Tone library / Ozzy Osbourne / No more tears

No more tears amp settings — Vox AC30C2

The Ozzy Osbourne guitar tone for “No more tears”, dialed in for a Vox AC30C2 with a Gretsch G5220 Electromatic. Studio version, No More Tears album (1991)

Original rig

Marshall JCM800 2203 100W head with 6550 tubes, Gibson Les Paul Custom with EMG 81/85 active pickups, Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive (always on), Boss CH-1 Super Chorus (always on)

Aggressive saturated crunch with tight low-end, scooped-ish mids, signature pinch harmonics, subtle chorus thickening throughout

Amp settings — Vox AC30C2

CHANNELTop BoostBRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	10
Bass	6
Mid	4
Treble	5
Reverb	0
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The original uses a cranked JCM800 with an SD-1 boost for saturated high-gain — the AC30 is a Class A clean/edge-of-breakup amp that cannot reach this saturation level even at full gain. Without a drive pedal, you are limited to the AC30's natural breakup which tops out at classic rock crunch, not '90s metal. Treble dropped from original 9 to 5 because the AC30 Top Boost channel has an aggressive treble peak around 3-4kHz that will turn harsh; bass raised slightly to compensate for the Gretsch's brighter FilterTron pickups vs EMG humbuckers. The AC30 has no presence control — use the Cut/Tone Cut if your C2 has it (set around 3 o'clock for some high-end roll-off).

PRO TIPTo get closer to Zakk's tone, you need a high-gain overdrive or distortion pedal (Boss SD-1, Tube Screamer, or a RAT) running into the AC30 on a cleaner setting — this is a pedal-platform situation. Without one, focus on the main riff's feel: dig in hard with the pick near the bridge and practice pinch harmonics on the 3rd fret of the low E for that signature squeal.

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These settings are for a Vox AC30C2. 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.