Paranoid amp settings — Marshall DSL40CR

The Black Sabbath guitar tone for “Paranoid”, dialed in for a Marshall DSL40CR with a Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s. Studio version, Paranoid album (1970)

Original rig

Gibson SG Standard → Dallas Rangemaster treble booster → Laney LA100BL (presence/mid/treble on 10, bass 0)

Aggressive, scooped low-end, searing upper-mids with treble-boosted bite and saturated grind

Amp settings — Marshall DSL40CR

CHANNELUltra Gain (Green/Crunch mode)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	2
Mid	7
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	0
Master	5

Don’t have a Marshall DSL40CR? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Treble Booster (TC Electronic Spark Booster or EHX LPB-1)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. A Rangemaster-style treble booster is essential to this tone; it pushes the preamp into that cutting, harmonically-rich saturation Iommi achieved. Without it, you lose the iconic sizzle and aggressive attack.

Level 7 · Gain 3 · Treble 8

Why these settings

Iommi ran bass at 0 on the Laney, but Marshalls are already mid-forward and lack the Laney's low-end bloom—bass at 2 prevents the tone from becoming thin and ice-picky. Mid pushed to 7 compensates for the DSL's tighter midrange vs the woolly Laney voicing. The Rangemaster did the heavy lifting for Iommi's saturation; without one, the DSL's gain stage gets you in the ballpark but lacks that trebly push and harmonic complexity.

PRO TIPIommi's finger injury forced him to use light strings and develop a precise, controlled pick attack—dig in hard on the downstrokes but keep the pick angle shallow to get that percussive chunk without mud. The tone lives in the pick attack as much as the gear.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Marshall DSL40CR. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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