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Riff Tone

Heaven and Hell

Black Sabbath

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarJohn Birch Custom SG (24-fret, custom pickups, used by Tony Iommi on Heaven and Hell studio recording)

AmpModified Marshall Super Lead 1959 (modded by John 'Dawk' Stillwell, extra tube and master gain control)

PickupsJohn Birch custom humbuckers (likely Superflux or P-90 style, high output, ceramic magnet)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1980. Guitar is the John Birch Custom SG, not the Gibson SG used on earlier Sabbath albums. Amp is a Marshall Super Lead 1959, heavily modified for higher gain, used specifically for the Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules albums. No evidence of Laney amps or other guitars for this riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivecrushing, saturated distortionarticulate, mid-forwardchunky palm-muted riffingclear note separation under gainaggressive, modern metal edgefocused low endceramic pickup biteno ambient effectsdry, in-your-face rhythm

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate skill due to its precise palm muting, aggressive pick attack, and rhythmic tightness at a medium tempo. No advanced techniques, but clarity and consistency are critical.

Sources

Tony Iommi's Guitar Gear Tony Iommi Heaven and Hell Guitar Tone?

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Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarJohn Birch Custom SG (24-fret, custom pickups, used by Tony Iommi on Heaven and Hell studio recording)

AmpModified Marshall Super Lead 1959 (modded by John 'Dawk' Stillwell, extra tube and master gain control)

PickupsJohn Birch custom humbuckers (likely Superflux or P-90 style, high output, ceramic magnet)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Sources

Tony Iommi's Guitar Gear Tony Iommi Heaven and Hell Guitar Tone?

Notes

Studio recording, 1980. Guitar is the John Birch Custom SG, not the Gibson SG used on earlier Sabbath albums. Amp is a Marshall Super Lead 1959, heavily modified for higher gain, used specifically for the Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules albums. No evidence of Laney amps or other guitars for this riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivecrushing, saturated distortionarticulate, mid-forwardchunky palm-muted riffingclear note separation under gainaggressive, modern metal edgefocused low endceramic pickup biteno ambient effectsdry, in-your-face rhythm

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate skill due to its precise palm muting, aggressive pick attack, and rhythmic tightness at a medium tempo. No advanced techniques, but clarity and consistency are critical.

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Heaven and Hell settings for your amp

Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.

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Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath — Riff Tone Settings | ToneAdapt