I Believe in a Thing Called Love amp settings — Marshall MG30CFX
The The Darkness guitar tone for “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”, dialed in for a Marshall MG30CFX with a Fender Telecaster Thinline. Studio version, Permission to Land (2003)
Gibson Les Paul Custom (stock 498 humbuckers) → Marshall Plexi 1959 Super Lead / Mesa Dual Rectifier → Marshall 1960 cabs. Dan used occasional Ibanez TS808 for solos.
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 8 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Presence | 6 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Tube Screamer (TS9 or TS808)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for solo boost and to tighten low-end on the MG30. Use as a mid-push into the dirty amp, not as primary gain source.
Your Tele's single coils are brighter and lower output than the Les Paul's humbuckers, so I pushed mid to 8 (vs typical 6-7) to compensate for the missing mahogany chunk and dropped treble to 5 to avoid ice-pick. The MG30's solid-state OD channel lacks the sag and compression of a cranked Plexi, so gain sits at 7 to get saturation without fizz—a TS pedal would restore the mid-hump and tightness the original had.
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These settings are for a Marshall MG30CFX. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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