Paranoid amp settings — Herly Bebton HB-20R

The Black Sabbath guitar tone for “Paranoid”, dialed in for a Herly Bebton HB-20R with a Herly Bebton Stratocaster. Studio version, Paranoid album (1970)

Original rig

Gibson SG Standard (bridge pickup) → Rangemaster treble booster (modified) → Laney LA100BL head into Laney 4x12 cabs, all EQ maxed except bass at 0

Aggressive, scooped-low, treble-heavy crunch with sharp midrange bite and grinding sustain

Amp settings — Herly Bebton HB-20R

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	2
Mid	7
Treble	8
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	6

Don’t have a Herly Bebton HB-20R? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Treble Booster (e.g., TC Electronic Spark Booster or EHX LPB-1)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The Rangemaster was essential to Iommi's sound; it pushed the amp into saturation and added treble cut-through. A basic treble booster or clean boost with tone control gets you there.

Level 7 · Gain 3 · Tone 8

Why these settings

Your Herly Bebton HB-20R is a small solid-state practice amp with limited gain on tap—it cannot replicate a cranked Laney's natural tube saturation. Iommi ran bass at 0 on the original, but your Strat's single coils are already thin compared to his SG humbuckers, so bass is raised to 2 to prevent ice-pick harshness. Mid and treble stay high to preserve the aggressive bite. Without a booster pedal, this amp will sound clean and anemic; the recommended treble booster is mandatory to approximate the grind.

PRO TIPDig in hard with your pick near the bridge and use all downstrokes on the main riff—Iommi's attack is percussive and relentless, which is half the tone.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Herly Bebton HB-20R. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

Find your amp

Browse

Paranoid on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Black Sabbath tonesALL SONGS Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.