Guitar tone · punk, rock

Social Distortion guitar tone: gear & amp settings

The gear and amp settings behind 20 Social Distortion songs, researched from rig rundowns, interviews and gear forums. The rig that shows up most: 1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (modded with Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90s) into Fender Bassman (blackface-era, modified, into Marshall 4x10 cab).

Guitars Social Distortion used

1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (modded with Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90s)2 songs
1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop (heavily modified, P-90 pickups)1 song
Gibson Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar1 song
Gibson Les Paul Junior (likely 1950s or reissue)1 song
Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (likely goldtop, as used by Mike Ness on studio recordings in this era)1 song
Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (likely goldtop, mini-humbuckers, as used by Mike Ness in studio in early 1990s)1 song
Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop (late 1970s, mini-humbuckers, likely P-90 conversion)1 song
Gibson Les Paul Custom (white or black, as seen in 'Story of My Life' video and live 1990 footage)1 song

Amps Social Distortion used

Fender Bassman (blackface-era, modified, into Marshall 4x10 cab)3 songs
Marshall JCM800 22032 songs
Fender Bassman (blackface-era, modified for wattage reduction) into Marshall 4x10 cabinets1 song
Fender Bassman head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet1 song
Marshall JCM800 (likely 2203 or 2204 head, era-correct for early Social Distortion recordings)1 song
Fender Blackface Bassman (modded, using Bass channel) into Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion Greenbacks1 song
Fender Bassman (vintage, likely silverface, cranked, as per studio rig for Social Distortion in early 1990s)1 song
Marshall JCM800 2203 head with Marshall 4x12 cabinet1 song

27 Social Distortion tones

Song	Part	Guitar	Amp	Gain
I Was Wrong · solo	Solo · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1970s-80s, sunburst finish)	Marshall JCM800 2203 (100W head, likely with 4x12 cabinet)	6.5
Angel's Wings · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (likely goldtop, as used by Mike Ness on studio recordings in this era)	Fender Blackface Bassman (modded, using Bass channel) into Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion Greenbacks	6
Bakersfield · solo	Solo · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely late 1970s or early 1980s, humbuckers)	Marshall amplifier (exact model not specified, likely JCM800 or JMP, as per era and Ness's known studio choices)	6
Ball and Chain · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop (late 1970s, mini-humbuckers, likely P-90 conversion)	Marshall JCM800 2203 head with Marshall 4x12 cabinet	6
Born to Kill · solo	Solo · distorted	1968 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop	Marshall JCM800 2203	6.5
Born to Kill · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (Goldtop, 1970s, with P-90 pickups)	Fender Bassman (blackface-era, modified, into Marshall 4x10 cab)	6.5
California (Hustle and Flow) · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Junior (late-’50s, double-cutaway, rerouted for PAF pickups)	Park P50M and Supro 1932R Royale (dual-amp setup) into Marshall 4x12 cabinet	6
Dear Lover · riff	Riff · distorted	1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (likely with P-90 pickups, as used by Mike Ness in this era and on this album)	Fender Bassman (vintage, likely 1959 reissue or original, as used by Mike Ness for studio rhythm tones)	6.5
Dear Lover · solo	Solo · distorted	1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (modded with P-90 pickups)	Fender Bassman (blackface-era, modified, into Marshall 4x10 cab)	7
Don't Drag Me Down · solo	Solo · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (early 1970s, likely 1971-1973, sunburst finish)	Fender Bassman head (blackface, mid-60s) into Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1995)	6.5
Don't Drag Me Down · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely late 1970s or early 1980s, sunburst finish)	Marshall JCM800 2203 (100W head, likely with 4x12 cabinet, late 1970s/early 1980s model)	6.5
Highway 101 · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Junior (likely 1950s or reissue)	Marshall JCM800 (likely 2203 or 2204 head, era-correct for early Social Distortion recordings)	6.5
I Was Wrong · riff	Riff · distorted	1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop	Fender Bassman (vintage, likely blackface or silverface, modded for higher gain)	6
King of Fools · riff	Riff · distorted	Fender Telecaster (likely 1970s or 1980s, as used by Mike Ness in studio)	Marshall JCM800 2203 (likely studio amp for Social Distortion's 1990s recordings)	6
Machine Gun Blues · solo	Solo · distorted	1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop (heavily modified, P-90 pickups)	Fender Bassman (blackface-era, modified for wattage reduction) into Marshall 4x10 cabinets	7
Prison Bound (Live) · riff	Riff · distorted	1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (modded with Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90s)	Fender Bassman Silverface (likely late 60s/early 70s) into Marshall 4x12 cab	6
Reach For the Sky · riff	Riff · distorted	1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe	Fender Bassman (blackface, vintage, likely 1967) into Marshall 4x12 cabinet	6.5
Ring of Fire · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely late 1970s/early 1980s, as used by Mike Ness on Social Distortion's 'White Light, White Heat, White Trash' and era live shows)	Marshall JCM800 2203 head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1996)	6
Road Zombie · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Custom	Marshall JCM800 2203	6.5
Story of My Life · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Custom (white or black, as seen in 'Story of My Life' video and live 1990 footage)	Fender Bassman (vintage, likely silverface or blackface, as used by Mike Ness in studio during this era)	6
Tonight · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar	Fender Bassman head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet	6
Tonight · riff	Riff · clean	1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (modded with Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90s)	Fender Blackface Bassman (Bass channel) into Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion Greenbacks	4
Walk Away (Don't Look Back) · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (1970s, with P-90 pickups)	Fender Bassman (blackface-era, modified, into Marshall 4x10 cab)	7
When She Begins · solo	Solo · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (likely goldtop, mini-humbuckers, as used by Mike Ness in studio in early 1990s)	Fender Bassman (vintage, likely silverface, cranked, as per studio rig for Social Distortion in early 1990s)	7
When She Begins · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely late 1970s or 1980s, as used by Mike Ness on Social Distortion's 1990s recordings)	Fender Bassman (vintage, often modded by Billy Zoom or Fred Taccone for Mike Ness in the studio, through Marshall 1960 cabs with Greenback speakers)	6
When the Angels Sing · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1970s/80s, Mike Ness signature P-90s not yet released at time of recording)	Fender Bassman (blackface, vintage tube head, likely 1960s, used in studio by Mike Ness for this era)	6
When the Angels Sing · solo	Solo · distorted	Gibson Les Paul Standard (late 1970s/early 1980s, likely humbuckers)	Marshall amplifier (exact model not specified, likely JCM800 or JMP era combo/head)	6

Social Distortion songs on popular amps

Exact settings ToneAdapt players use for these songs on their own amps.

Get Social Distortion's tone on your gear

Pick any Social Distortion song and ToneAdapt adapts the original rig to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.

Match a tone on the web iPhone app Android app

Frequently asked questions

What amp did Social Distortion use?

Across 20 researched songs, the amps that come up most are Fender Bassman (blackface-era, modified, into Marshall 4x10 cab) (3 songs), Marshall JCM800 2203 (2 songs), Fender Bassman (blackface-era, modified for wattage reduction) into Marshall 4x10 cabinets (1 song), Fender Bassman head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet (1 song).

What guitar did Social Distortion use?

Most often: 1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (modded with Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90s) (2 songs), 1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop (heavily modified, P-90 pickups) (1 song), Gibson Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar (1 song), Gibson Les Paul Junior (likely 1950s or reissue) (1 song).

How do I get Social Distortion's tone on my amp?

Open any Social Distortion song below to see the original gear and settings, then use ToneAdapt to adapt them to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.