Parisienne Walkways amp settings — Marshall JCM900
The Gary Moore guitar tone for “Parisienne Walkways”, dialed in for a Marshall JCM900 with a Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s. Studio version, Back on the Streets (1978) — recorded at Morgan Studios, London
1959 Gibson Les Paul 'Greeny' (Peter Green's guitar with reversed/out-of-phase neck pickup) → Mesa Boogie combo → 4x12 cabinet, miked with Neumann U87. EMT 140 plate reverb added at mix. No overdrive pedals on this track.
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 5 |
| Reverb | 6 |
| Master | 5 |
01Compressor (Boss CS-3 or MXR Dyna Comp)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for achieving Moore's signature endless sustain on this ballad. The original tone's sustain came from technique + studio compression, but a compressor pedal gets you there live.
The original used a Mesa Boogie on a clean, high-headroom setting—your JCM900 is more mid-forward and breaks up earlier. Using the clean channel with gain at 3 keeps it from crunching prematurely. Mid pushed to 7 compensates for the Mesa's fuller low-mid response vs the JCM900's tighter voicing. Reverb at 6 approximates the lush EMT 140 plate—the JCM900's spring reverb is brighter, so don't exceed this.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Marshall JCM900. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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