Sultans of Swing amp settings — Harley Benton HB-10G
The Dire Straits guitar tone for “Sultans of Swing”, dialed in for a Harley Benton HB-10G with a Harley Benton ST-20HH. Studio version, Dire Straits debut album (1978)
1961 Fender Stratocaster (position 4 bridge+middle) into Fender Vibrolux Reverb / Music Man HD-130, no pedals
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 4 |
| Treble | 8 |
| Master | 6 |
01Compressor (e.g. MXR Dyna Comp / Keeley Compressor Plus)
RECOMMENDED — not owned. Adds the signature studio spank and smooth percussive pop.
The ST-20HH has dual humbuckers instead of Mark Knopfler's vintage Strat single-coils, so use the middle position (both pickups) with the tone wide open and treble pushed to 8 to mimic that out-of-phase quack. Keep the HB-10G gain low on the clean channel to prevent the higher-output humbuckers from pushing the solid-state preamp into fizz. The HB-10G has a 3-band EQ but lacks presence and built-in reverb, so those parameters are null.
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These settings are for a Harley Benton HB-10G. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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