Achilles Last Stand (Remaster) by Led Zeppelin (Solo · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Achilles Last Stand (Remaster) by Led Zeppelin guitar tone is built on a Marshall Super Lead 1959, dialed in at gain 6.5/10, bass 6, mid 7, treble 7, presence 6.5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

Amp settings (0–10)

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 6.5 sits above the rock average (4.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most rock tones; mids at 7 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: 1971 Gibson Les Paul Custom · Amp: Marshall Super Lead 1959 (100W Plexi)

Studio recording, 1975-1976 sessions for 'Presence'; solo section. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this section. Effects chain includes phaser pedal, as confirmed by multiple sources.

Gear used on this tone

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

1971 Gibson Les Paul Custom → MXR Phase 90 → Marshall Super Lead 1959 (100W Plexi)

Effects

phaser, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (plate, level 2)

Tone character

singing sustain, swirling phaser modulation, aggressive upper-midrange bite, tight and articulate, classic British crunch, rich harmonic overtones, cutting, present solo tone, dynamic pick attack, slightly compressed, notably modulated solo sound

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, fast tempo, loud dynamics · crunch distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Achilles Last Stand (Remaster) sound.

Difficulty

4/5 · Solo

The solo demands advanced picking technique, rapid fretboard movement, and tight synchronization with the song's fast tempo and phaser modulation, making it challenging for most players.

Worth knowing

• No official studio amp settings found; amp and knob values estimated based on typical Marshall Plexi usage in 1970s rock and Jimmy Page's known preferences.
• Phaser effect confirmed by multiple sources and is clearly audible in the solo; model inferred as MXR Phase 90 based on era and Page's known gear.
• No evidence of delay, chorus, flanger, or wah in the solo section; only phaser is clearly audible.
• Exact pickup selector position not documented, but bridge pickup is standard for Page's solos of this era.
• No pedal settings found; typical Phase 90 speed estimated based on audio.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Jimmy Page's 'Achilles Last Stand' solo tone is a classic British rock crunch with forward mids, moderate gain, and a slightly bright but not harsh top end, likely from a cranked Marshall. The bass is solid but not boomy, presence adds clarity, and reverb is minimal, consistent with 1970s production and Page's typical amp settings.

Achilles Last Stand (Remaster) guitar tone — FAQ

Share this tone

Sources

• Skreddy Little Miss Sunshine Phaser Review - Premier Guitar
• Guitar Tones on Zeppelin's Achilles Last Stand | The Gear Page

Free practice tools

🎤 Online guitar tuner →  ·  🎶 Guitar chords →  ·  🎸 Guitar tunings →  ·  🎚️ Tuning chart →  ·  🎼 Guitar scales →  ·  🎚️ Chord transposer & capo →  ·  🥁 Metronome →  ·  🎶 Song chords →  ·  🎧 Guess the Tone game →  ·  🎸 Tone Legend quiz →  ·  📊 Tone data report →

🔥 The most famous guitar tones of all time →  ·  🎯 Easy guitar songs to play (with settings) →  ·  🗂️ Browse tone collections (by genre & language) →

More like this

🎸 How to get Led Zeppelin’s guitar tone →  ·  🎸 more Rock guitar tones →  ·  🎚️ Marshall Plexi settings →  ·  🎛️ best rock amp settings →  ·  🎸 more iconic guitar solos →  ·  🎚️ Phaser tone guide →  ·  🎯 more singing sustain tones →  ·  📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Related tones