What amp does Stephen Carpenter use?

Carpenter uses an ADA MP-1 tube preamp into a Marshall 9200 solid-state power amp. The ADA provides the saturated preamp tone while the Marshall delivers clean power.

Does Stephen Carpenter use 7-string guitars?

Yes — Carpenter is one of the earliest adopters of 7-string and later 8-string guitars in rock. On Around the Fur, he used standard 6-string guitars tuned down.

How to get the Deftones heavy tone?

Use a scooped, high-gain tone with lots of saturation. The tone should be thick and fuzzy, not tight. Lower tunings help. Add reverb or delay for atmospheric passages. Let the distortion be loose and textural.

Grunge & Alternative1997Around the Fur

My Own Summer (Shove It) Amp Settings

by Deftones

My Own Summer showcases Stephen Carpenter's signature approach — crushing heaviness combined with atmospheric texture. His ADA MP-1 preamp through a Marshall power amp delivers a wall of distortion that's simultaneously aggressive and dreamy.

Adapt to Your AmpFree — no account needed

What Makes This Tone Iconic

Deftones created their own lane between nu-metal heaviness and shoegaze atmosphere. Carpenter's tone on My Own Summer is massive and thick, but it has an almost fuzzy, undefined quality that gives it texture. Unlike the clinical tightness of other heavy bands, Deftones' heaviness breathes and swirls. It's heavy music that you can lose yourself in.

Key Tone Elements

ADA MP-1 preamp — rack-mount tube preamp with scooped tone
Marshall 9200 power amp for raw power
7-string guitar (later recordings) or standard tuned down
Thick, fuzzy distortion with atmospheric quality
Mix of heavy riffing and textural, spacey passages

Original Recording Settings

Well-SourcedResearched tone data for "My Own Summer (Shove It)" by Deftones

Original Gear

Guitar: ESP Custom Horizon (turquoise, neck-through, alder body, maple neck, ebony fretboard)
Pickups: Seymour Duncan JB (SH-4) in bridge and middle positions (bridge)
Amplifier: ADA MP-1 tube MIDI preamp into Marshall 9200 Dual MonoBlock valve power amp
Channel: High gain preset
Tuning: Drop Db (Db-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb)
Pickup Selector: bridge
Strings: 0.011-0.050 (Ernie Ball)

Through Marshall 1960B 4x12 straight cabinets with Celestion G12T-75 speakers. Carpenter confirmed: 'That was the first time I switched to a power amp; previously I was using two separate Marshall heads—two 100-watt JCM 800s.' Produced by Terry Date at Studio Litho, Seattle.

Amp Settings

Gain

7.0

Bass

6.0

Mid

7.0

Treble

6.0

Presence

5.0

Volume

7.0

No published settings. Estimated from ADA MP-1 voicing characteristics and community tone analysis. Mids NOT scooped—essential for clarity in low tuning. Terry Date pushed for more low-end on this album.

Effects Chain

→

Rocktron Replifex Multi-FX

multi-fx (in loop)

→

1.Rocktron Replifex Multi-FX — In effects loop of ADA MP-1. Provides chorus, delay, reverb. Main riff on My Own Summer is relatively dry.

Playing Technique

Aggressive palm-muted chugging with percussive downstroke picking. Power chord-based riffing with rhythmic syncopation. Grinding, repetitive low-string patterns. Dunlop Tortex 1mm picks.

Sources+

Guitar World: Stephen Carpenter ESP Christie's valuation article (2017) - confirms recording guitar
Guitar World: Carpenter interview confirming JCM800-to-rack switch and JB pickups
Premier Guitar Rig Rundown: Deftones (Stephen Carpenter & Sergio Vega)
Equipboard.com - Stephen Carpenter
UberProAudio.com: Deftones Stephen Carpenter Guitar Gear
Ernie Ball String Theory: Stephen Carpenter interview
Louder: 'Deftones: How we made Around The Fur'