Story to tell amp settings — Marshall DSL20HR
The Death guitar tone for “Story to tell”, dialed in for a Marshall DSL20HR with a Harley benton EX-84 Modern EMG. Studio version, Symbolic (1995)
Marshall Valvestate 8100 head, Marshall VS412 4x12 cab, BC Rich Stealth with DiMarzio X2N bridge pickup, no dirt pedals (straight into amp)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 5 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01Noise Gate (GE200 Pro Li)
Essential for tight death metal palm mutes — keeps silence between riffs dead quiet
02Chorus (GE200 Pro Li) — leads only
FX loop or post-amp block — engage only for solos/leads per Chuck's approach
Your DSL20HR runs hotter than the Valvestate 8100, so gain is pulled back to 6 instead of 7. Your EMGs are higher output than the passive X2N, requiring another gain reduction. Mids pushed to 7 to match Symbolic's more mid-forward voicing compared to earlier Death records. Tone knob rolled to 8 to tame EMG's inherent brightness.
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These settings are for a Marshall DSL20HR. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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