Paranoid amp settings — Blackstar HT5R MkII

The Black Sabbath guitar tone for “Paranoid”, dialed in for a Blackstar HT5R MkII with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Paranoid album (1970), Regent Sound Studios

Original rig

Gibson SG Standard → Dallas Rangemaster (modified) → Laney LA100BL (normal channel input, overloaded), no bass on amp, presence/mid/treble maxed

Aggressive, trebly, cutting mid-forward crunch with zero low-end mud—raw and direct

Amp settings — Blackstar HT5R MkII

CHANNELOverdrive channel, ISF at 2 o'clock (British voicing)BOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	1
Mid	8
Treble	8
Reverb	0
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Treble Booster or TS-style Overdrive (e.g., Ibanez TS9, Boss SD-1, TC Electronic Spark Booster)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The Rangemaster was essential to Iommi's tone; it pushed the amp's front end into saturation while adding treble cut. A TS-style pedal with low gain and high tone approximates this. Without it, increase amp gain to 8 and accept less articulation.

Drive/Gain 3 · Tone 8 · Level 7

Why these settings

Your HT5R's EL84 power section is warmer than Iommi's Laney, so ISF goes British to add bite. Bass stays near zero as Iommi specified—your GRG170DX's humbuckers are hotter than his '60s SG, so the low end would mud up fast otherwise. The Rangemaster treble boost is the missing link; without a pedal, you lose the front-end push that defined this tone.

PRO TIPIommi picked hard and close to the bridge with downstrokes on the main riff—this attack angle is half the tone. Roll your picking hand back toward the bridge pickup and dig in aggressively; the amp responds to that transient.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Blackstar HT5R MkII. 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.