Tone library / black sabbath / iron man

iron man amp settings — lyx pro AGl-20

The black sabbath guitar tone for “iron man”, dialed in for a lyx pro AGl-20 with a Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster. Studio version, Paranoid album (1970)

Original rig

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

Thick, boxy midrange crunch with hollow honk and grinding power tube overdrive
Amp settings — lyx pro AGl-20
GAIN 10 BASS 3 TREBLE 7 MASTER 7
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain10
Bass3
Treble7
Master7
Don’t have a lyx pro AGl-20? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →
Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE6 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01Treble Booster (Rangemaster-style, e.g. EHX Screaming Bird, TC Electronic Spark Mini, or Catalinbread Naga Viper)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for the cutting midrange honk and input saturation that defines this tone. Without it, the riff loses its hollow bark.

Boost/Level 7
Why these settings

The LYX PRO AGL-20 is a small solid-state practice amp with only gain, bass, treble, and volume controls — no mid, presence, or reverb knobs exist on this amp. Gain is maxed because this amp has minimal saturation headroom and Iommi's original tone was full power-tube crunch. Your Strat's single coils are brighter and lower output than his P90s, so bass is raised to 3 (vs his 0) and treble kept at 7 to avoid ice-pick highs while preserving the attack. A treble booster pedal is essential to push the front end and get the scooped-low/boosted-mid character — without it you'll get generic distortion, not the Iron Man honk.

PRO TIPRoll your Strat's tone knob to 6 and dig in hard with downstrokes near the bridge — Iommi's attack came from medium picks and aggressive right-hand dynamics, not just gain. The riff lives in the pick attack.

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

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