Marshall Valvestate VS100 settings
Holy Wars settings for Marshall Valvestate VS100
Megadeth · adapted 4 times on ToneAdapt
To get the Megadeth "Holy Wars" riff tone on a Marshall Valvestate VS100, set Gain 6.5, Bass 5, Mid 4, Treble 7, Reverb 0, Fx mix 0. Use the bridge pickup with your guitar's tone on 10 and volume on 10.
Riff settings
Adapted for a Gibson Les Paul · updated 2026-10-08
- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 10 · Volume 10
Marshall Valvestate VS100 knobs
- Gain
- 6.5
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 4
- Treble
- 7
- Reverb
- 0
- Fx mix
- 0
- Contour
- 7
- Od reverb
- 0
- Mid booster
- 0
- Clean reverb
- 0
- Power dimension
- 1
Playing tips
- Use tight palm muting for a percussive attack.
- Focus on crisp pick attack for clarity in fast riffs.
- Maintain a staccato feel in your playing for aggressive articulation.
The original rig
What Megadeth used on the recording, for reference. ToneAdapt translates this to the controls your Marshall Valvestate VS100 actually has.
- Guitar
- Jackson KV Pro Dave Mustaine Signature (likely with Bill Lawrence L-500XL bridge pickup)
- Amp
- Marshall JCM800 2203 head into DeCuir 4x12 cabinet with Celestion speakers
- Gain
- 7.5
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 5.5
- Treble
- 7
- Presence
- 6.5
- Reverb
- 0
Different guitar or pedals? Get Holy Wars adapted to your exact rig
These settings were generated for the gear named above. ToneAdapt adapts Megadeth's tone to your own guitar, pickups, amp and pedals in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Marshall Valvestate VS100 settings for Holy Wars?
Set Gain 6.5, Bass 5, Mid 4, Treble 7, Reverb 0, Fx mix 0.
Which pickup should I use for Holy Wars?
Bridge pickup, with the guitar's tone at 10 and volume at 10.
What gear did Megadeth use on Holy Wars?
Guitar: Jackson KV Pro Dave Mustaine Signature (likely with Bill Lawrence L-500XL bridge pickup). Amp: Marshall JCM800 2203 head into DeCuir 4x12 cabinet with Celestion speakers.
Will these settings work with my guitar?
These settings were adapted for a Gibson Les Paul. Different pickups change how much gain and treble you need. ToneAdapt adapts the tone to your exact guitar, pickups, amp and pedals.
Holy Wars on other amps
Popular songs on the Marshall Valvestate VS100
- Master of Puppets · Metallica
- Sweet Child O' Mine · Guns N' Roses
- Walk · Pantera
- Whole Lotta Love · Led Zeppelin
- Raining Blood · Slayer
- Stairway to Heaven · Led Zeppelin
- Killing in the Name · Rage Against the Machine
- King of the Night Time World · Kiss
- Smells Like Teen Spirit · Nirvana
- Creatures Of The Night (2022 Remastered) · Kiss
- Smoke on the Water · Deep Purple
- X-Ray Eyes · Kiss
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.