🎸 Blues · 1960s

Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King (Solo · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Albert King · solo

The Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King guitar tone is built on a Acoustic 360 / Fender, dialed in at gain 5/10, bass 6, mid 7, treble 5, presence 5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

GAIN

BASS

MID

TREBLE

PRESENCE

REVERB

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 54 blues tones in our researched catalog: Gain 5 sits right around the blues average (4.6); mids at 7 are right around average (6.5); treble 5 is below the 6.0 norm (darker, smoother top end).

Original gear

Guitar: Gibson Flying V ("Lucy") · Amp: Acoustic 360 / Fender

Albert played a Flying V (upside-down, left-handed) with unique tuning; his bends are legendary.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Gibson Flying V songs & tones →

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

Pickups

neck pickup

Signal chain

Gibson Flying V ("Lucy") → Acoustic 360 / Fender

Tone character

Thick, warm, vocal lead with huge sustaining bends — dark and powerful, treble rolled back.

Worth knowing

Amp settings are an informed estimate from the artist's documented rig and era; blues tone lives in the hands, so adapt by ear and lean on your volume knob.

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

Recognise famous songs from just the amp dials — a quick 10-round game. Beat your friends. Play free →

🎸 Which guitar legend is your tone twin? Take the quiz & share your result →

Born Under a Bad Sign guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Born Under a Bad Sign guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 5, bass 6, mid 7, treble 5, presence 5, reverb 3. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Born Under a Bad Sign tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Gibson Flying V ("Lucy") · Amp: Acoustic 360 / Fender.

Can I get the Born Under a Bad Sign tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like Albert King on Born Under a Bad Sign — what gear and pedals?

Start with neck pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 5, bass 6, mid 7, treble 5, presence 5, reverb 3). Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

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Free practice tools

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Songs by level: 🎯 Easy · 🎸 Intermediate · 🔥 Hardest — each with the amp settings.

More like this

🎸 How to get Albert King’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Blues guitar tones → · 🎛️ best blues amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar solos → · 🎯 more singing sustain tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com