Were is my mind amp settings — Vox AC10C1

The Pixies guitar tone for “Were is my mind”, dialed in for a Vox AC10C1 with a Gibson Les Paul Studio. Studio version, Surfer Rosa (1988) — recorded November 1987 at Q Division Studios, Boston

Original rig

Gibson Les Paul Goldtop (70s reissue, pickup covers removed) → Peavey Special solid-state combo (or Marshall), no pedals, straight into amp using amp gain and guitar volume/tone controls. Produced by Steve Albini with ambient bathroom mic'ing for natural reverb.

Grinding, angular two-note arpeggio with gritty mid-forward crunch — raw punk edge with controlled sustain, not high-gain but aggressive attack

Amp settings — Vox AC10C1

CHANNELNormal (single channel amp)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	5
Bass	4
Treble	6
Reverb	3
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10

Why these settings

Original used a Peavey solid-state with moderate gain — your AC10C1 is Class A with natural compression and earlier breakup. The Vox will add chime and harmonic complexity the Peavey lacked, so gain stays moderate at 5 to avoid excessive saturation. Treble 6 captures the angular bite; bass 4 prevents the AC10's warmth from muddying the grinding arpeggio. Tone knob rolled to 7 tames the Les Paul's brightness through the Vox's treble-forward voicing. Light reverb 3 approximates Albini's ambient bathroom mic technique.

PRO TIPSantiago's attack defines this tone — use downstrokes with the pick angled slightly and dig in hard near the bridge. The grind comes from aggressive picking dynamics, not gain. Roll your guitar volume to 7-8 for the quieter verses to clean up naturally, then full for the heavier sections.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Vox AC10C1. 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.