I Don't Wanna Be Me amp settings

The recording

“I Don’t Wanna Be Me” is the 2003 studio track from Life Is Killing Me, recorded in the period when Type O Negative deliberately brought more humor and directness back after World Coming Down. Kenny Hickey says the song grew from Peter Steele’s punk riff during rehearsal, after Hickey had complained about Steele’s usual complex, multi-section writing; Hickey also interprets the lyrics as Steele’s exhaustion with addiction, life, and rock-star identity. Later accounts describe the Life Is Killing Me sessions as difficult, with Steele disengaged from recording. On the master, the guitar is chiefly a fast, repeated punk/metal rhythm framework, punctuated by Hickey’s concise featured solo, while the arrangement’s bounce and contrast make the track unusually immediate for Type O.

Tuning B standard

Original gear

Fernandes Monterey

Guitar · Kenny Hickey · Riff & solo

The documented instrument associated with this period and the song video is Hickey’s Fernandes Monterey; sources do not prove whether the same guitar handled the rhythm and featured lead on the released master, so it is conservatively assigned to both.

ADA MP-1/MP-2 or Marshall JMP-1

Amp · Kenny Hickey

These are reported as Hickey’s early Type O Negative-era preamp choices, but the source does not establish which one was used on this specific Life Is Killing Me master or whether it served riff, solo, or both. The exact model remains uncertain in the available sources.

Marshall 9005 or Mosvalve 500

Amp · Kenny Hickey

Reported as part of Hickey’s early rack system, but not recording-specifically tied to this track or to either guitar part. The exact model remains uncertain in the available sources.

Marshall 4x12

Cabinet · Kenny Hickey

Reported as a cabinet used in Hickey’s early rig, but no source confirms its presence on the released recording.

Alesis Quadraverb

Processor · Kenny Hickey

Reported among Hickey’s era equipment, but the available evidence does not establish that its reverb or other processing appears on this master.

TC Electronic G-Force

Processor · Kenny Hickey

Reported as part of Hickey’s broader Type O Negative-era effects setup, not specifically documented on this recording or assigned to the rhythm versus lead part.

Alternatives

Practical playing approach

Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.

1. 1.Tune your guitar down to B standard to match the heavy, subterranean low-end required for the track.
2. 2.Deliver the main rhythm parts with aggressive, driving punk-infused downpicking for that signature bounce.
3. 3.Keep the featured solo concise and sharp, cutting through the dense wall of keyboards and bass.
4. 4.Emphasize sharp pick attack to maintain clarity despite the heavily saturated drop-tuned tone.

Frequently asked questions

Researched and reviewed by the ToneTwin Research Team.

Sources