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The final countdown amp settings — Amplitube Amplitube

The Europe guitar tone for “The final countdown”, dialed in for a Amplitube Amplitube with a Gibson Les Paul. Studio version, The Final Countdown (1986) — guitar solo

Original rig

1965 Fender Stratocaster (bridge single-coil/DiMarzio FS-1) into Boss DS-1 / SD-1 boost and 100W Marshall JCM800 2203 with 4x12 Celestion cabinet, studio rack delay/reverb

Cutting, bright 80s neoclassical lead with thick Marshall upper-mid crunch, tight low end, and smooth stereo delay/reverb

Amp settings — Amplitube Amplitube

CHANNELBritish Tube Lead 800 (Marshall JCM800 2203 model) + 4x12 Brit 800 cabBRIGHTon

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	6
Reverb	2
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01D-Style / Boss DS-1 Distortion (AmpliTube 'Distortion' stomp)

Used as a tight boost in front of the amp to saturate and sustain the solo

Tone 5 · Level 8 · Dist 3

02Digital Delay (AmpliTube rack/stomp)

Post-amp/rack position set to a ~380ms quarter-note delay

Time 5 · Feedback 3 · Level 3

03Digital Reverb (AmpliTube rack/stomp)

Medium plate or hall setting for 80s arena rock depth

Decay 5 · Tone 5 · Mix 3

Why these settings

John Norum recorded the iconic solo on a hot-rodded Strat bridge pickup, which has naturally more high-end bite and less output than your Gibson Les Paul. To compensate for the Les Paul's fatter humbuckers, amp treble and presence are pulled back slightly to 6 while midrange is pushed to 7 to retain cutting articulation without getting muddy. Amp gain is dialed to 6 and pushed by AmpliTube's DS-1 block running high level and modest distortion to replicate Norum's singing Marshall sustain.

PRO TIPDig in hard with a sharp, heavy pick angled slightly toward the bridge to emphasize pick attack and harmonic overtones on the fast neoclassical alternating-picked runs.

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