the black sea amp settings — Marshall Code 50
The steve hackett guitar tone for “the black sea”, dialed in for a Marshall Code 50 with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, The Roaring Waves (2026)
Fernandes Sustainer Les Paul / Goldtop via SansAmp / Marshall / DigiTech Whammy into delay and ambient reverb
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Presence | 4 |
| Reverb | 5 |
| Master | 5 |
01EHX Small Stone Phaser
Set Color switch down (off) for a gentle, slow movement underneath long sustained leads
02Marshall Code Onboard Delay
Select Studio Delay on the Code 50 to emulate Hackett's spacious tape/digital delay
03Marshall Code Onboard Compressor
Onboard pre-FX compressor to mimic Hackett's signature infinite Fernandes Sustainer hold
Hackett records his signature singing lines using humbuckers and an onboard Sustainer pickup, so your Player Strat's single-coil neck pickup needs the Code's onboard compressor block engaged to maintain infinite note decay. The OD JVM preamp model provides the saturated, compressed gain structure without needing external dirt pedals, while rolling your Strat tone knob to 8 softens single-coil spikiness into Hackett's violin-like warmth. Keep the Small Stone phaser on an ultra-slow sweep to add subtle textural motion without overwhelming the vocal lead melody. Clean rhythm passages: roll guitar volume down to 5 or switch to the Code's Clean Plexi preset with delay.
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These settings are for a Marshall Code 50. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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