Adam Jones

• Tune to Eb or D standard — Tool songs exist in a lower register that creates the "baritone without a baritone" quality
• Play behind the beat intentionally — Tool's rhythmic feel is heavy because the notes come slightly after the expected beat, not on it
• The Phase 90 runs very slow and at low mix — it's not obvious but adds movement to sustained notes
• Odd time signatures (7/8, 11/8, 5/4) require counting rather than feeling — practise subdivisions with a metronome at very slow tempos
• The Diezel VH4 is mid-heavy, not scooped — if the amp sounds too bright or too bassy, it's the wrong direction. Mid-forward is the target
• Les Paul bridge pickup for all rhythm work — the humbucker character and sustain are essential. A Stratocaster cannot produce this tone
• Feedback is used structurally — hold sustained notes against the amp and let them feed back naturally rather than cutting them short
• Use a heavier pick (1.0mm or above) and angle it 45 degrees for the distinctive pick attack that leads into each note
• The guitar riffs lock to the bass more than the drums — study how Jones and Justin Chancellor interlock, the guitar is not always on the downbeat

Adam Jones of Tool creates guitar parts that function more like orchestral sections than standard rock guitar — odd time signatures, detuned riffs that breathe like drones, and a vocabulary entirely his own built on texture and space.

Adam Jones built one of rock's most distinctive rhythm guitar sounds — a saturated, mid-scooped, drop-D tone using Les Pauls through Mesa/Boogie amps that provided the foundation for Tool's progressive metal. His approach prioritises texture and riff over lead flash.