Souls of black amp settings — Marshall DSL40CR
The Testament guitar tone for “Souls of black”, dialed in for a Marshall DSL40CR with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Souls of Black (1990)
Marshall JCM800 boosted with Tube Screamer, Ibanez Saber guitars with humbuckers, ADA MP-1 preamp (Alex), 1970s Marshall 4x12 with 25-watt Celestions
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 4 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 6 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 4 |
01Tube Screamer (TS9 or similar)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for the tight, focused bay area thrash tone. Without this, the DSL's gain will be flabbier in the low end. A Boss SD-1 or TC Electronic Cinders works as a budget substitute.
Your Strat's single coils are lower output and brighter than the original Ibanez humbuckers. Gain is pushed to 7 (vs ~5-6 on a humbucker rig) to compensate for the weaker signal, and treble stays high because the DSL's Ultra Gain channel is darker than a vintage JCM800. Mid is scooped to 4 to get the thrash 'V-curve' but not as low as a Rectifier sound — the JCM800 original had more midrange bite than modern metal tones.
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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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