GuitarDistortedSolo
Paranoid Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath · 1970s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1965 Gibson SG Special
Pickups
P-90 single-coil
Amp
Laney Supergroup MK1 100-watt head with Laney 4x12 cabinet (Celestion G12-25M speakers likely)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1970. Tony Iommi used the bridge (treble) pickup for the solo. A Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster treble booster was used before the amp. Some sources mention occasional use of a Fender amp for solos, but for 'Paranoid' the Laney is most consistently cited.
Amp Settings
Mids8.5
Bass3
Gain7.5
Reverb0
Treble8.5
Presence8
Effects Chain
- Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster Treble Booster (modded) · boost
- Wah pedal (model unknown, likely Vox or Colorsound) · wah
Guitar → Rangemaster Treble Booster → Wah pedal → Laney Supergroup MK1 head → Laney 4x12 cab
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Tone Character
- fuzzy and raspy
- singing sustain
- aggressive, biting treble
- tight, focused mids
- raw, saturated distortion
- cutting lead tone
- no bass in amp EQ
- classic British crunch
- bridge pickup clarity
- high output, compressed attack