School days amp settings — Blackstar ID:Core 20 V3
The The runaways guitar tone for “School days”, dialed in for a Blackstar ID:Core 20 V3 with a Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s. Studio version, Waitin' for the Night (1977)
Joan Jett: Gibson Melody Maker into Marshall JMP/Plexi-style amps; Lita Ford: BC Rich/Gibson through Marshall stacks. Minimal pedals—tone came from cranked amp overdrive. Bright, mid-forward crunch typical of late-70s LA hard rock.
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01Boss DS-1 Distortion
Use as a clean boost only—Dist at 0, Level pushed. This adds pick attack and slight compression like hitting a Marshall front end harder. The amp's Crunch channel provides the actual dirt.
The original was cranked Marshalls with minimal pedals. Your ID:Core's Crunch voice with ISF set British gets you in the ballpark. I pushed mids to 7 (vs typical 5) because the Blackstar's digital voicing is slightly scooped compared to a real JMP. Tone knob rolled to 7 tames the Epiphone's bridge humbucker brightness—the original Melody Maker pickups were lower output and slightly darker.
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These settings are for a Blackstar ID:Core 20 V3. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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