Adam Jones (Tool) Rig

Estimated build cost: ~$12,676 (based on current listings)

Hard Rock Tool Adam Jones

This is one of the most distinctive and atmospheric prog/alt-metal rigs out there. Adam builds thick, layered, evolving tones with heavy low-end, dynamic cleans, and textured effects. He runs a multi-amp setup (often three amps blended) and uses pedals creatively for loops, textures, and leads.

This is one of the most expensive rigs we have parted out to match exactly how Adam Jones has is setup, but there are other options to get close to the rig sound, without spending as much money. But if you want to emulate exactly how Adam does it, then this should get you close!

~$12,676 Estimated total
20 Pieces of gear
Hard Rock Genre / style
ℹ️ Affiliate Disclosure
Adam Jones (Tool) Rig
Photo by Nicholas Cowley / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

🎛️ The Gear Live Listings

Guitar
Gibson Adam Jones Signature Les Paul Standard 2022 - Present - Antique Silverburst
Adam Jones has been synonymous with the Gibson Les Paul Custom throughout Tool's career. The thick mahogany body and ebony fretboard deliver the sustained, dark tone at the core of Tool's guitar sound — heavy without being muddy, precise without being clinical. Jones typically favors older-spec Les Paul Customs for their weight and sustain. There are other Les Paul options that would work, but his signature would be the way to go, to emulate exactly!
Amplifiers
Primary Amplifier
Diezel VH4 4-Channel 100-Watt Guitar Amp Head 1994 - 2019 - Black
Modern high-gain channel (usually Ch. 3) for tight, aggressive, compressed distortion with excellent clarity and low-end punch. This is the "modern Tool" growl.
Amplifier
Marshall Super Bass 100 1971
Vintage Warmth: 1970s Marshall Super Bass 100 (modified/hot-rodded) — Cranked for saturated, bloomy power-amp distortion. Adds midrange thickness and organic grit. Often paired with Mesa cabs.
Guitar Cabinets
4X12 Cabinet
Mesa Boogie Rectifier 4FB 280-Watt 4x12"
2X15 Bass Cabinet
USA Mesa Boogie 2x15 Powerhouse Bass Cabinet
Bass cab for the Marshall
Pedalboard

Adam's board is effect-heavy for textures, loops, and modulation. He uses Boss PSM-5 loopers/switchers for complex routing and building layers live. Typical order: Tuner/Buffer → Boost → Wah → Drives → Mod/Delay/Reverb (with loops).

Boost Pedal
MXR M133 Micro Amp 2010s
Always useful for pushing amps and compensating for pedal loss.
Dunlop Cry Baby BB-535
Jim Dunlop Cry Baby BB 535 Wah Pedal Chrome Model
Expressive for leads and rhythmic swells.
Delay Pedal
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
For rhythmic repeats, ambient trails, and loops.
Flanger Pedal
Boss flanger pedal Bf 2
Fuzz Pedal
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi 2000 - Present - Silver / Black / Red
Volume Pedal
Ernie Ball P0-6180 VP JR. 250K Passive Volume Pedal 2010s - Silver
Classic original volume pedal Adam Jones used often.
Volume pedal
Goodrich Sound L-120 Low Profile Volume Pedal
Modern current volume pedal that replaced the Ernie Ball volume pedal in current pedal board configurations.
EQ Pedal
DOD Equalizer FX40B 1995 - Grey
This is a bass-oriented EQ but works great for guitar in his chain (boosting lows/mids while cutting mud). Not just “any DOD EQ” — the FX40B is the documented one. (Some later setups may have swapped to a Boss GE-7, but FX40B is the signature choice.)
Tremolo Pedal
Voodoo Lab Tremolo 2010s - Black
This appears in older/mid-era lists. It’s used sparingly for atmospheric or rhythmic modulation rather than being a core always-on pedal.
Looper Pedal
Boss Psm 5
His board uses multiple PSM-5s for complex routing and parallel amp blending — key to the layered Tool sound.
Chorus Pedal
BOSS CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
Delay Looper Modeler Pedal
Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
Bass Synthesizer Pedal
Boss SYB-5 Bass Synthesizer Bass Guitar Effect Pedal AW21546
Used occasionally on tour rigs for synth-like tones.
Atmospheric Effects
Synth/Organ Module
Roland VK-8M Organ Sound Module Virtual ToneWheel organ sound w/ box power supply
Live organ/synth module for atmospheric layers and harmonic depth across many songs.
Talk Box Pedal
Heil The Talk Box 2000s - Black
Famously used on "Jambi" (from the 2006 album 10,000 Days).
Estimated build total ~$12,676

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