Tone library / Kansas / Carry on my wayward son

Carry on my wayward son amp settings — Ibanez Gta 10

The Kansas guitar tone for “Carry on my wayward son”, dialed in for a Ibanez Gta 10 with a Encore Fender squier stratocaster. Studio version, Leftoverture (1976) — iconic multitracked intro/verse rhythm tone

Original rig

Gibson Les Paul / PRS through Marshall-style amp stack, likely JMP or similar cranked tube amp with natural breakup, no pedals on main rhythm tracks — recorded at Studio in the Country, Bogalusa, LA

Warm, crunchy mid-forward classic rock rhythm with smooth sustain and controlled brightness — not scooped, not fizzy, PAF-style humbucker warmth
Amp settings — Ibanez Gta 10
GAIN 7 BASS 4 MID 7 TREBLE 5 REVERB 0 MASTER 6
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain7
Bass4
Mid7
Treble5
Reverb0
Master6
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Guitar
PICKUPneck TONE6 VOLUME10
Why these settings

The Ibanez GTA10 is a small solid-state practice amp with limited gain and no presence control. Original tone came from cranked Marshall tubes and Les Paul humbuckers — your Strat single coils are brighter and lower output, so I pushed mid to 7 (compensating for Fender-style scoop), kept treble modest at 5 to avoid ice-pick highs, and dropped bass to 4 to prevent muddiness through the small speaker. Neck pickup with tone rolled to 6 approximates humbucker warmth. Gain at 7 is near max usable on this amp — it won't fully saturate like the original but gets you into light crunch territory. The recording was bone dry, so reverb stays at 0.

PRO TIPRoll your picking hand closer to the neck and use the fleshy part of your thumb on downstrokes to fatten the attack — this mimics the compressed, warm pick response of a Les Paul neck humbucker that defines this tone.

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These settings are for a Ibanez Gta 10. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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