🎸 Metal · 1980s

Mr. Crowley by Ozzy Osbourne (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Ozzy Osbourne · riff

The Mr. Crowley by Ozzy Osbourne guitar tone is built on a 1975-76 Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead MKII 100-watt head into Marshall 1960A/B 4x12 cabinets with Altec 417-8H speakers, dialed in at gain 6.5/10, bass 4, mid 5.5, treble 7, 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)

6.5

GAIN

BASS

5.5

MID

TREBLE

5.5

PRESENCE

0.5

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 6.5 sits right around the metal average (7.3); mids at 5.5 are right around average (5.2).

Guitar controls

VOLUME

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom · Amp: 1975-76 Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead MKII 100-watt head into Marshall 1960A/B 4x12 cabinets with Altec 417-8H speakers

Studio recording, Blizzard of Ozz sessions (1980). Gear confirmed for studio use on 'Crazy Train' and widely accepted as same for 'Mr. Crowley' riff. No evidence of alternate guitar or amp for riff section.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Marshall Plexi songs & tones →🎚️ Marshall songs & tones →🎚️ Gibson Les Paul songs & tones →🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →

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

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom → MXR Distortion+ → MXR 10-Band EQ → 1975-76 Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead MKII 100-watt head into Marshall 1960A/B 4x12 cabinets with Altec 417-8H speakers

Effects

distortion, eq

Tone character

tight and percussive, crunchy British amp drive, articulate note separation, slight mid boost for clarity, bright, cutting top end, punchy palm-muted chugs, classic Marshall crunch, focused and aggressive, not overly saturated, 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 Mr. Crowley sound.

Difficulty

3.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting, precise alternate picking, and clean chord transitions at a medium tempo, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Worth knowing

No direct amp settings for 'Mr. Crowley' riff found; settings are taken from 'Crazy Train' studio session, which used the same rig and era.
No explicit mention of effects for the riff section; all evidence points to a dry, amp-driven tone with no chorus, delay, or reverb on the rhythm riff.
Pedalboard included MXR Distortion+ and MXR 10-Band EQ, both likely always on for rhythm tone; settings inferred from 'Crazy Train' as no direct 'Mr. Crowley' source.
No evidence of modulation or time-based effects on the riff; chorus/delay used only for solos or in mixing.
All settings and pedal use are for studio recording, not live.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Randy Rhoads used a Marshall amp with high gain for saturated 80s metal, but kept mids relatively flat (not scooped) for note clarity. Bass is tight, treble and presence are boosted for cut, and reverb is minimal as the track is quite dry.

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

🎸 All Mr. Crowley guitar tones — every part & section →

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Mr. Crowley guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Mr. Crowley guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 6.5, bass 4, mid 5.5, treble 7, presence 5.5, reverb 0.5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Mr. Crowley tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom · Amp: 1975-76 Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead MKII 100-watt head into Marshall 1960A/B 4x12 cabinets with Altec 417-8H speakers; distortion, eq.

Can I get the Mr. Crowley 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 Ozzy Osbourne on Mr. Crowley — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 6.5, bass 4, mid 5.5, treble 7, presence 5.5, reverb 0.5), and distortion, eq. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

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