Tone library / Queen / Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody amp settings — Sanchez Gm815

The Queen guitar tone for “Bohemian Rhapsody”, dialed in for a Sanchez Gm815 with a Barros Usa model. Studio version, A Night at the Opera (1975) — main guitar solo

Original rig

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

Nasal, singing vocal-like midrange lead with harmonic chime and rich sustain

Amp settings — Sanchez Gm815

CHANNELOverdrive / LeadBOOSTon

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	5
Mid	8
Treble	7
Reverb	2
Master	6

Don’t have a Sanchez Gm815? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck+middle TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Treble Booster (Dallas Rangemaster style)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned

Boost 8

Why these settings

The Sanchez GM815 is an unrecognized solid-state practice amplifier, so faceplate controls are mapped to standard EQ while presence is nulled. Because Brian May derived his sustain by slamming a cranked Vox with a germanium treble booster, set the amp's drive channel gain to 7 and push mid and treble forward to mimic that aggressive upper-mid push. If you add a dedicated treble booster later, reduce amp gain to edge-of-breakup clean and let the pedal drive the front end.

PRO TIPBrian May famously wired his Burns Tri-Sonic pickups in series and flipped the phase switch on the neck and middle combination to create that hollow, vocal 'quack'—use a rigid sixpence or metallic coin instead of a plastic pick right near the bridge to replicate the razor-sharp string attack.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Sanchez Gm815. 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.