Tone library / Guthrie Govan / The outsider

The outsider amp settings — Vox VT40X

The Guthrie Govan guitar tone for “The outsider”, dialed in for a Vox VT40X with a Gibson Les Paul Classic. Studio version, from JTC Guitar Hero Ballads (2014)

Original rig

Guthrie Govan typically uses a Suhr guitar with HSS configuration, Cornford/Victory amps, and a clean-to-edge-of-breakup tone with touch sensitivity. This track features a warm, vocal lead tone with moderate gain and rich harmonic content.

Warm, singing lead tone with smooth sustain, vocal midrange presence, and crystalline highs — touch-sensitive and dynamic

Amp settings — Vox VT40X

CHANNELBoutique OD (Dumble-style model)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	5
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	5
Reverb	3
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The VT40X's Boutique OD model approximates the warm, touch-sensitive Dumble/Cornford-style amp Guthrie favors. Your Les Paul's neck humbucker runs hotter than Guthrie's Suhr single-coils, so gain is kept at 5 to preserve clarity and dynamics. Mid pushed to 7 captures the vocal quality; tone knob at 7 tames the humbucker's extra darkness while retaining warmth.

PRO TIPRoll your guitar volume back to 7-8 for the cleaner passages and dig in with your pick attack for the singing sustain sections — Guthrie's tone lives in the dynamics between soft touch and aggressive dig, not static gain.

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These settings are for a Vox VT40X. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, 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.