Tone library / Queen / Bohemian rhapsody

Bohemian rhapsody amp settings — Positive Grid Spark 40

The Queen guitar tone for “Bohemian rhapsody”, dialed in for a Positive Grid Spark 40 with a Ibanez RGRT421-WK. Studio version, A Night at the Opera (1975) — main guitar solo

Original rig

Red Special (Burns Tri-Sonic pickups, neck+middle in series out-of-phase) -> Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster -> cranked Vox AC30 (Normal channel)

Nasal, singing vocal lead with hollow out-of-phase bite and focused upper-mid saturation

Amp settings — Positive Grid Spark 40

CHANNELMatch DC (Matchless/AC30 model) + 2x12 CabBRIGHToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	4
Mid	8
Treble	6
Reverb	2
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPneck+middle TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Booster block (Spark app Drive slot: Treble Boost / Dallas Rangemaster model)

Engaged in front of the Match DC amp model to replicate the Rangemaster pushing the AC30

Boost 8 · Tone 7

02Delay block (Spark app Delay slot: Digital Delay)

Subtle studio room doubling/slapback (FX loop block)

Time 3 · Feedback 2 · Level 2

Why these settings

The Spark 40 has no dedicated physical presence knob, so it is set to null; top-end bite is shaped via the treble knob and Spark's onboard treble booster block. Brian May's tone relies on neck and middle pickups wired in series and out-of-phase; on your 2-humbucker Ibanez, position 4 (neck pickup in parallel) or position 2/inner coils provides the closest hollow, nasal out-of-phase voice. Because your humbuckers are hotter and thicker than Tri-Sonics, amp bass is trimmed to 4 and mids pushed to 8 to maintain that vocal, piercing cut. For the heavy rock section after the opera, switch to the bridge humbucker and roll tone to 10.

PRO TIPBrian May famously played with an old British sixpence instead of a standard plectrum; use a rigid, heavy coin or hold a stiff pick at an angle with the serrated edge scraping the strings to capture the sharp, metallic chirp on the note attacks.

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These settings are for a Positive Grid Spark 40. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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