Tone library / Soundgarden / Black Hole Sun

Black Hole Sun amp settings — Boss Studio

The Soundgarden guitar tone for “Black Hole Sun”, dialed in for a Boss Studio with a Fender Vintera 50s Telecaster. Studio version, Superunknown (1994) — Chris Cornell's rhythm guitar tracking

Original rig

Gretsch Duo Jet (Filter'Tron humbuckers) → Marshall JMP 50 → Leslie Model 16 rotary (verse); Marshall JMP 50 + Mesa Dual Rectifier blended (chorus/heavy sections)

Warbling, underwater rotary shimmer on verses; mid-forward moderate crunch on choruses

Amp settings — Boss Studio

CHANNELCrunch amp type (JCM800 voicing closest to JMP 50)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	4
Bass	5
Mid	8
Treble	6
Presence	4
Reverb	2
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE6 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss Studio Rotary Effect (built-in)

Engage for verses only; use fast rotor speed. This is the defining texture of the song. Disengage for choruses.

Rate 7 · Depth 8 · Mix 10

02Boss Studio Chorus (built-in) — OPTIONAL LAYER

Subtle blend behind rotary for added movement; keep mix low

Rate 6 · Depth 3 · Mix 2

Why these settings

Your Tele's single coils are brighter and lower output than Cornell's Filter'Tron humbuckers. I pushed mids to 8 (original was 8) but dropped treble to 6 (original was 6-8) and rolled your tone knob to 6 to tame the Tele's ice-pick frequencies. Gain stays moderate at 4 — the original wasn't high-gain, just warm crunch.

PRO TIPThe original recording is tuned ~1/4 step sharp of Drop D. If you want to nail it exactly, tune to Drop D then nudge each string slightly sharp (~15 cents). For the verse arpeggios, use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) to get that soft, organ-like note separation the Leslie enhances.

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These settings are for a Boss Studio. 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.