Obstacle 1 amp settings — Fender Rumble 40
The Interpol guitar tone for “Obstacle 1”, dialed in for a Fender Rumble 40 with a Fender American Professional II Jazz Bass. Studio version, Turn On the Bright Lights (2002) — Carlos D's aggressive, driven bass line
Fender Jazz Bass / G&L L-2000 into Ampeg SVT-CL / SVT-810 with heavy pick attack and natural tube grind
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Master | 5 |
01Darkglass Vintage Microtubes
Gain source — vintage tube saturation emulating driven Ampeg power tubes
Carlos D's signature sound relies on Ampeg SVT growl driven hard with a heavy pick; the Darkglass Vintage Microtubes serves as your primary tube overdrive while keeping the Rumble 40 clean. The Rumble 40 is naturally scooped, so low-mids and high-mids are boosted on the amp (set high-mid around 7 if utilizing 4-band controls) and the Bright switch is engaged to provide the cutting attack characteristic of Turn On the Bright Lights. Keep the Vintage Microtubes Era knob centered to maintain balanced 70s SVT midrange bite without getting excessively modern or fizzy.
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These settings are for a Fender Rumble 40. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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