In the End
A powerful distorted chorus riff that answers a sparse piano hook.
What is the In the End guitar tone?
The In the End guitar tone is a powerful distorted chorus riff that answers a sparse piano hook, heard on Linkin Park's 2000s alt metal recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Linkin Park reportedly tracked it with the PRS guitars and Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier amps of Brad Delson's Hybrid Theory rig: he told Guitar World that a blue CE24, his first PRS, became the main guitar he recorded the album with, Wikipedia says he used Dual Rectifiers and modified Marshall 1959SLP reissue heads live and in the studio on the band's first two albums, and Gearnews, which says it is said he used a CE24 with DiMarzio Dual Sound humbuckers, names the Dual Rectifier as the main source of the song's distorted sound, a claim no first-hand account read here confirms; Wikipedia says the blue CE24 and a sunburst Custom 24 can be seen in the In the End video, and Gearnews says Delson plays the powerful riff in the chorus and harmonics in the verses, and played the bass on the record as well, since the band's bassist was on tour; Mike Shinoda locked himself alone overnight in a windowless room and came out with the song, whose signature piano riff he plays, and Chester Bennington later said he was never a fan of it and did not even want it on the record; recording at NRG in North Hollywood began in March 2000 with producer Don Gilmore and lasted four months, and the song, released on 9 October 2001 as the fourth and final single from Hybrid Theory, reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, the band's highest peak there, and in June 2021 became the first nu metal song to pass one billion streams on Spotify. Here the guitar plays harmonics in the verses and saves a powerful riff for the chorus, under a piano hook and rapped verses, so it needs weight and tight timing more than extra gain.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a high-gain head and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
In the End amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 4, Middle 5, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 2, with the bridge pickup.
- Gain 7
- Bass 4
- Middle 5
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb 2
- Signal chain
- Amp distortion, a Dual Rectifier per Gearnews → Noise gate (Gearnews: probably a Boss NS-2 live)
- The control that matters most
- A tight noise gate. Gearnews puts the song's distortion on a Dual Rectifier and calls a noise gate highly recommended for that much gain, so use a saturated sound with a bridge humbucker, gate it tightly, and keep the bass from swamping the piano.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. A first plan starts with 7 days free, $0 today.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
Does the In the End tone sound off on your amp?
Pick what you hear. You get the knobs to turn from the starting point above, and how far.
What gear did Linkin Park use on In the End?
The PRS guitars and Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier amps of Brad Delson's Hybrid Theory rig: he told Guitar World that a blue CE24, his first PRS, became the main guitar he recorded the album with, Wikipedia says he used Dual Rectifiers and modified Marshall 1959SLP reissue heads live and in the studio on the band's first two albums, and Gearnews, which says it is said he used a CE24 with DiMarzio Dual Sound humbuckers, names the Dual Rectifier as the main source of the song's distorted sound, a claim no first-hand account read here confirms; Wikipedia says the blue CE24 and a sunburst Custom 24 can be seen in the In the End video, and Gearnews says Delson plays the powerful riff in the chorus and harmonics in the verses, and played the bass on the record as well, since the band's bassist was on tour; Mike Shinoda locked himself alone overnight in a windowless room and came out with the song, whose signature piano riff he plays, and Chester Bennington later said he was never a fan of it and did not even want it on the record; recording at NRG in North Hollywood began in March 2000 with producer Don Gilmore and lasted four months, and the song, released on 9 October 2001 as the fourth and final single from Hybrid Theory, reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, the band's highest peak there, and in June 2021 became the first nu metal song to pass one billion streams on Spotify.
Sources: Guitar World: 35 PRS guitarists on why they love their PRS, Wikipedia: Brad Delson, Gearnews: the sound of Linkin Park's In the End, Louder: the Linkin Park hit Chester Bennington did not want on Hybrid Theory, Wikipedia: Hybrid Theory, Wikipedia: In the End
Tonelify's tone matcher reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get the In the End tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of In the End
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In the End tone questions
What amp settings do you need for In the End?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 4, Middle 5, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 2, with the bridge pickup. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same powerful distorted chorus riff that answers a sparse piano hook from different positions.
What amp did Brad Delson use on In the End?
Amp: Album era (Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifiers and modified Marshall 1959SLP heads). Guitar: PRS (his blue CE24 was his main Hybrid Theory guitar; the model on this song not documented). Sources: Guitar World, Wikipedia, Gearnews and Louder.
What were Brad Delson's amp settings on In the End?
None of the sources cited on this page gives Brad Delson's full amp settings on In the End. The numbers here are a starting point for that kind of part, not the settings from the session, and Tonelify rewrites them for the amp and guitar you own.
How do you get Brad Delson's tone on In the End?
A tight noise gate. Gearnews puts the song's distortion on a Dual Rectifier and calls a noise gate highly recommended for that much gain, so use a saturated sound with a bridge humbucker, gate it tightly, and keep the bass from swamping the piano. Play it with the bridge pickup.
Can you get the In the End tone without the original gear?
Yes. The parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order, and those translate to other equipment. Tonelify's adaptation step works them out for the amp and guitar you own.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
A match for your own gear takes a plan, and a first plan starts with 7 days free with nothing charged that day: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
