Tone library / Led Zeppelin / Stairway to heaven

Stairway to heaven amp settings — Valeton GP-100

The Led Zeppelin guitar tone for “Stairway to heaven”, dialed in for a Valeton GP-100 with a Gibson Les Paul Studio. Studio version, Led Zeppelin IV (1971) — iconic electric solo section

Original rig

Fender Telecaster (Jeff Beck gift) into Supro Thunderbolt combo for solo; Gibson Les Paul for rhythm overdubs; Marshall Super Lead for live performances; Echoplex tape delay for ambiance

Warm British crunch with singing sustain, slight midrange bark, touch-sensitive dynamics, moderate gain with vocal-like lead quality

Amp settings — Valeton GP-100

CHANNELUK 80s (Marshall JCM800 model) or UK 70s (Plexi model)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Valeton GP-100 Tape Delay block

Emulates Echoplex warmth — subtle slapback, not prominent repeats

Mix 3 · Time 4 · Feedback 3

Why these settings

The GP-100's UK 80s or UK 70s amp model captures the Marshall-style midrange bark Page used live and which defined the solo's character. Gain at 5 provides the singing sustain without modern saturation — Page's studio Supro was low-wattage and broke up early. Your Les Paul's humbuckers are hotter than Page's Telecaster on the recording, so gain is conservative to avoid mud. Treble at 7 and presence at 5 give bite without ice-pick harshness.

PRO TIPPage controlled gain with his guitar volume knob — start with volume at 10 for the solo's full crunch, then roll back to 6-7 during the clean arpeggiated section to clean up dynamically without touching the amp.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Valeton GP-100. 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.