Riff Tone

Iron man

Unknown Artist

Guitarmetal1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1965 Gibson SG Special

AmpLaney Supergroup MK 1 100-watt head with Laney 4x12 cabinet (Celestion G12-25M speakers likely)

PickupsP-90 single coil

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid7

treble6

reverb0

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

boostDallas-Arbiter Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster Treble Booster

Notes

Studio recording, 1970, Paranoid album. Gear confirmed for studio use on 'Iron Man' riff. No evidence of additional pedals beyond treble booster. No amp reverb or built-in effects on this amp.

Tone Character(10)

fat, fuzz-like distortiontight and punchy low endmidrange growlsustaining power chordsaggressive and percussive attackclassic British amp crunchslightly nasal trebleraw and uncompresseddark, heavy riffingminimal ambient effects

Difficulty

The riff is iconic but not technically complex; difficulty comes from maintaining tight rhythm, palm muting, and the heavy, percussive feel.

Sources

Tonal Recall: The Secrets Behind the Extraordinary Guitar Sounds ...Master of Reality: Sound Like Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi - Reverb

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account