Tone library / Red Hot Chili Peppers / Scar Tissue

Scar Tissue amp settings — Marshall DSL40CR

The Red Hot Chili Peppers guitar tone for “Scar Tissue”, dialed in for a Marshall DSL40CR with a Epiphone ES-335. Studio version, Californication (1999)

Original rig

1962 Fender Stratocaster (rosewood fretboard, Seymour Duncan SSL-1 pickups) → Ibanez Tube Screamer → Marshall Major 200W head

Warm, singing lead tone with controlled breakup, pronounced mids, slight compression, glassy-but-not-harsh top end

Amp settings — Marshall DSL40CR

CHANNELClassic Gain (Green)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	6
Mid	7
Treble	5
Presence	4
Reverb	2
Master	5

Don’t have a Marshall DSL40CR? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Ibanez Tube Screamer (TS9 or TS808)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for this tone. Use as a clean boost pushing the amp into mild breakup, not as a distortion source. A Boss SD-1 or EHX East River Drive are budget alternatives.

Drive 3 · Tone 5 · Level 7

Why these settings

Your ES-335 humbuckers are warmer and higher-output than Frusciante's single-coil Strat, so I dropped treble from 7→5 and raised mids from 6→7 to compensate for the lost single-coil bite. Bass reduced from 10→6 because humbuckers already deliver more low-end. The DSL's Classic Gain channel at low gain approximates the Major's Plexi-style breakup. Without a Tube Screamer, you will lack the midrange push and compression that defines this lead tone.

PRO TIPFrusciante plays this lead with his picking hand positioned over the neck pickup for a rounder attack—dig in softly and let the notes bloom rather than picking aggressively. Roll your guitar's tone knob down to 6-7 if the 335's neck humbucker still sounds too dark compared to his glassy Strat tone.

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These settings are for a Marshall DSL40CR. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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