🎸 Metal · 1980s

Breaking the Law by Judas Priest (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Judas Priest · riff

The Breaking the Law by Judas Priest guitar tone is built on a Marshall Super Lead, dialed in at gain 7/10, bass 6, mid 4.5, treble 6.5, presence 6 (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

4.5

MID

6.5

TREBLE

PRESENCE

1.5

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 284 metal tones in our researched catalog: Gain 7 sits right around the metal average (7.3); mids at 4.5 are right around average (5.2).

Guitar controls

VOLUME

TONE

Original gear

Amp: Marshall Super Lead (high gain, tight)

Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing ran Marshall Super Lead amps; Tipton fitted DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers in his Strat. High-gain British metal with a tight low end and slightly scooped mids — aggressive but articulate.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Marshall Plexi songs & tones →🎚️ Marshall songs & tones →🎚️ Fender Stratocaster songs & tones →🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →

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

Pickups

bridge (DiMarzio Super Distortion)

Effects / signal chain

distortion

Tone character

tight high-gain metal, aggressive & articulate, hot humbucker, British

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

tight high-gain British metal distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Breaking the Law sound.

Difficulty

2/5 · Riff

The riff is simple power chords; the tone is a tight high-gain Marshall with a hot bridge humbucker — mids slightly scooped, bass kept tight.

Level: Beginner-friendly — see more easy guitar songs to play →

Worth knowing

Breaking the Law is tight, high-gain British metal — a Marshall Super Lead with a hot bridge humbucker (DiMarzio Super Distortion). Slightly scooped mids, tight low end, aggressive but clear. Higher gain than ’70s Sabbath but still articulate.
Use a hot bridge humbucker into a cranked Marshall-style amp, scoop the mids a touch, keep the low end tight, palm-mute. High but controlled gain.
Settings are community-researched starting points, not official recall sheets.

⚡ 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 →

Breaking the Law guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Breaking the Law guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 7, bass 6, mid 4.5, treble 6.5, presence 6, reverb 1.5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Breaking the Law tone?

Original gear/effects: Amp: Marshall Super Lead (high gain, tight); distortion.

Can I get the Breaking the Law 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 Judas Priest on Breaking the Law — what gear and pedals?

Start with bridge (DiMarzio Super Distortion), the amp EQ above (gain 7, bass 6, mid 4.5, treble 6.5, presence 6, reverb 1.5), and distortion. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

Share this tone

Sources

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

More like this

🎸 How to get Judas Priest’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Metal guitar tones → · 🎚️ Marshall Plexi settings → · 🎛️ best metal amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎚️ Distortion tone guide → · 🎯 more high gain tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

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