Psychosocial
Pounding drop B groove under a thick, blended high-gain wall.
What is the Psychosocial guitar tone?
The Psychosocial guitar tone is pounding drop B groove under a thick, blended high-gain wall, heard on Slipknot's 2000s alt metal recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Slipknot reportedly tracked it with Jim Root's white and black Fender Telecaster prototypes, used on the whole album, into an Orange Rockerverb 100 blended with a Diezel Herbert through a Little Labs splitter, tuned to C# with the low string dropped to B, alongside Mick Thomson's Ibanez MTM1 with active Seymour Duncan Blackouts, recorded with Dave Fortman at Sound Farm in Jamaica, Iowa, in 2008. Detuned parts need the bass control pulled back further than feels right, or the low strings turn to mud as soon as the gain rises.
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.
Psychosocial 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.
- Signal chain
- Maxon TS808 in front of the amps on the solos → Orange and Diezel heads blended
- The control that matters most
- Tuning. Root tuned down to C# with the low string dropped to B, on heavier strings, so get the tuning and the gauge right before touching the amp.
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.
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.
What gear did Slipknot use on Psychosocial?
Jim Root's white and black Fender Telecaster prototypes, used on the whole album, into an Orange Rockerverb 100 blended with a Diezel Herbert through a Little Labs splitter, tuned to C# with the low string dropped to B, alongside Mick Thomson's Ibanez MTM1 with active Seymour Duncan Blackouts, recorded with Dave Fortman at Sound Farm in Jamaica, Iowa, in 2008.
Sources: Guitar World: Slipknot on All Hope Is Gone, Wikipedia: Psychosocial (song), MusicRadar: Mick Thomson's guitars and gear
Tonelify 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 Psychosocial tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original Psychosocial tone
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Psychosocial tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Psychosocial?
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 pounding drop b groove under a thick, blended high-gain wall from different positions.
What is the most important control for the Psychosocial tone?
Tuning. Root tuned down to C# with the low string dropped to B, on heavier strings, so get the tuning and the gauge right before touching the amp.
Can you get the Psychosocial tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with Jim Root's white and black Fender Telecaster prototypes, used on the whole album, into an Orange Rockerverb 100 blended with a Diezel Herbert through a Little Labs splitter, tuned to C# with the low string dropped to B, alongside Mick Thomson's Ibanez MTM1 with active Seymour Duncan Blackouts, recorded with Dave Fortman at Sound Farm in Jamaica, Iowa, in 2008, but the parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order. Those translate to other equipment, which is what the adaptation step does.
Is Psychosocial a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a distorted character, from Slipknot's 2000s alt metal catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Both plans start with a 7-day free trial and nothing is charged until it ends. Stage is metered and Headliner is unlimited within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both; the current prices are on your account page once you have one. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.