🎸 Metal · 1970s

Rat Salad by Black Sabbath (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Black Sabbath · riff

The Rat Salad by Black Sabbath guitar tone is built on a Laney LA100BL, dialed in at gain 7.5/10, bass 7, mid 7, treble 6.5, presence 6.5 (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)

7.5

GAIN

BASS

MID

6.5

TREBLE

6.5

PRESENCE

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 7.5 sits right around the metal average (7.3); mids at 7 are above average (5.2) — mid-forward, built to cut through a mix.

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

7-8

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: 1965 Gibson SG Special ('Monkey') · Amp: Laney LA100BL (100-watt tube head, early model)

Studio recording, 1970, Paranoid album sessions. Guitar tuned down 3 semitones (C# standard). No evidence of live/touring gear or alternate guitars for this song/section.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Gibson SG songs & tones →🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →🎚️ P-90 pickups songs & tones →

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

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

1965 Gibson SG Special ('Monkey') → Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster (modified) → Laney LA100BL (100-watt tube head, early model)

Effects

boost

Tone character

classic British crunch, punchy midrange, tight, percussive attack, raw, biting overdrive, articulate note separation, slightly compressed, focused low end, open, uncompressed high end, minimal studio effects, organic amp-driven distortion

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

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

Difficulty

3.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires fast, accurate picking and tight palm muting at a brisk tempo, with syncopated rhythms that demand solid timing and control.

Worth knowing

No direct numeric amp settings for 'Rat Salad' found; settings estimated based on Laney LA100BL typical use and era, supported by Guitar World and Equipboard.
No evidence of effects pedals or amp-based effects used on the original studio recording; all distortion is amp and Rangemaster-based.
No evidence of reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, phaser, or other time/modulation effects on the riff section.
Pickup position inferred from typical Iommi usage and tone characteristics on 'Rat Salad' riff.
If alternate gear or settings are found in future, update accordingly.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Tony Iommi used a Laney Supergroup amp with moderate gain for a crunchy, mid-forward British rock tone on 'Rat Salad.' The tone is punchy with pronounced mids, tight but not boomy bass, and little to no reverb, reflecting the dry, direct production of early Sabbath recordings.

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

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Rat Salad guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Rat Salad guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 7.5, bass 7, mid 7, treble 6.5, presence 6.5, reverb 0. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Rat Salad tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: 1965 Gibson SG Special ('Monkey') · Amp: Laney LA100BL (100-watt tube head, early model); boost.

Can I get the Rat Salad 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 Black Sabbath on Rat Salad — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 7.5, bass 7, mid 7, treble 6.5, presence 6.5, reverb 0), and boost. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

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More like this

🎸 How to get Black Sabbath’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Metal guitar tones → · 🎛️ best metal amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎚️ Boost 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