Tone library / Steve vai / For the love of god

For the love of god amp settings — Positive Grid Spark 40

The Steve vai guitar tone for “For the love of god”, dialed in for a Positive Grid Spark 40 with a Ibanez RG470PB. Studio version, Passion and Warfare (1990) — the iconic sustained lead solo tone

Original rig

Ibanez JEM77FP (DiMarzio PAF Pro humbuckers) → Carvin X-100B head into 4x12 cab; rack-based delay/reverb, light chorus, wah for expression

Singing, sustain-heavy lead tone with smooth saturation, open mids, and spacious ambient delay/reverb — expressive and vocal-like

Amp settings — Positive Grid Spark 40

CHANNELMetal amp model (closest to Carvin X-100B high-gain voicing)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

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

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Spark built-in Noise Gate

Enable to tame hiss during silent passages and sustain swells

Threshold 4

02Spark built-in Delay (digital/tape style)

~450-500ms delay time; moderate repeats for ambient sustain

Time 5 · Feedback 4 · Mix 4

03Spark built-in Reverb (plate or hall)

Spacious reverb is essential — plate type preferred for that '80s rack-unit character

Decay 5 · Mix 4

Why these settings

The Spark's Metal amp model captures the tight, sustain-rich high-gain character of the Carvin X-100B better than its Marshall or Fender voices. Your RG470PB's Quantum humbuckers are hotter than Vai's PAF Pros, so gain stays at 7 rather than the original's ~7.5 to avoid mud. Mid at 6 (vs original's ~4.5) compensates for the Spark's slightly scooped Metal voicing — Vai's tone has prominent singing mids.

PRO TIPThis tone lives in the sustain and dynamics. Use your fretting hand's vibrato and the whammy bar for those singing, sustained notes — Vai barely picks during the melodic sections, letting feedback and sustain do the work. Roll your guitar volume to 7-8 for the quieter passages to clean up the attack slightly.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Positive Grid Spark 40. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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More tones for the Positive Grid Spark 40

JealousEyesress Money for nothingDire straits Cowboys from hellPantera Ain't Talkin' 'Bout LoveVan Halen Unchain the nightDokken Smells like a teen spiritNirvana

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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.