Marshall DSL20 settings
Sultans of Swing settings for Marshall DSL20
Dire Straits · adapted 3 times on ToneAdapt
To get the Dire Straits "Sultans of Swing" solo tone on a Marshall DSL20, set Gain 3, Bass 5, Mid 3, Treble 7, Presence 4, Resonance 4. Use the neck pickup with your guitar's tone on 7-8 and volume on 8-9.
Solo settings
Adapted for a Ibanez GRGA120 · updated 2026-09-07
- Pickup
- Neck pickup
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 7-8 · Volume 8-9
Marshall DSL20 knobs
- Gain
- 3
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 3
- Treble
- 7
- Presence
- 4
- Resonance
- 4
- Reverb
- 3
Built-in effects
- Reverb on (spring) · 3
Playing tips
- Use your amp's built-in reverb set to a moderate level to recreate the spacious feel of the original tone.
- Maintain a light touch for dynamic, articulate playing.
- Focus on fingerstyle techniques to achieve a percussive attack.
The original rig
What Dire Straits used on the recording, for reference. ToneAdapt translates this to the controls your Marshall DSL20 actually has.
- Guitar
- 1978 Fender Stratocaster
- Amp
- Fender Silverface Vibrolux Reverb
- Gain
- 0
- Bass
- 6
- Mid
- 4.5
- Treble
- 7.5
- Presence
- 5
- Reverb
- 3
Different guitar or pedals? Get Sultans of Swing adapted to your exact rig
These settings were generated for the gear named above. ToneAdapt adapts Dire Straits's tone to your own guitar, pickups, amp and pedals in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Marshall DSL20 settings for Sultans of Swing?
Set Gain 3, Bass 5, Mid 3, Treble 7, Presence 4, Resonance 4.
Which pickup should I use for Sultans of Swing?
Neck pickup, with the guitar's tone at 7-8 and volume at 8-9.
What gear did Dire Straits use on Sultans of Swing?
Guitar: 1978 Fender Stratocaster. Amp: Fender Silverface Vibrolux Reverb.
Will these settings work with my guitar?
These settings were adapted for a Ibanez GRGA120. Different pickups change how much gain and treble you need. ToneAdapt adapts the tone to your exact guitar, pickups, amp and pedals.
Sultans of Swing on other amps
- Sultans of Swing on Fender Mustang LT25 · 130
- Sultans of Swing on Boss Katana · 104
- Sultans of Swing on Fender Frontman 10G · 40
- Sultans of Swing on Fender Champion 20 · 31
- Sultans of Swing on Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 · 30
- Sultans of Swing on Boss Katana 50 MkII · 25
- Sultans of Swing on Fender Frontman 15G · 23
- Sultans of Swing on Line 6 Helix Floor / LT / Rack · 21
Popular songs on the Marshall DSL20
- Master of Puppets · Metallica
- Sweet Child O' Mine · Guns N' Roses
- Walk · Pantera
- Enter Sandman · Metallica
- Holy Wars · Megadeth
- Whole Lotta Love · Led Zeppelin
- Smells Like Teen Spirit · Nirvana
- Crazy Train · Ozzy Osbourne
- Back in Black · AC/DC
- War Pigs · Black Sabbath
- Hotel California · Eagles
- Welcome to the Jungle · Guns N' Roses
Settings are generated by ToneAdapt's tone adaptation for the gear named on this page and are a starting point — every amp, guitar and room is a little different.