I just saw Tool and beside the fact that the band was great, Adam Jones' tone was absolutely incredible! Very thick, tight, and HEAVY. He uses a Marshall Super Bass, a Diezel VH4, and a Mesa Dual Rectifier..at the SAME TIME! It was mentioned that he was recently using another Diezel VH4 in place of the Mesa, however I could sort of make out that on that night of the show, he was using the Mesa. (Dark stage and bad seats) After the show, I tried to make my way closer to the stage but security gave us the boot. Anyway, Jones has such an incredible tone, and Tool is probably one of the most original bands that have come along in the last 20 years. In an era of boy bands, and crappy pop, lame heavy bands, and pretty people trying to come off as legitimate, this was a well needed breath of fresh air. It showed that modern heavy music does not require a seven string guitar and a clown frontman that can neither sing, nor rap. Tool is definitely all about artistic expression and vibe.

I'm still trying to find their sound. Have you had any success duplicating it? None of my amps are high gain but I'm hoping a pedal like the Valveboy might get me closer.

I have a Mesa Solo Rectifier (which I am contemplating on selling) and I just bought an old Marshall JMP 50watter which seems to suit my style more. Anyway, I was going to run the two together and see what they sounded like. At this stage it sould be impractical to gig with the two, but just out of curiosity, I want to hear the low end chunk of the Mesa with the mids and highs of the Marshall.

I honestly don't think you're going to get that exact sound from a pedal, or even one amp for that matter. You may come close but you're not going to dulpicate it. What amp are you using? I have a King of the Britains which turns a mild amp into a monster. A lot of blues guys think it has too much gain, which it does for blues, but if you need a high gain tone from a low gain amp I found the KOB to work really well. I have a Time Machine Boost on order and depending on which works better with my Marshall I may sell my KOB if you are interested. But then again, if you're looking for a sound that is high gain, and that sound is what you're doing most of the time, you might want to try a high gain amp as opposed to relying on a pedal.

My TMB is supposed to arrive this week or early next. I also just acquired a used Valveboy to replace my Piranha preamp. None of my amps are truly high gain. I'm trying to up a PTP Marshall but there are alot of nice new amps in that price range. I have a Emery Sound Superbaby that has some gain when using big bottle tubes. The closest highgain pedal I have currently is the Dyna Red. I think the Valveboy should be able give my amps a kick in the pants.

I've seen tool a bunch of times and EVERY time was absolutely AMAZING!! Their whole existence (as a band) from the music to the videos to the screens at the shows, etc., reminds me that music is an art, not a commodity. And that it can be carried out that way in the Big Leagues.

As far as Adam's sound, while the most effective way to get there is to pay $3000-$4000 for a Diezel or get a Mesa Boogie. I had a Trem-o-verb and it nailed it! However, since I've sold it, I've come pretty close with the Menatone KoB.