🎸 Metal · 1970s

War Pigs by Black Sabbath (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Black Sabbath · riff

The War Pigs by Black Sabbath guitar tone is built on a Modified Laney LA100 BL + Dallas Rangemaster treble booster, dialed in at gain 5.5/10, bass 5, mid 6, 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)

5.5

GAIN

BASS

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 284 metal tones in our researched catalog: Gain 5.5 sits below the metal average (7.3) — cleaner and more dynamic than typical metal; mids at 6 are right around average (5.2).

Guitar controls

VOLUME

TONE

Original gear

Amp: Modified Laney LA100 BL + Dallas Rangemaster treble booster

Tony Iommi played a Gibson SG into a modified Laney with a Dallas Rangemaster treble booster pushing the front end — full but clear, mid-forward British crunch. No fuzz/distortion pedals early on; the Rangemaster + cranked amp made the grit.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Gibson SG songs & tones →🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →

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

Pickups

bridge (SG humbucker)

Effects / signal chain

treble booster

Tone character

full mid-forward crunch, treble-boosted bite, clear & heavy, doom-defining

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

full mid-forward British crunch distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the War Pigs sound.

Difficulty

3/5 · Riff

The riff is approachable; the tone is a mid-forward, treble-boosted SG crunch — balanced EQ, medium gain, not a scooped modern metal tone.

Level: Beginner-friendly — see more easy guitar songs to play →

Worth knowing

War Pigs is full, CLEAR, mid-forward British crunch — a Gibson SG into a treble-boosted (Dallas Rangemaster) cranked amp. Balanced EQ (bass ~5, mid ~6, treble ~6-7), MEDIUM gain. Not scooped, not super-saturated.
Push the mids, add a treble booster/clean boost into a cranked amp, bridge humbucker. Clarity over saturation.
Settings are community-researched starting points, not official recall sheets.

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

🎧 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 →

War Pigs guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the War Pigs guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 5.5, bass 5, mid 6, 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 War Pigs tone?

Original gear/effects: Amp: Modified Laney LA100 BL + Dallas Rangemaster treble booster; treble booster.

Can I get the War Pigs 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 War Pigs — what gear and pedals?

Start with bridge (SG humbucker), the amp EQ above (gain 5.5, bass 5, mid 6, treble 6.5, presence 5.5, reverb 1.5), and treble booster. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

Share this tone

Sources

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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 mid forward tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

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