Real AmpTuning: E StandardPickup: BridgeEmoHigh GainMost Accurate
Black Parade Cabaret Metal — Octave Riff & Harmonized Solo
Ray Toro’s principal Black Parade setup was a Phat Cat-equipped Les Paul into a 100-watt JCM800, with heavy riffs sometimes reinforced by a Roland MIDI guitar-synth part two octaves below. The song’s layered lead vocabulary also reflects Toro’s Brian May-style arranging; exact control settings are approximated from that documented studio method. Source: Seymour Duncan’s Ray Toro interview and Premier Guitar’s 2025 Rig Rundown.
Signal Chain
Gibson Les Paul Standard with Seymour Duncan Phat Cats→Marshall JCM800 2203→Marshall 4x12→Roland MIDI Guitar Synth Layer→Double-Tracked Rhythm→Output
GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard with Seymour Duncan Phat Cats
Tone
10
PickupBridge
TuningE Standard
Volume
10
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203
Bass
4
Gain
6.5
Mids
7.5
Master
7
Treble
6.5
Presence
6
Cab / IRMarshall 4x12
MicSM57-style dynamic
Mic PositionOff-axis, cap-edge transition
EffectRoland MIDI Guitar Synth Layer
Mix
1.5
Pitch-24 semitones
TrackingTight
EffectDouble-Tracked Rhythm
PanHard left and right
Layers2
Tightness10
Notes
Keep the sub-octave layer quieter than the real guitars so it adds weight without turning the riff into a synth sound. Track the lead harmonies separately.
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.