Hotel California amp settings — Cort CM15R
The Eagels guitar tone for “Hotel California”, dialed in for a Cort CM15R with a Thomson Les Paul. Studio version, Hotel California (1976) — Don Felder opening solo & harmonies
1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard into a cranked 1950s Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3) with Echoplex tape delay and Boss CE-1 chorus
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Bass | 5 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 3 |
| Master | 6 |
01Artec Blues Overdrive
Main gain source emulating cranked 5E3 Tweed breakup
02Mosky Blue Delay
Run into front input (subtle Echoplex slapback ambiance)
The Cort CM15R features a 3-band layout (Bass, Treble, Reverb, Clean Volume, Channel Select, Gain, O.D. Volume) without a dedicated Mid or Presence control, so mid and presence are set to null. Because the original tone relies on smooth, cranked Tweed power-tube breakup, your Artec Blues Overdrive acts as the dedicated gain source into the amp's clean channel to avoid solid-state preamp fizz. Rolling your Thomson Les Paul's tone knob back to 8 removes modern high-end bite to emulate Felder's warm PAF bridge pickup. Joe Walsh lead switch: kick on your FAB Metal with Gain at 2 and Level at 7 for Walsh's sharper, cutting section.
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These settings are for a Cort CM15R. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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