What amp settings do I need for the Paint It Black guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 2.5, bass 4.5, mid 6, treble 7, presence 5.5, reverb 2.5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

Can I get the Paint It Black 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.

🎸 Rock · 1960s

Paint It Black (Riff · Clean) — Guitar Tone

Q: What gear was used for the Paint It Black tone?

Original gear/effects: Amp: Clean/edge-of-breakup amp (bright) — to mimic the droning sitar line on guitar; reverb.

by The Rolling Stones · riff

The Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones guitar tone is built on a Clean/edge-of-breakup amp, dialed in at gain 2.5/10, bass 4.5, mid 6, treble 7, presence 5.5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ Adapt this tone to YOUR guitar & amp — free →

Amp settings (0–10)

2.5

GAIN

4.5

BASS

MID

TREBLE

5.5

PRESENCE

2.5

REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

Original gear

Amp: Clean/edge-of-breakup amp (bright) — to mimic the droning sitar line on guitar

Pickups

bridge (bright, sitar-like bite)

Effects / signal chain

reverb

Tone character

bright clean, droning & minor, sitar-evoking, brooding

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

bright clean (sitar-evoking) distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Paint It Black sound.

What makes the Paint It Black part tricky

minor-key riff, droning notes, feel. GuitarToneAdapt gets the tone right so you can focus on the playing.

Note: Paint It Black’s melody was a SITAR (Brian Jones) over Keith Richards’ acoustic. On guitar, use a bright, clean-to-edge tone (treble up) and let the notes ring/drone to evoke the sitar — not a distorted rock tone. A little reverb helps., Bright bridge pickup, low gain, treble up, let notes ring. Aim for the droning, minor-key sitar feel rather than crunch., Settings are community-researched starting points, not official recall sheets.

Get these exact settings for your rig →

🎧 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 →