Tone library / The Local Train / Choo Lo

Choo Lo amp settings — Engl Powerball II

The The Local Train guitar tone for “Choo Lo”, dialed in for a Engl Powerball II with a Cort X1. Studio version, Aalas Ka Pedh (2015) — iconic intro clean/arpeggio and ambient lead tone

Original rig

Fender Stratocaster / Telecaster -> Tube Screamer / Overdrive -> British-voiced tube amp (Marshall/Vox clean-to-edge breakup) -> Analog Delay & Hall Reverb

Dynamic, chimey indie-rock clean tone with slight compression, mild warmth, and spacious delay/reverb
Amp settings — Engl Powerball II
CHANNELChannel 1 (Clean)BRIGHTonBOOSToff
GAIN 3 BASS 5 MID 6 TREBLE 6 PRESENCE 5 MASTER 4
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain3
Bass5
Mid6
Treble6
Presence5
Master4
Don’t have a Engl Powerball II? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →
Guitar
PICKUPneck TONE9 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01Analog / Digital Delay

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned (run in FX loop or front of clean channel)

Time 5 · Feedback 4 · Mix 4

02Hall Reverb

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned

Decay 6 · Tone 5 · Mix 4
Why these settings

The Engl Powerball II is an ultra-high-gain modern metal amp, so use Channel 1 (Clean) with gain dialed back to 3 to achieve the warm, airy headroom heard on the original track. The Cort X1's stock ceramic humbuckers are hotter and darker than Paras Thakur's single-coil Fender sound, so engaging the amp's Bright switch and pushing the treble to 6 compensates for pickup darkness. Because the song relies heavily on ambient space, a delay and reverb are recommended in the Powerball's FX loop.

PRO TIPPick lightly with the flesh of your fingers or a thin pick near the middle of the body rather than right by the bridge to recreate the soft, emotive transient attack of the intro chords.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Engl Powerball II. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play
More tones for the Engl Powerball II
My Kind of WomanMac DeMarco
Find your amp
Browse
Engl Powerball II settingsALL SONGS FOR THIS AMP Choo Lo on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP The Local Train tonesALL SONGS Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.

Get ToneAdapt — first match free