Amoral amp settings — Marshall Plexi 1959
The Napalm death guitar tone for “Amoral”, dialed in for a Marshall Plexi 1959 with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (2020)
Peavey 5150/6505-style high-gain amp, Ibanez RG with humbuckers, likely boost pedal in front. Recorded at Parlour Studios with Russ Russell. Mitch Harris and Shane Embury shared guitar duties using tight, modern high-gain tones characteristic of their later work.
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 4 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 6 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 7 |
01High-Gain Distortion Pedal (RECOMMENDED - Boss HM-2 clone, RAT, or Metal Zone)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. A Plexi cannot produce modern grindcore saturation on its own. This pedal becomes your primary gain source; run the amp relatively clean and let the pedal do the heavy lifting.
The Plexi is a legendary rock amp but tops out at classic crunch — it physically cannot reach Napalm Death's buzzsaw grindcore saturation without a high-gain pedal in front. I've set the Plexi's EQ to emphasize the grinding mids and tight low-end the tone needs, with presence up for attack. The recommended distortion pedal is mandatory here; without it you'll get warm breakup, not grindcore. Your GIO's humbuckers are hotter than vintage PAFs, which helps push the pedal harder.
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These settings are for a Marshall Plexi 1959. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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