Tone library / Led Zeppelin / Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven amp settings — Fender GA-10

The Led Zeppelin guitar tone for “Stairway to Heaven”, dialed in for a Fender GA-10 with a Squier Bullet Stratocaster. Studio version, Led Zeppelin IV (1971) — focusing on the famous solo tone

Original rig

Late-1950s Fender Telecaster ('Dragon' Tele) through Supro combo amp for intro/solo, Marshall Super Lead for heavier solo sections

Singing, mid-forward overdrive with bright cut and smooth sustain — articulate single-coil bite with tube compression

Amp settings — Fender GA-10

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	5
Presence	0
Reverb	2
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The GA-10 is a small solid-state practice amp with limited headroom and no presence control. The original Supro was a low-wattage tube combo that broke up naturally when pushed. I raised mid to 7 (vs original ~6) because Fender-voiced circuits scoop mids — you need to compensate to get that singing, vocal-like sustain Page achieved. Treble dropped to 5 because the Strat's single coils are brighter than Page's Tele, and the GA-10 already leans bright. Gain at 6 pushes the preamp for mild breakup without mud. Without a tube power section, this amp cannot replicate the Supro's compression and harmonic bloom — this is the closest honest approximation.

PRO TIPRoll your Strat's tone knob to 7 and dig in with your pick near the bridge for that throaty, slightly nasal vocal quality Page gets. Use your picking dynamics — soft for the clean arpeggios, then attack hard for the solo to push the amp into breakup. The original tone breathes because Page played into the amp's compression; mimic that by varying your attack rather than expecting the amp to do the work.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender GA-10. 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.