Paranoid amp settings — Yamaha THR30II

The Black Sabbath guitar tone for “Paranoid”, dialed in for a Yamaha THR30II with a Yamaha Pacifica 112V. Studio version, Paranoid album (1970)

Original rig

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

Aggressive, cutting mid-forward crunch with sharp treble bite and minimal low-end thump

Amp settings — Yamaha THR30II

CHANNELBrit Hi (Marshall-style voicing)BOOSToff

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

Don’t have a Yamaha THR30II? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Blackstar Dist

Substituting for the Rangemaster treble booster—set tone high to replicate the treble-forward push, gain moderate to add edge without mud

Gain 4 · Tone 8 · Level 6

Why these settings

Iommi ran zero bass and maxed mids/treble into a cranked Laney—the THR30II's Brit Hi voicing is already mid-forward, so bass at 2 (not 0) prevents the Pacifica's humbuckers from sounding thin. Your Blackstar dist replaces the Rangemaster's treble-boost function; keep its tone knob high to maintain the cutting attack that defined this recording.

PRO TIPIommi picked aggressively close to the bridge with the side of his pick for that percussive bark—try angling your pick and attacking harder than feels natural to nail the riff's bite.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Yamaha THR30II. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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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.