How do you get the most out of your great-sounding classic amp? What’s the secret sauce that the pros use to make their amps sound awesome? I’m a big proponent of using your own ears and deciding what sounds best to you in your situation, but it is interesting and informative to look at how other guitar players use their gear. There are so many variables involved in what an entire rig ultimately sounds like, starting with the player, pick, strings, guitar, effects, etc. Amp settings are one small component of the entirety, but every detail does matter. Hopefully this can give some insight, perspective, or a new starting point; it’s definitely fun, if nothing else!

Unless specified, the settings described in these examples are referred to in clockface settings; so 12 o’clock is with the knob pointing straight up.

Vox AC 30: The Edge

I thought it would be good to start out with one of the more controversial entries. Someone was fortunate enough to get onstage preshow with The Edge’s rig and snap a photo of the settings on his beloved, heavily used, 1964 AC30. According to Dallas Schoo, Edge’s tech, this amp has been repaired several times, often with non-stock parts, so this is a one-of-a-kind, “Frankenstein” amp. Considering that the picture of the settings is fairly unclear and upside down, forum-ites have fully debated these settings. However, there did seem to be an eventual consensus near the end of the thread, thanks to Photoshop and some effort by the forum users. Also remember that my source is the Internet, so take that for what it’s worth.

Vib/Trem 7:00
Normal 11:00
Brilliant 10:00-10:30
Treb 11:00
Bass 1:00
Cut 1:30-2:00
It appears that Mr. Evans uses the “Low” Brilliant input, and judging by the Normal Channel volume setting, the channels could be jumped, possibly internally? A more likely explanation is that on a ’64 AC30, when plugging into the Brilliant Channel, the signal to noise ratio is improved by having the Normal Channel turned up, even if you’re not using it. Whatever the case may be, I went into Sweetwater’s Studio A and re-created these settings on the studio’s Vox AC30HW60, which is a handwired, re-creation of a 1964 AC30. I figured this was about as close to that amp as I could get. I fired up the amp, plugged in a Strat, hit a chord, and said to myself, “That’s a good starting point.”

Peavey 6505: 666

The Peavey 6505, which is the younger sibling of their classic 5150, is a go-to amp for metal tones, and coincidentally, turning the Bass, Mid, and Treble controls on the amp to the numbers 6-6-6 yields a nice thick, balanced chunk at medium to high gain settings. Not particularly earth-shattering, but it makes sense that balancing the EQ knobs near the midpoint on an amp sounds good. However, any reference to an Iron Maiden song is worth mentioning and decidedly metal.

Mesa/Boogie Rectifier: James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett

Kirk Hammett’s guitar tech (allegedly) posted these settings for a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier on a forum in 2005. These settings are from two amps backstage used to warm up or jam preshow, presumably for the Madly in Anger with the World Tour, 2003–2004. When you’re getting your head in the game, it’s important to have everything sound and feel right. When you’re playing big venues, you have plenty of room backstage for big amps. Check these out for some Metallica-approved heaviness.

Kirk: Dual Rectifier
Orange Channel:

Presence 2:00
Bass 2:30
Mid 8:30-10:30
Treble 3:30
Gain 10:00
Red Channel:

Vib/Trem 7:00
Master Not Listed
Presence Not Listed
Bass 12:00
Mid 10:00
Treble 1:00
Gain 1:30
James: Triple Rectifier
Orange Channel:

Master 9:00
Presence 3:00
Bass 12:00
Mid 1:00
Treble 1:00
Gain 9:00
Red Channel:

Master 10:00
Presence 1:00
Bass 12:00
Mid 11:30
Treble 1:00

Gain 12:00

Mesa/Boogie Mark V — John Petrucci

John is a longtime Boogie user and endorser. His main amp early in his career was a Mark II C+, the same amp that his current signature-model JPIIC+ amplifier is designed after. These particular settings are taken from a video that John did for Mesa/Boogie on his personal Mark V settings. These settings are specifically for a heavy rhythm sound in the amp’s Mark IV mode. Mesa’s Mark-series amps all have a lot in common, and the settings outlined in this example are useful in the Gain channel of all Mark-series amps with a built-in Graphic EQ. (Graphic EQ was an option on Mark-series amps through Mark III. It is a standard feature on Mark IV and V.) The main takeaway for me is that the setting on the Bass control is lower and the bass side of the Graphic EQ is set higher. This helps keep the low-end tighter and more focused, since the Bass control is part of the tone-stack and the Graphic EQ occurs later in the signal path.

Mark V: Mark IV mode -— Heavy Rhythm
Gain 2:00
Bass 9:30
Mid 10:30
Treble 1:30
Presence 11:30
Graphic EQ: Extreme smile

80 Just below top line
240 Just above middle line
750 On bottom line
2200 Just above middle line
6600 Just below top line
Fender Magic 6

This works great with ’60s-style Blackface or ’70s-style Silverface Fender amps that have a Mid control, for a “bright, sparkling, percussive” sound. There’s plenty of breakup, but the amp still stays focused and dynamic. Turn the Bright switch to the on position, set the Reverb around 2, and check out the Magic 6. These settings are actual knob positions, not clockface.

On a personal note, these settings are a bit too bright for my tastes, but to each his own. However, they are a good jumping-off point, especially if you find yourself playing through this style of amp and need a sound immediately. It’s easy enough to tweak to taste.

Volume 6
Treble 6
Mid 3
Bass 2 (3 x 2 = 6)
For a clean, classic Fender tone from a Blackface amp with no Mid control, my go-to settings are 3-4-5 or 4-5-6, depending on where the amp/guitar combination stays clean.

Volume 3 or 4
Treble 4 or 5
Bass 5 or 6
Billy Gibbons Rio Grande Lucky Sevens
In January of 1973, ZZ Top performed at Abilene Civic Center in Abilene, Texas. In attendance was a very young Dave Martin, who is currently Sweetwater Studios’ bassist/engineer/producer, and a longtime personal friend of mine. Young Mr. Martin was already a fan and sufficiently enamored with the “Little Ol’ Band from Texas,” so he positioned himself on the very front row of the audience, a mere few feet away from Billy and Dusty. Directly behind them were six Rio Grande heads and twelve Rio Grande cabinets, stacked three-per-side in line with Frank’s drums. The thunderous boogie emanating from the stage had a profound effect on Dave — so profound that he felt the need after the show to wander up onstage and see what was going on. They were only a few feet away with no security or barrier, so why not? This was back in the ’70s — it was a different time, you understand.

Anyway, one thing he noticed was that all six of the amps had every control on 7. Pictures reveal the Rio Grande amps were very Marshall-like, and the rumor about those amps is that they were stock ’69 Marshalls that had been recovered, presumably 100-watt Super Lead and/or Super Bass. I would also guess that channels 1 and 2 were jumped — a patch cable out of the lower input of channel 1 into the upper input of channel 2. As with nearly all things surrounding Billy Gibbons, rumor, conjecture, and mystery abound, but we do have an eyewitness account of the Lucky Sevens. Grab your favorite Les Paul, put everything on your Super Lead on 7, and “have mercy…a haw, haw, haw, haw.”

Presence 7
Bass 7
Mid 7
Treble 7
Volume 1 7
Volume 2 7
It’s interesting to put a new perspective on familiar gear and to glean from the experience of others. Regardless of the source, good information is a good thing. Give these settings a twist, and see if there’s anything that creates a spark of inspiration or makes you want to create more music. After all, making more music is the whole point!

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Classic Settings on Seven Classic Amps

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