Paranoid amp settings — Harley Benton HB-20R
The Black Sabbath guitar tone for “Paranoid”, dialed in for a Harley Benton HB-20R with a Epiphone SG Standard. Studio album cut, Paranoid (1970)
1965 Gibson SG Special (P90 bridge) + modified Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster treble booster + 100W Laney Supergroup / LA100BL head into 4x12 cab
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 3 |
| Mid | 8 |
| Treble | 8 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 4 |
01Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster (Treble Booster)
RECOMMENDED — not owned. A treble booster pushing the front end provides the signature mid-honk crunch.
The HB-20R has no presence knob and a small 8-inch speaker, so use its built-in Overdrive channel at gain 7 to capture the cranked Laney drive. Iommi's real rig cut bass entirely (bass at 0, treble/mid on 10) through a treble booster; to prevent the HB-20R from sounding shrill while keeping the tight low end, bass is dialed down to 3 with boosted mids and treble. The Big Muff is bypassed because Iommi used a focused treble-boosted crunch rather than heavy scooped fuzz. (Solo switch: switch pickup selector to neck pickup and dig in).
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These settings are for a Harley Benton HB-20R. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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