A new level amp settings — Marshall JCM900
The Pantera guitar tone for “A new level”, dialed in for a Marshall JCM900 with a Dean MLX trans brazilia. Studio version, Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
Dean ML 'Dean From Hell' with Bill Lawrence L-500XL bridge pickup → Furman PQ-4 Parametric EQ → MXR 6-Band EQ → Randall Century 200 solid-state head → Randall 4x12 with Jaguar speakers
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 8 |
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 2 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 8 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Big Muff
LEAVE OFF — Dime's tone was amp-driven with EQ boosting, not fuzz. Big Muff will muddy the tight chug this song requires.
02MXR 6-Band EQ (or similar graphic EQ)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This is essential to Dime's tone; it boosts 800Hz and 3.2kHz to cut through while the amp stays scooped. Run it BEFORE the amp input as a gain/frequency boost.
The JCM900 is naturally mid-forward where Dime's Randall solid-state was scooped and tight. Drop mids to 2 to approximate the scoop, but raise presence to 8 to recover the high-frequency cut and aggression the Randall delivered. The JCM900's tube saturation is warmer than Dime's razor-edged solid-state clipping, so keep gain at 8 rather than diming it—going higher will get mushy. Your Dean MLX with a similar body shape and pickup voicing is a strong match.
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These settings are for a Marshall JCM900. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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