7.5/10, bass 5.5, mid 3, 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)

7.5

GAIN

5.5

BASS

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 28 metalcore tones in our researched catalog: Gain 7.5 sits right around the metalcore average (8.0); mids at 3 are well below average (5.4) — a real scoop; it sounds huge alone but can vanish in a band mix.

Original gear

Amp: Peavey 5150 / 6505 (Kemper profiles in recent years)

Jeff Ling and Luke Kilpatrick play ESP E-II / Eclipse guitars with EMG 81-7 / Fishman Fluence actives, drop-tuned, into Peavey 5150/6505 amps (Kemper now). A TS9 boost tightens the front end. The signature is a scooped, aggressive modern metalcore tone. Source: Music Strive + Premier Guitar rig rundown.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Tube Screamer songs & tones →🎚️ Peavey 5150 / 6505 songs & tones →🎚️ Ibanez RG songs & tones →🎚️ EMG active pickups songs & tones →🎚️ ESP / ESP LTD guitars songs & tones →

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

Pickups

Active humbuckers (EMG 81 / Fishman Fluence) for tight, scooped, aggressive drop-tuned chug

Effects / signal chain

Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer boost (tightens lows, pushes the amp), High-gain amp: Peavey 5150/6505 (Kemper profiles live), Noise gate for tight, gated drop-tuned chugs

Tone character

aggressive, scooped mids, anthemic, tight drop chug, cutting, high-gain

Recording context

Modern metalcore, 2015; drop-tuned active guitar into a boosted, scooped 5150/6505

How it’s played

anthemic, fist-pumping metalcore with a soaring melodic chorus, mid, driving tempo, big and anthemic dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Vice Grip sound.

Difficulty

3/5 · Riff

Moderate metalcore — the anthemic feel and the scooped, gated high-gain tone matter as much as the playing.

Level: Beginner-friendly — see more easy guitar songs to play →

Worth knowing

Parkway Drive run a SCOOPED tone — mids low (2-3), treble and presence up (6-7) for an aggressive, cutting modern metalcore sound. Drop-tuned with active pickups; a Tube Screamer boost tightens the low end into a 5150/Kemper. Scooped mids sound huge solo but can vanish in a live band — push mids up if you gig. Knob numbers are community-researched estimates.

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

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

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Vice Grip guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Vice Grip guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 7.5, bass 5.5, mid 3, 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 Vice Grip tone?

Original gear/effects: Amp: Peavey 5150 / 6505 (Kemper profiles in recent years); Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer boost (tightens lows, pushes the amp), High-gain amp: Peavey 5150/6505 (Kemper profiles live), Noise gate for tight, gated drop-tuned chugs.

Can I get the Vice Grip 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 Parkway Drive on Vice Grip — what gear and pedals?

Start with Active humbuckers (EMG 81 / Fishman Fluence) for tight, scooped, aggressive drop-tuned chug, the amp EQ above (gain 7.5, bass 5.5, mid 3, treble 6.5, presence 6.5, reverb 1), and Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer boost (tightens lows, pushes the amp), High-gain amp: Peavey 5150/6505 (Kemper profiles live), Noise gate for tight, gated drop-tuned chugs. 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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Songs by level: 🎯 Easy · 🎸 Intermediate · 🔥 Hardest — each with the amp settings.

More like this

🎸 more Metalcore guitar tones → · 🎚️ Peavey 5150 settings → · 🎛️ best metalcore amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎚️ Overdrive tone guide → · 🎚️ Boost 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