Paranoid amp settings — Fender Champion 20

The Black sabbath guitar tone for “Paranoid”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 20 with a Squier Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster. Studio version, Paranoid album (1970)

Original rig

Gibson SG Standard → Dallas Rangemaster treble booster → Laney LA100BL (presence/mid/treble maxed, bass 0)

Aggressive, midrange-heavy crunch with sharp treble bite and no low-end mud

Amp settings — Fender Champion 20

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	10
Bass	2
Mid	10
Treble	7
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	7

Don’t have a Fender Champion 20? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01TC Electronic MojoMojo or Boss SD-1

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential to replicate the Rangemaster's treble-forward boost pushing the amp into saturation. The Champion 20 cannot produce this crunch alone.

Drive 6 · Tone 8 · Level 7

Why these settings

Iommi ran bass at 0 on his Laneys, but the Fender Champion 20 is naturally scooped and thin—cutting bass completely would sound anemic. Bass raised to 2 compensates. The Champion's treble shelf is higher than the Laney's warm British voicing, so treble dropped from 10 to 7 to avoid ice-pick harshness. Mid maxed to replicate Iommi's signature midrange aggression. Without a drive pedal, this tone will be significantly cleaner and less saturated than the original.

PRO TIPThe Telecaster's bridge pickup is brighter and twangier than Iommi's SG humbuckers—dig in hard with your pick angled toward the neck and palm-mute aggressively on the main riff to thicken the attack and reduce the single-coil spank.

Get this tone on your amp

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

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More tones for the Fender Champion 20

She's goneStealheart Heart sheaped boxNirvana So Far AwayAvenged Sevenfold Harvester of sorrowMetallica ParanoidBlack sabath Basket caseGreenday

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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.