Iron Man amp settings — Kinsman K50GFX

The Black Sabbath guitar tone for “Iron Man”, dialed in for a Kinsman K50GFX with a Gibson Les Paul Classic. Studio version, Paranoid album (1970)

Original rig

1965 Gibson SG Special with P90 pickups (bridge) → Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster treble booster → Laney Supergroup MK 1 100-watt head with Laney 4x12 cabinet (Celestion G12-25M speakers)

Thick, boxy midrange crunch with hollow honk and aggressive bite — dark and ominous with pronounced low-mid weight

Amp settings — Kinsman K50GFX

CHANNELOverdriveBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	4
Mid	8
Treble	5
Reverb	0
Master	6

Don’t have a Kinsman K50GFX? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Treble Booster (TS-style or Rangemaster clone)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. A treble booster or even a Tube Screamer with low drive and high level pushes the amp into that tight, cutting midrange Iommi achieved. Without this, the tone will lack the signature 'honk' and bite.

Gain/Boost 5 · Tone 6 · Level 6

Why these settings

The Kinsman K50GFX is an unrecognized budget solid-state amp — knob names may differ on your faceplate; it likely has no presence control (set to null). Your Les Paul humbuckers are hotter and warmer than Iommi's P90s, so gain is dropped from 8 to 7 and treble cut from 6 to 5 to avoid muddiness. Mid pushed to 8 to capture the signature boxy midrange bark. Without a treble booster pedal, this amp alone cannot fully replicate the cutting upper-mid bite of the original.

PRO TIPIommi used extremely light strings (.009-.042) and a medium pick with aggressive downstrokes — dig in hard on the low strings and let each note ring with purpose rather than playing fast; the riff's power comes from deliberate, heavy articulation and slight palm muting on the chugs.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Kinsman K50GFX. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.