Real AmpTuning: E StandardPickup: BridgeEmoMost AccurateCrunch
Black Parade Defiance — Dense Rhythm & Rhoads-Inspired Lead
Ray Toro’s Black Parade studio chain centered on his Phat Cat-equipped Les Paul and Rob Cavallo’s JCM800, and current rig documentation still associates a sunburst Les Paul with this song. The lead is treated as a focused, harmonically rich extension of the rhythm tone; exact original controls were not published, so settings are approximated from the documented rig. Source: Seymour Duncan’s Ray Toro interview and Premier Guitar’s My Chemical Romance Rig Rundown (2025).
Signal Chain
Gibson Les Paul Standard with Seymour Duncan Phat Cat/JB-style pickups→Marshall JCM800 2203→Marshall 4x12→Double-Tracked Rhythm→Output
GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard with Seymour Duncan Phat Cat/JB-style pickups
Tone
10
PickupBridge
TuningE Standard
Volume
10
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203
Bass
4.5
Gain
6.2
Mids
7.5
Master
7
Treble
6.5
Presence
5.5
Cab / IRMarshall 4x12
MicSM57-style dynamic
Mic PositionOff-axis, cap-edge transition
EffectDouble-Tracked Rhythm
PanHard left and right
Layers2
Tightness10
Notes
Keep the verse palm mutes tight, but let the chorus chords bloom. Use a small level boost for the solo rather than a major gain increase.
Don't have this gear?
See the same signal chain mapped to another platform. Knob values carry over as starting points — gain ranges differ between platforms.