Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie guitar tone is built on a Marshall Major "The Pig", dialed in at gain 5.5/10, bass 5, mid 7, treble 6, presence 5.5 (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 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 5.5 sits right around the rock average (4.8); mids at 7 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Amp: Marshall Major "The Pig" (200W) — cranked

Mick Ronson’s stripped 1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom into a 200W Marshall Major ("The Pig") with a Cry Baby wah parked at a fixed sweet spot — thick, mid-forward glam crunch.

Gear used on this tone

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

Pickups

bridge (Les Paul Custom)

Effects / signal chain

wah

Tone character

thick glam crunch, mid-forward, vocal cocked-wah, singing sustain

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

thick mid-forward glam crunch distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Ziggy Stardust sound.

Difficulty

3/5 · Riff

Approachable chords and bends; the tone is a mid-forward Les Paul through a loud Marshall with a parked wah.

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

Worth knowing

• This is the Mick Ronson glam-rock tone — a Gibson Les Paul Custom into a cranked Marshall with a Cry Baby wah PARKED (cocked) at a fixed spot for the vocal, mid-forward honk. Thick and mids-up, not scooped.
• Push the mids, moderate gain, and try a half-cocked wah held in one position for that nasal Ronson voice.
• Settings are community-researched starting points, not official recall sheets.

Ziggy Stardust guitar tone — FAQ

Share this tone

Sources

• The Sound Behind Bowie’s "Heroes" — Guitar Player
• The Anatomy of Mick Ronson’s Guitar Tone — Pro Audio Files
• Mick Ronson’s Ziggy-era Les Paul Custom — Guitar Player

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More like this

🎸 How to get David Bowie’s guitar tone →  ·  🎸 more Rock guitar tones →  ·  🎛️ best rock amp settings →  ·  🎸 more iconic guitar riffs →  ·  🎚️ Wah tone guide →  ·  🎯 more singing sustain tones →  ·  📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

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