Tone library / Sex pistols / Anarchy in the uk

Anarchy in the uk amp settings — Blackstar Amped 2

The Sex pistols guitar tone for “Anarchy in the uk”, dialed in for a Blackstar Amped 2 with a Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s. Studio version, Never Mind the Bollocks (1977) — original single recorded October 1976 at Wessex Studios

Original rig

1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom (bridge humbucker) → MXR Phase 45 → 1972 Fender Twin Reverb (Vibrato channel, Bright ON, dimed)

Raw, aggressive power-amp crunch with slashing treble bite, roaring midrange, and tight low-end — the definitive punk rhythm tone

Amp settings — Blackstar Amped 2

CHANNELOD2 (highest gain channel, ISF full CCW toward American voicing to approximate Twin Reverb character)

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Marshall JMP800 (used as clean boost only)

Run as a clean boost to push the amp harder — Jones used no distortion pedal, just a dimed clean amp. Your JMP800 pedal adds unnecessary gain stages; keep drive minimal or bypass entirely for authenticity

Gain/Drive 2 · Tone 6 · Level/Volume 7

02Phaser (MXR Phase 45 style)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Jones specifically used an MXR Phase 45 (single knob, subtle sweep) on this track only. A Phase 90 at low speed approximates it. Without this, you lose the swirling texture on the rhythm tracks

Speed/Rate 3

Why these settings

The Blackstar Amped 2 is darker and more compressed than a cranked Twin Reverb, which had brittle, scooped American clean headroom pushed into power-amp breakup. Set ISF fully counterclockwise to get closer to that Fender voicing. Treble and mid are pushed high (+8) because the original had Treble at 9 and Mid at 10 on a bright-switched Twin — the Blackstar needs this aggression dialed in manually. The original had zero reverb; the raw, dry attack is essential to the punk aesthetic.

PRO TIPJones recorded multiple identical rhythm tracks with the Phase 45 slightly out of sync between takes, creating a massive wall of guitars. If you have a looper or DAW, double-track your rhythm part with the phaser at slightly different speeds on each pass to replicate that dense, churning texture that made this track sound larger than life.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Blackstar Amped 2. 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.