No More Tears by Ozzy Osbourne (Riff · Clean) — Guitar Tone

The No More Tears by Ozzy Osbourne guitar tone is built on a Marshall JCM800 2203 100-watt head, dialed in at gain 0/10, bass 6.5, mid 5, treble 7, presence 4.5 (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 284 metal tones in our researched catalog: Gain 0 sits well below the metal average (7.3) — cleaner and more dynamic than typical metal; mids at 5 are right around average (5.2); presence 4.5 is below average — a smoother power-amp voicing.

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: 1981 Gibson Les Paul Custom · Amp: Marshall JCM800 2203 100-watt head (6550 tubes) into Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12T-75 speakers

Studio recording, 1991. All sources confirm this rig for the No More Tears album. Clean tone achieved by rolling back amp gain and guitar volume, pedals off except chorus. Chorus pedal (Boss CH-1) is always on for added body and subtle modulation. No wah, overdrive, or delay used in clean sections. Pickup position inferred as neck or both for warmth.

Gear used on this tone

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

Pickups

Neck pickup or both pickups (toggle in middle position)

Signal chain

1981 Gibson Les Paul Custom → Boss CH-1 Super Chorus → Marshall JCM800 2203 100-watt head (6550 tubes) into Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12T-75 speakers

Effects

chorus

Tone character

warm and rounded, subtle chorus shimmer, clear and articulate, slightly scooped mids, touch-sensitive dynamics, full-bodied cleans, active pickup clarity, tight low end, smooth top end, modulated but not warbly

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, medium dynamics · clean distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the No More Tears sound.

Difficulty

2.5/5 · Riff

The clean riff requires precise picking and muting to maintain clarity, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast tempo, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Worth knowing

• Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
• No explicit amp settings for the clean section found; settings estimated based on cited amp, era, and genre.
• Pickup selector position for clean section not directly stated; inferred from typical practice and tone description.
• Reverb setting is estimated; JCM800s do not have built-in reverb, so any reverb would be minimal and likely from the studio or a rack unit.
• All effects except chorus confirmed as off for clean section per Guitar World.
• No evidence of delay, flanger, phaser, or other modulation except chorus in clean section.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Zakk Wylde's tone on 'No More Tears' is high-gain but tight, with a slightly scooped midrange, controlled bass, and pronounced treble/presence for clarity. The production is dry with minimal reverb, matching early 90s metal conventions and Wylde's Marshall JCM800/OD setup.

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Sources

• Zakk Wylde's guitar tone on Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tears: how he got his sound | Guitar World
• “We were doing that riff and cracking up laughing the whole time”: Zakk Wylde on how a “joke” riff won Ozzy Osbourne his first ever Grammy | MusicRadar

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