Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love amp settings — Marshall MG30CFX
The Van Halen guitar tone for “Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love”, dialed in for a Marshall MG30CFX with a Epiphone Les Paul Studio. Studio version, Van Halen (1978) - intro arpeggio and main riff
1968 Marshall Super Lead 100W (variac lowered to ~90V), Ibanez Destroyer ('Shark', Korina body, Super 70/PAF humbucker), MXR Flanger, MXR Phase 90, Maestro Echoplex EP-3
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 5 |
01Overdrive
Used as a clean mid-boost into the Marshall Crunch channel to tighten low-end and mimic a cranked Super Lead.
02MXR Flanger
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Crucial for the metallic sweep on the main arpeggiated riff.
The MG30CFX lacks a physical presence knob, so upper-mid cut is dialed via treble at 6 and mid pushed to 7 on the Crunch channel. The owned Overdrive pedal is staged as a tight front-end boost (low drive, high level) to compress and push the solid-state preamp into authentic Plexi sag without turning muddy. The Les Paul humbucker delivers the necessary output, so keep bass at 5 to prevent the 10-inch speaker from farting out on palm mutes.
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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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