Quick Guitar Amp Settings Guide with 19 Amplifier Presets and Suggestions

If you can’t remember your guitar’s amp settings, why not just write them down? A friend once told me this as I sat, frustrated as ever, trying to remember how I had gotten a certain tone out of my amp and my chorus pedal. I used to go about guitar tone and amp settings the same way my wife would go about cooking. She would make something amazing, forget to jot down the recipe then had no idea what was in it.

Many good meals have been lost forever.

"Why not write it down?"

I think that’s the habit of many guitar players as well, when it comes to learning and memorizing what works best with our gear. We forget our settings simply because we don’t make note of them or commit them to memory. Sometimes we find an EQ that really works. Why not write it down? This is my list of settings and sounds that I've had luck with over the course of my pursuit of good tone. It's meant to be a catalog of sorts and a quick reference where they can all be accessed.

Let's jump in.

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• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: MAX / SELECTOR: MIDDLE
  
• AMP: BASS: 5 / MIDS: 6 / TREBLE: 7 / GAIN:
• CHORUS: LEVEL: 4 / RATE: 4 / DEPTH: 3
• REVERB: LEVEL: 3 / TONE: 4 / TIME: 5 / TYPE: Plate / IF IN AMP: 3

I like to call this the “5-6-7” so it’s easy to remember. Gain should be off or low and if you have a reverb option you can set it near three. If that's too bright, cut the treble back and push the bass knob up another notch. If you use a chord pedal, levels will vary slightly between pedals, but in general you’ll want to keep the rate and depth on the low side.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: MAX / SELECTOR: MIDDLE
• AMP: BASS: 2 / MIDS: 3 / TREBLE: 6 / GAIN: 0 / VOLUME: 6 / REVERB: OFF

Since Fender amps - especially of the tube variety - like this beautiful Fender ’68 Vibrolux have a distinctly smooth and thick tone quality to them, you can usually afford to turn down the bass a little more than you might with other amplifiers.

These settings also assume a Fender guitar is being used, like a Stratocaster or Telecaster, as they make an effort to accommodate single-coil pickups. The “Magic Six” title comes from volume (6), treble (6) and bass multiplied by mids (2 x 3 = 6).

If it sounds too much like a tin can, turn the bass back up a bit.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: MAX / SELECTOR: BRIDGE
• AMP: BASS: 8 / MIDS: 4 / TREBLE: 4 / GAIN: 2 / REVERB: 3 (or to taste)
• DELAY PEDAL: Most settings should be “to taste.” Make sure MIX favors the wet signal.

All we’re doing is dialing in a “chunkier” clean sound with some gain to give our delay that nice snap and thick resonance when the pick pushes through a note. If our clean signal is too clean or weak then we risk not having enough body to our delay.

Delay, and most other repeating effects, work best when there is some element of thickness to your tone.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: MAX / SELECTOR: MIDDLE
• AMP: BASS: 5 / MIDS: 8 / TREBLE: 5 / GAIN: 3-5 / PRESENCE: 4 / REVERB: OFF

To be fair, you can use a pedal for this, but I’ve found that amps (especially tube amps) drive a low gain tone with a lot more definition, clarity and responsiveness. All we need to do is push mids up, then (depending on the amp) adjust gain somewhere in the 3-5 vicinity.

You want just a little bit of sustain and “grunge” to an otherwise clean-sounding signal.

Adding just enough shimmer to make the high notes pop.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: 80% / SELECTOR: BRIDGE
• AMP: BASS: 6 / MIDS: 5 / TREBLE: 6 / GAIN: 2 / REVERB: OFF

One of the mistakes I see most often made with a good wah EQ is that there isn’t enough bass in the signal. Keep low EQ controls up and use your treble to give some scratch to your pick swipes. Add a little gain if you want to get more crunch out of your right hand (picking hand) movement.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: MAX / SELECTOR: MIDDLE OR BRIDGE
• AMP: BASS: 8 / MIDS: 4 / TREBLE: 4 / GAIN: 10 (or pedal) / REVERB: OFF
• DISTORTION PEDAL: LEVEL: AMP VOLUME / DRIVE: 75% / BASS: 6-8 / TREBLE: 3-5

In my experience, the gain from your amp isn’t going to sound metal unless you have a really solid amplifier. Something like Blackstar or Mesa Boogie would do the job. In other cases you’ll need a distortion pedal. We'd recommend something like the AmpTweaker Tight Metal Jr or the Wampler Dracarys, as the settings listed above are based off of those pedals.

As far as your amp goes, you need to get something thick and full, which is why we’re pushing the bass so high. Depending on your amp, you may need to go a little higher or lower than eight, but the principle remains the same.

If you use a pedal, make sure the on-board EQ follows the example of your amplifier.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: MAX / SELECTOR: BRIDGE
• AMP: BASS: 2 / MIDS: 7 / TREBLE: 5 / GAIN: 6 / REVERB: 2

This is where having two channels on your amp would be helpful, so you could switch between your “normal” setting and what we’re calling your “boost setting.” Most amps have multiple channels, so you can incorporate two different presets. To emulate a booster pedal, we push mids and gain which will give you some added bite to your signal.

You can move channel volume up slightly and adjust bass if it sounds too much like a tin can.

How to set your amp for the optimal accompanying of the Boss DS-1 distortion pedal.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: 75% / SELECTOR: MIDDLE
• AMP: BASS: 4 / MIDS: 7 / TREBLE: 7 / GAIN: 6 / REVERB: OFF
• DS-1 SETTINGS: TONE: 5 / LEVEL: 5 / DIST: 5

The Boss DS-1 distortion is a commoner among today's pedalboards. We’ve dedicated an entire post to discussing its optimal blues settings, and what you see here is a just a sample. Small tube amps can also mesh really well with this setting, since the bass reduction balances well with the added warmth from the tubes.

For free, here’s a second variation we’d recommend trying out:

Adam Jones isn’t conventional, but his tone is easier to replicate than you might think.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: MAX / SELECTOR: BRIDGE
• AMP: BASS: 8 / MIDS: 9 / TREBLE: 6 / GAIN: 8 (or pedal) / REVERB: OFF

If you’re going to mimic Adam Jones’ sound, you need a good, raw distortion that sounds “metal” but isn’t overly saturating. That means gain (whether coming from a pedal or amp) should be high, but not so much that you get a lot of excess feedback and noise. Tool’s guitar work is rhythmic, which means you’ve got to have some shape and definition to your distortion.

We go with high bass and even higher mids to make sure you can hear the chord changes and tonal subtleties with plenty of clarity.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: 90% / SELECTOR: Middle
• AMP: BASS: 4 / MIDS: 7 / TREBLE: 8 / GAIN: 0 / REVERB: 7-10

I’ve never come across an amp that handles reverb better than the mid to high range Fender models. The Deville and Vibrolux are just hands down some of the best reverb amps out there. But, regardless of what you have to work with, we’re trying to add some extra chime to our tone.

Go with high mids, higher treble and cut the reverb knob up past seven or so. Leave gain out of the picture and go with the middle pickup on your guitar to take the edge off.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: MAX / SELECTOR: Middle or Bridge
• AMP: BASS: 4 / MIDS: 4 / TREBLE: 9 / GAIN: 7 / REVERB: OFF

We published a more detailed post on Morello’s settings, so this is derived from that post, serving as the groundwork for adding other effects like the MXR Phase 90 and DigiTech Whammy.

Morello uses both on his pedalboard.

The highs are high and we add a little bass to match Morello’s strong, funky punch. But the crucial element is adding gain that isn’t overly saturating and isn’t producing too much sustain. Morello’s riffs are heavy, but they’re also controlled and succinct.

Don’t over-shoot gain levels and you should be fine.

Read more: Tom Morello's Masterclass review

If you’re using an amp or guitar that emits a “brighter” tone, here’s how to cut things back and take the edge off.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: 90% / SELECTOR: Middle
• AMP: BASS: 6 / MIDS: 5 / TREBLE: 6 / GAIN: 7 / REVERB: OFF

Morello uses Marshall amps, so his sound is going to be naturally brighter. But if you find it too piercing, push the bass higher (around seven or eight) then cut back your mids and treble to five and six, respectively.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: 70% / TONE: 80% / SELECTOR: Middle
• AMP: BASS: 5 / MIDS: 4 / TREBLE: 3 / GAIN: 3 / REVERB: 2 (or to preference)

Keeping bass at the halfway point and giving just a small gain boost will help to add some thickness after you’ve cut down volume on your guitar. This one is perfect for those verse fills were you want to blend in and help the song’s dynamics.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: 70% / TONE: 80% (if applicable) / SELECTOR: n/a
• AMP: BASS: 6 / MIDS: 6 / TREBLE: 2 / GAIN: 0 / REVERB: 2-3

Keep in mind, I’m speaking from the experience of someone who owns a Taylor 114ce acoustic, which are notoriously brighter sounding. If you wouldn’t describe your acoustic that way, try the next configuration.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: 90% (if applicable) / SELECTOR: n/a
• AMP: BASS: 3 / MIDS: 7 / TREBLE: 6 / GAIN/VOLUME: 5 / REVERB: 2-3

This settings will work better with Martins and similar acoustics that tend to have a naturally heavier tone and are more ideal for strumming.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: 80% / SELECTOR: Bridge
• AMP: BASS: 3 / MIDS: 7 / TREBLE: 6 / GAIN: 0 / REVERB: off

It's a fairly typical way to dial in a higher EQ. Treble gets a bump, mid stays “mid” and we cut the bass back to give the higher frequencies room to play.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: 90% / SELECTOR: Middle
• AMP: BASS: 5 / MIDS: 4 / TREBLE: 6 / GAIN: 0 / REVERB: off

For a thicker clean signal, we leave treble up, but cut back on the mids and push the bass to five.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: MAX / SELECTOR: Bridge
• AMP: BASS: 6 / MIDS: 8 / TREBLE: 8 / GAIN: 10 (or use pedal) / REVERB:off
• DS-2 TURBO: LEVEL: 10 / TONE: 4-6 / DIST: 6-10 / TURBO: Position I

The grunge sound was heavy, but it wasn’t laden with thick low-end frequencies like the rock of the past couple decades has been. To really capture Kurt Cobain’s tone, it’s best to keep bass moderate (around five or six) and rely on your treble to give some definition to the high amounts of gain.

Check out our in-depth article on Kurt Cobain Amp Settings for more information on his sound and the Seattle grunge guitar tone, in general.

• GUITAR: VOLUME: MAX / TONE: MAX / SELECTOR: Middle
• AMP: BASS: 5 / MIDS: 6 / TREBLE: 7 / GAIN: 1-2 / REVERB:1-2

To really start digging into Edge’s tone, you almost need a guitar tech to explain some of the details. Nevertheless, we can take a simple approach by boosting treble, cutting bass and adding a little bit of gain. If you have a delay pedal, adding it near the top of your signal will be a nice fit.

Edge’s preferred pedal for complimenting this type of tone is the EHX Memory Man.

Taking Amp Settings With a Grain of Salt

Understand that all these settings should be taken with a grain of salt.

Why?

How come they aren’t guitar-gospel truth?

You can’t be an absolutist about these settings (or any, for that matter), because of the following reasons:

1. Beautiful tone is subjective and is in the eye of the beholder.

What sounds good to some, might sound terrible to others. Even within genres and styles, you’ll have people who hear things differently or prefer different degrees of equalization in their signal. We can’t say that a lot of bass, for example, is always “the right thing” nor can we say that any one type of EQ is better than another.

Because it’s largely subjective and subject to change.

2. Everyone’s rig behaves differently than the next.

This is perhaps the biggest hurdle when it comes to normalizing and generalizing an approach to your tone. No matter how you put it together, everyone’s rig is going to respond differently based on a number of factors.

To name a few:

• Humidity
• Indoor/Outdoor Location
• Aggressiveness of Playing Style
• String Age
• Room Padding
• Microphone/Amplification Methods
• PA Systems
• Amp Location
• Pedal Wiring/Configuration

And all this is before we even get to what kind of gear your own. There are just too many variables to account for. Does this mean you can’t have any pre-determined standards and presets?

Of course not.

There’s plenty you can establish as your normal. But you’ve got to be aware that not only will that “normal” not always work from rig to rig, but it might not even work for you every time, simply because there are so many variables to consider. Just know that even in the midst of conventional wisdom, your gear, and how it’s configured, is unique to you.

Thus it’s a fool’s errand to try and predict your tone based solely on what worked for someone else.

3. Tinkering is an Inherent Part of the Deal

When you get settings from a third party it’s wise to consider that the way most guitarists get their tone is simply by tinkering, experimenting and figuring out what works, largely by way of trial and error. Be careful not to assume that a guide like this abnegates you from the responsibility to do the same.

Because that’s the only way you really get a good sound from your rig. Yes, you can use these as starting points and a way to familiarize yourself with your options. However, your results will be far better if you commit to putting some work into your tone and figuring out what gets you the best results.

It’s better to be the person who knows the great settings, rather than the one who is always searching for them online.

Some Other Amp Settings Best-Practices

What are some other best practices to keep in mind? What can you do on a more practical and pragmatic level? There are a few additional things you can do to improve your tone that are worth listing.

1. Know that the volume knob on your guitar effects your tone and Gain 

Most of the time, it’s smart to keep your guitar’s volume knob at 10, because turning it down doesn’t just cut down your volume, but it changes your tone and slashes your gain as well. Keep it turned all the way up, unless you want the drop in gain.

If you do just want to reduce volume, but maintain the integrity of your signal, the best option is to employ a volume pedal or simply turn down the master volume on your amplifier.

2. Don’t Overlook Pick and String Quality

Cheap or old strings are a tonal death sentence. No amount of tinkering or adjustments on even the best tube amps can do much to redeem them. We recommend a coated string, like Elixir or Ernie Ball’s coated offering. As far as picks go, just recognize that the weight and texture of a pick can impact your tone in a number of ways. For instance:

• Heavier picks produce a thicker tone
• Textured picks produce more grit or “chime”
• Lighter picks create a better strumming texture (typically work better with acoustic guitars)

3. Take Advantage of Your Channel Volume

Most amps have multiple channels, which means you’ll have a master volume (for the entire amp’s output) and additional volume controls (gain) for each channel.

To write this post I used the Line 6 Spider IV 150-Watt amp, which provides four different channels and is a good example of how this can work. Let’s say you wanted to set channel one at 80 percent volume and channel two at 60 percent volume. You would set them both, then set your master volume as a final touch.

Keep in mind that getting your volume right can be a huge part of having good tone, and your channel volume is going to be a big part of that.

Generally, it’s better to keep channel volume higher and use the master volume to control overall output.

Conclude

What’s the moral of the story?

Use best practices and be willing to do some major tinkering.

The goal is to find your tone, which takes a lot of time and a lot of customization. But, today’s guitar gear is made well, and will accommodate a lot of creativity.

My advice, is to employ that creativity.

Best of luck.