🎸 Rock · 1970s

Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Led Zeppelin · riff

The Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin guitar tone is built on a Supro Coronado 1690T, dialed in at gain 3.5/10, bass 6, mid 7.5, treble 6.5, presence 5.5 (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)

3.5

GAIN

BASS

7.5

MID

6.5

TREBLE

5.5

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 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 3.5 sits below the rock average (4.8) — cleaner and more dynamic than typical rock; mids at 7.5 are above average (6.2).

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

6-7

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Telecaster 'Dragon' (1959, maple neck, hand-painted finish) · Amp: Supro Coronado 1690T

Studio recording, 1969. Jimmy Page used his 'Dragon' Telecaster into a Supro Coronado 1690T amp for the main riff section of 'Heartbreaker.' No evidence of Les Paul or Marshall for this section; those were used for other tracks or live. The Telecaster was used with the bridge pickup for the riff. Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional Mk II fuzz pedal was used for the riff, not just the solo. No evidence of modulation or time-based effects in the riff section.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Marshall songs & tones →🎚️ Gibson Les Paul songs & tones →🎚️ Fender Telecaster songs & tones →🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →🎚️ fuzz songs & tones →🎚️ Supro songs & tones →

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

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Fender Telecaster 'Dragon' (1959, maple neck, hand-painted finish) → Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional Mk II → Supro Coronado 1690T

Effects

fuzz, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 3)

Tone character

aggressive and biting, mid-forward crunch, tight and percussive, raw and uncompressed, slightly fuzzy edge, articulate single-coil attack, British blues-rock flavor, dynamic response to picking, punchy low end, minimal ambience

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, loud dynamics · crunch distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Heartbreaker sound.

Difficulty

3.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires tight timing, aggressive picking, and control of dynamics to achieve the signature punch and articulation. Octave double-stops and syncopation add to the intermediate-to-advanced challenge.

Worth knowing

Amp settings are sourced from Guitar World and are likely approximations but match known Supro/Tele/Page setups for Led Zeppelin I/II era.
No evidence found for use of delay, chorus, flanger, phaser, or wah in the riff section; only fuzz is confirmed.
Presence setting is estimated (Supro amps do not have a dedicated presence knob; value inferred for completeness).
Guitar knob settings are estimated based on typical Page usage and era.
Some sources mention a fully-cocked wah for other tracks, but not for 'Heartbreaker' riff.
If you find sources claiming Les Paul/Marshall for this section, they refer to live or other songs, not the studio riff.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Jimmy Page used a Les Paul into a cranked Marshall Super Bass, yielding a crunchy, mid-forward British rock tone with strong presence and little to no reverb, matching the dry, aggressive sound of the 'Heartbreaker' riff section.

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

🎸 All Heartbreaker guitar tones — every part & section →

🎧 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 →

Heartbreaker guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Heartbreaker guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 3.5, bass 6, mid 7.5, treble 6.5, presence 5.5, reverb 1.5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Heartbreaker tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Fender Telecaster 'Dragon' (1959, maple neck, hand-painted finish) · Amp: Supro Coronado 1690T; fuzz, reverb.

Can I get the Heartbreaker 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 Led Zeppelin on Heartbreaker — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 3.5, bass 6, mid 7.5, treble 6.5, presence 5.5, reverb 1.5), and fuzz, reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

Share this tone

Sources

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 → · 🎛️ best rock amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎚️ Fuzz tone guide → · 🎯 more percussive tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

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