War pigs amp settings — Marshall code 25 Code25

The Black Sabbath guitar tone for “War pigs”, dialed in for a Marshall code 25 Code25 with a Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s. Studio version, Paranoid album (1970)

Original rig

Gibson SG Standard with P-90 pickups → modified Dallas Arbiter Rangemaster treble booster → Laney LA100BL Supergroup amplifier

Thick, midrange-forward crunch with tight low end and aggressive pick attack — proto-metal warmth, not modern scooped high-gain

Amp settings — Marshall code 25 Code25

CHANNELPlexi amp model (or JTM45 if Plexi unavailable)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	5
Presence	6
Reverb	0
Master	6

Don’t have a Marshall code 25 Code25? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Treble Booster / Clean Boost (e.g., TC Electronic Spark Mini, MXR Micro Amp, or Boss SD-1 as boost)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Iommi's Rangemaster pushed the amp into saturation and added upper-mid bite. Without this, the Code 25's Plexi model will sound too clean for the main riff. An SD-1 with low drive and high level works as a budget substitute.

Level/Boost 7 · Tone (if present) 7 · Drive/Gain (if present) 2

Why these settings

Your Les Paul's humbuckers are hotter and warmer than Iommi's P-90s, so I dropped bass from the original 5-6 to 4 and pushed mids to 7 to recover the midrange bark that defines this tone. The Code 25's Plexi model is the closest match to the Laney Supergroup's Marshall-derived circuit. Without a boost pedal, you'll be cleaner than the record — consider the SD-1 recommendation seriously.

PRO TIPIommi picks hard and close to the bridge with downstrokes on the main riff — this adds the percussive attack that makes 'War Pigs' punch through. Roll your tone knob to 8 instead of 10 to tame any digital fizz from the Code's modeling.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Marshall code 25 Code25. 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.