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.

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.

🎸 Metalcore · 2015

Vice Grip (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

Q: 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.

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.

🎛️ Adapt this tone to YOUR guitar & amp — free →

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.

Original gear

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

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.

What makes the Vice Grip part tricky

drop tuning with tight palm-muted metalcore riffing, anthemic melodic chorus phrasing, dialling a scooped but defined high-gain tone, keeping the chugs tight with a gate. GuitarToneAdapt gets the tone right so you can focus on the playing.

Note: 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.

Get these exact settings for your rig →

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

Recognise famous songs from just the amp dials — a quick 10-round game. Beat your friends. Play free →