Paranoid amp settings — Marshall MG30CFX

The Black Sabbath guitar tone for “Paranoid”, dialed in for a Marshall MG30CFX with a Epiphone SG Standard. Studio version, Paranoid album (1970), recorded at Regent Sound London in approximately 8 hours

Original rig

Gibson SG Standard → Dallas Rangemaster treble booster → Laney LA100BL 100-watt head (normal channel input overloaded), presence/mid/treble maxed, bass at 0

Grinding, midrange-heavy crunch with treble-boosted bite and aggressive attack

Amp settings — Marshall MG30CFX

CHANNELOD1 (Crunch)BOOSToff

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

Iommi ran bass at 0 on the Laney, but the MG30CFX has a tighter, less woolly low-end than a cranked vintage Laney, so bass 2 prevents the tone from becoming thin. Mid pushed to 8 to replicate the Rangemaster's midrange emphasis and Laney's naturally mid-forward voice. Treble dropped from Iommi's maxed setting because the MG's digital voicing is brighter than a 1970 Laney—7 gives the bite without fizz. The MG30CFX lacks a presence knob. Boss MT-2 omitted; its scooped voicing would kill the midrange grind essential to this tone.

PRO TIPIommi's attack came from picking hard directly over the bridge pickup with downstrokes on the main riff—dig in aggressively near the bridge saddles for that percussive chunk.

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These settings are for a Marshall MG30CFX. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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