Smoke On the Water amp settings — Marshall 8100
The Deep Purple guitar tone for “Smoke On the Water”, dialed in for a Marshall 8100 with a Ibanez Arc300 Les Paul. Studio version, Machine Head (1972), recorded at the Grand Hotel in Montreux, December 1971
1968 Fender Stratocaster (maple neck, single coils) → Hornby-Skewes Treble Booster → Marshall 100W Super Lead (Major) head into 4x12 cab
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 5 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 5 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Treble Booster (e.g., TC Electronic Spark Booster, EHX LPB-1, or any clean boost with treble emphasis)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Blackmore's Hornby-Skewes treble booster was essential to the recording. Without it, increase amp treble to 7 and gain to 6, but you'll lose some of the sizzle and cut.
Your Ibanez ARC300 has hotter humbuckers than Blackmore's single-coil Strat, so gain is dropped from what a Strat would need (original settings assume 7+ gain with single coils). The 8100's solid-state power section is tighter than a tube Marshall, so bass stays moderate at 6 to avoid flub. Mids pushed to 7 to replicate the Plexi bark Blackmore got from his cranked Major.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Marshall 8100. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
Get ToneAdapt on Google PlaySong, 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.