Black Dog amp settings — Fender Frontman
The Led Zeppelin guitar tone for “Black Dog”, dialed in for a Fender Frontman with a Epiphone ES-335. Studio album cut, Led Zeppelin IV (1971) - main riff
1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard directly into mixing console mic preamps through two UREI 1176 Peak Limiters in series (all-button ratio mode) with no amplifier
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 4 |
01Compressor (e.g. MXR Dyna Comp or Universal Audio 1176 pedal)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; emulates the cascaded 1176 limiting that defines this studio track
02Fuzz / Preamp Overdrive (e.g. JHS Colour Box or Tone Bender clone)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; with these pedals, switch the Frontman to Clean channel, gain 2
Because the original tone was created by overloading studio mixing board preamps into 1176 compressors rather than a guitar amp, the Frontman's solid-state Drive channel at moderate gain provides the closest jagged, direct clipping sound. Keep bass restrained to prevent the small speaker from flubbing on the aggressive unison riff, and push treble to capture the bite of the studio console. With a dual-humbucker ES-335, bridge position wide open gives the necessary transient attack.
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These settings are for a Fender Frontman. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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