Schism
A riff that twists through constant time signature changes around a distinctive bass line.
What is the Schism guitar tone?
The Schism guitar tone is a riff that twists through constant time signature changes around a distinctive bass line, heard on Tool's 2000s prog metal recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Tool reportedly tracked it with a rig of three amps played at once, which Adam Jones told Guitar Player in June 2001 he uses in the studio and live, one for a solid-state sound, one for a non-master-volume tone and one filling in the bottom with what he calls a cardboard crunch, naming a modified non-master-volume Marshall bass head and a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier that he swapped for a Sunn Beta Lead for the recording; in the same interview he plays Gibson Les Paul Customs in Silverburst, made from 1979 to 1981, keeping one for the tuned-down songs and an SG for softer parts, says there is a Dunlop 535Q wah on nearly every song on Lateralus, used for transitions and subtle changes in tone rather than in an obvious way, along with an Ibanez digital delay and flanger and a Boss EQ, and says most parts are one guitar, either one pass through the different amps or two passes playing exactly the same notes; Andertons hears a lighter overdrive in the verses; bassist Justin Chancellor says the riff came from fooling around, and Wikipedia says the song is known for its uncommon time signatures, changing meter 47 times in one analysis, opening on two bars of 5/4 and one of 4/4 before alternating bars of 5/8 and 7/8; producer David Bottrill has said the lyrics were changed at the last minute; Lateralus was recorded between October 2000 and January 2001 at Cello Studios in Hollywood and The Hook, Big Empty Space and The Lodge in North Hollywood, and Schism, its first single, reached number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2002. Progressive metal riffs change meter constantly and sit tight against the bass, so a moderate, mid-forward gain that keeps every note distinct gets closer than a saturated, scooped sound.
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.
Schism amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 5, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 2, with the bridge pickup.
- Gain 6
- Bass 5
- Middle 6
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb 2
- Signal chain
- Dunlop 535Q wah, on nearly every song on the album → Three amps played at once
- The control that matters most
- Note definition. Jones blends three amps rather than piling gain into one, and Andertons hears a lighter overdrive in the verses, so use a moderate, mid-forward gain that keeps every note of the odd-meter riff distinct.
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 Schism 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 Tool use on Schism?
A rig of three amps played at once, which Adam Jones told Guitar Player in June 2001 he uses in the studio and live, one for a solid-state sound, one for a non-master-volume tone and one filling in the bottom with what he calls a cardboard crunch, naming a modified non-master-volume Marshall bass head and a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier that he swapped for a Sunn Beta Lead for the recording; in the same interview he plays Gibson Les Paul Customs in Silverburst, made from 1979 to 1981, keeping one for the tuned-down songs and an SG for softer parts, says there is a Dunlop 535Q wah on nearly every song on Lateralus, used for transitions and subtle changes in tone rather than in an obvious way, along with an Ibanez digital delay and flanger and a Boss EQ, and says most parts are one guitar, either one pass through the different amps or two passes playing exactly the same notes; Andertons hears a lighter overdrive in the verses; bassist Justin Chancellor says the riff came from fooling around, and Wikipedia says the song is known for its uncommon time signatures, changing meter 47 times in one analysis, opening on two bars of 5/4 and one of 4/4 before alternating bars of 5/8 and 7/8; producer David Bottrill has said the lyrics were changed at the last minute; Lateralus was recorded between October 2000 and January 2001 at Cello Studios in Hollywood and The Hook, Big Empty Space and The Lodge in North Hollywood, and Schism, its first single, reached number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2002.
Sources: Guitar Player: Adam Jones on Lateralus (June 2001), Wikipedia: Schism (song), Wikipedia: Lateralus, Andertons: Sound Like Tool
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 Schism tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of Schism
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Schism tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Schism?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 5, Middle 6, 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 riff that twists through constant time signature changes around a distinctive bass line from different positions.
What amp did Adam Jones use on Schism?
Amp: Album rig (three amps at once, among them a modified Marshall bass head and a Sunn Beta Lead). Guitar: Album rig (Gibson Les Paul Customs in Silverburst, made from 1979 to 1981). Sources: Guitar Player, Wikipedia and Andertons.
What were Adam Jones' amp settings on Schism?
None of the sources cited on this page gives Adam Jones' full amp settings on Schism. 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 Adam Jones' tone on Schism?
Note definition. Jones blends three amps rather than piling gain into one, and Andertons hears a lighter overdrive in the verses, so use a moderate, mid-forward gain that keeps every note of the odd-meter riff distinct. Play it with the bridge pickup.
Can you get the Schism 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.
