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Living Colour - Cult of Personality - Guitar Tab

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

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SECTIONS

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Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key E minor
Living Colour - Cult of Personality guitar tab video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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Living Colour Funk Rock E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Cult of Personality

Few riffs in Funk Rock hit as hard on first listen as the opening of this track, where a heavily distorted E-rooted figure locks in with a driving rhythm that immediately tells you the song means business. Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid built the riff around tight, percussive single-note work in E minor, and keeping that attack clean and consistent at 110 BPM is harder than it sounds. The challenge is not just the speed but the feel: Reid plays with a behind-the-beat swagger that turns sloppy if your picking hand gets tense. The solo sections demand a wide vocabulary, mixing blues phrasing with more angular, chromatic runs, so do not expect one approach to carry you through. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop each solo phrase slowed down and really listen to where the bends land before you try to match them at full tempo. Standard E tuning means nothing exotic in setup, but getting Reid's aggressive, compressed tone will depend heavily on your gain staging and picking dynamics.

  • The main riff is built on a driving single-note figure in E minor that requires tight, percussive alternate picking to sit correctly in the groove.
  • Vernon Reid's solo blends blues-based bending with chromatic passages, making it one of the more technically varied hard rock solos to learn.
  • The song sits at 110 BPM in standard E tuning, so a metronome practice routine at 70 to 80 percent speed is a practical starting point.

How to Play Cult of Personality

The song moves through: Intro, Verse 1, Chorus, Solo 1, Verse 2, Solo 2, Verse 3, Outro.

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 110 BPM

The arrangement runs through 8 distinct sections, and the solo is the steepest jump, so isolate it on its own.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 110 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Vernon Reid's custom Fender Strats provide the classic contoured body and tremolo system he needs for Living Colour's fusion of funk and metal. The versatile pickup configurations let him switch between thick rhythm tones and articulate lead work within songs.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Reid uses the JCM800's natural British crunch to add warmth and classic rock character to Living Colour's dense low-end, often blending it with other heads to layer different gain frequencies. This amp's tight, focused overdrive cuts through without sounding sterile.

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

The Dual Rectifier's high-gain saturation and responsive tight low-end are essential for the heavy, articulate riffs on tracks like 'Cult of Personality.' Reid runs this head alongside others to achieve his signature layered, multidimensional distortion tone.

Soldano SLO-100
Amp

Soldano SLO-100

Reid deploys the SLO-100's smooth, vocal-like high-gain character to add sustain and harmonic richness to lead passages and solo work. This amp's natural breakup responds beautifully to his stacked effects chains and whammy pitch-shifts.

DiMarzio Super Distortion
Pickup

DiMarzio Super Distortion

The Super Distortion's dynamic, open-sounding output gives Reid's riffs clarity and note definition even under heavy distortion, crucial for Living Colour's technically complex rhythms. Its responsive character works perfectly with his HSH pickup configurations for quick tonal switching.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Reid uses the Cry Baby to add expressive funk articulation and vocal-like lead character to Living Colour's fusion sound, often combining it with the Whammy and delays. The wah's responsive sweep helps define the band's signature style blending metal heaviness with rhythmic funk grooves.

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