Tone library / Michael Bolton / How Am I Supposed to Live Without You

How Am I Supposed to Live Without You amp settings — G1Xon Zoom

The Michael Bolton guitar tone for “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”, dialed in for a G1Xon Zoom with a Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster. Studio version, Soul Provider (1989) — iconic guitar solo

Original rig

Michael Landau: Suhr/Tyler custom Strat with Seymour Duncan/Dimarzio pickups into Soldano SLO-100 / Bob Bradshaw CAE 3+ rack preamp, Eventide H3000 pitch/detune and Lexicon rack delay

Classic late-80s high-gain LA studio lead, lush micropitch/chorus detune, smooth sustain, and stereo delay
Amp settings — G1Xon Zoom
CHANNELSLO100 (Soldano model) + 4x12 CabBOOSToff
GAIN 7 BASS 5 MID 6 TREBLE 6 PRESENCE 6 REVERB 0 MASTER 7
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain7
Bass5
Mid6
Treble6
Presence6
Reverb0
Master7
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE9 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01COMP (Rack Compressor)

Zoom G1Xon COMP block for smooth studio sustain

Sense 6 · Tone 5 · Level 7

02TS Drive (Booster)

Zoom G1Xon TS Drive block pushing the SLO preamp

Gain 2 · Tone 6 · Level 8

03PitchSHFT / Detune (MicroPitch)

Zoom G1Xon PitchSHFT block set to subtle cents detune for 80s Bradshaw rack width

Shift 5 · Tone 5 · Bal 5

04Delay (Stereo Delay)

Zoom G1Xon Delay block (approx 380-400ms quarter note)

Time 5 · F.B 4 · Mix 4
Why these settings

The Clapton Strat active mid-boost should be set around 3-4 on the second tone knob to mimic Michael Landau's bridge humbucker output and fat midrange. In the Zoom G1Xon, the SLO100 amp model handles the thick, saturated distortion while the onboard detune and delay blocks replicate the iconic Bradshaw rack wet/dry rig. Amp gain is kept at 7 with a gentle TS Drive boost to retain pick clarity without excessive digital fuzz.

PRO TIPEngage the Clapton Strat's active TBX/mid boost slightly (around 3 to 4) on the bridge pickup and use a wide, slow vibrato with high-action string bending to let the sustained notes sing over the ballad's chord changes.

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These settings are for a G1Xon Zoom. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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