Riff Tone

Snowblind

Black Sabbath

Guitarmetal1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1965 Gibson SG Special (heavily modified, likely with John Birch custom pickups by 1972)

AmpLaney Supergroup 100-watt head (early 1970s model, likely LA100BL or LA100SM, full stack)

PickupsJohn Birch custom humbuckers (or P-90s replaced with custom humbuckers by Vol. 4 era)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid6

treble4.5

reverb0

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

boostUnknown Treble Booster (model unknown, likely Dallas Rangemaster or Hornby Skewes)

Notes

Studio recording, 1972 (Vol. 4 sessions). Iommi was known to use a treble booster (Dallas Rangemaster or Hornby Skewes) into the Laney Supergroup. No evidence of additional pedals or effects on the riff section. Pickup and amp details are based on era-specific interviews and forum consensus.

Tone Character(9)

thick and crunchymid-focused punchtight, percussive attackwarm, vintage British amp characterslightly compressedno excessive fizz or harshnessarticulate note separationfull-bodied low endclassic heavy rock riff sound

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, syncopated rhythm playing with strong muting and dynamic pick attack, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or extreme speed.

Sources

best amp setting for a black sabath sound - forum topic That Early Sabbath Sound - forum topic What's the amp settings for the first 5 albums. : r/blacksabbath

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