Tone library / Black Sabath / Iron man

Iron man amp settings — Orange Crush 20

The Black Sabath guitar tone for “Iron man”, dialed in for a Orange Crush 20 with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Paranoid album (1970)

Original rig

1965 Gibson SG Special (P90 bridge), Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster treble booster, Laney Supergroup 100W head cranked (Presence 10, Bass 0, Mid 10, Treble 10, Gain 10), 4x12 with Celestion G12-25M speakers

Thick, grinding midrange crunch with hollow boxy honk and aggressive attack
Amp settings — Orange Crush 20
CHANNELDirty channel
GAIN 8 BASS 3 MID 8 TREBLE 6 REVERB 0 MASTER 7
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain8
Bass3
Mid8
Treble6
Reverb0
Master7
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01Treble Booster (e.g., TC Electronic Spark Booster or EHX LPB-1)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The Rangemaster is essential to Iommi's tone; it cuts bass and pushes the amp into saturation. A basic treble booster or bright clean boost gets you 75% there. Without it, push amp gain to 10 and roll guitar tone to 6.

Level/Gain 7 · Treble/Tone 6
Why these settings

The Orange Crush 20 is warm with thick low-mids, closer to the Laney's British voicing than a Fender would be. Iommi ran bass at 0 on the Laney; the Crush is already bass-heavy, so bass at 3 prevents mud. Mid at 8 captures that honky P90 bark. Your Ibanez has humbuckers (hotter output than P90s), so gain is dropped from 10 to 8 to avoid fizz—roll guitar tone to 7 to simulate the P90's slightly thinner top end.

PRO TIPIommi used light strings (.009-.042) and a medium pick with a loose, aggressive attack due to his prosthetic fingertips. Dig in hard with downstrokes on the main riff and let notes ring slightly sloppy—the compression from a cranked amp smooths it out. Palm mute lightly on the galloping sections, not tight like thrash.

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These settings are for a Orange Crush 20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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