Starting-point EQ for blues tone, averaged from 55 famous blues recordings. Dial these in, then fine-tune by ear — or let the tool below adapt them to the exact amp and guitar you own.
Parisienne Walkways — Gary Moore · Ball and Biscuit — The White Stripes · Black Magic Woman — Santana · Mesías (Live) — Averly Morillo · Bound for Glory — Tedeschi Trucks Band · Lonely Boy — The Black Keys · Gold on the Ceiling — The Black Keys · La Grange — ZZ Top
Averaged across 55 famous blues recordings: gain 4.5, bass 5.5, mid 6.5, treble 6, presence 5 (out of 10). Blues tone is mostly clean-to-edge-of-breakup with your fingers and volume knob doing the work. Set gain low and push the amp, not the pedal.
Start with gain 4.5, bass 5.5, mid 6.5, treble 6, presence 5 (all out of 10), then fine-tune by ear. Lower the gain for cleaner passages, and push the mids up if the guitar disappears in a band mix.
The amps most used across these blues tones are Marshall Plexi, Fender Twin Reverb, Mesa Mark. You don’t need the exact amp, though — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials any blues tone for the amp and guitar you already own, free in the browser.
Set the starting EQ above, then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for your specific amp, guitar and pedals so it sits like the record — no new gear needed.