Real AmpTuning: E StandardPickup: BridgeMost AccurateCrunch

Basement-Lab Arena Stack — Filtered Marshall Wall

Boston — More Than a Feeling
N

ndever

Jul 12, 2026

Tom Scholz’s early Boston sound used a Les Paul into a fully driven Marshall, load-box attenuation, fixed-wah-style midrange filtering, EQ and extensive layered recording. Barry Goudreau recalled turning the Marshall all the way up and finding the sound with the wah and midrange setting; exact song controls were not preserved, so the values below are approximated from that documented method. Source: Guitar Player’s Barry Goudreau interview (2025) and Premier Guitar’s Tom Scholz feature.

Signal Chain

1968 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop with P-90 pickups→Fixed Wah / Midrange Filter→Marshall Super Lead with custom load box→Marshall 4x12→Stereo Double / Micro-Pitch→Output
Guitar1968 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop with P-90 pickups
Tone
8.5
PickupBridge
TuningE Standard
Volume
10
PedalFixed Wah / Midrange Filter
Q5
LevelUnity
Position6.5
AmpMarshall Super Lead with custom load box
Bass
4
Mids
8
Treble
6
Presence
6
Volume I10
Volume II6
Cab / IRMarshall 4x12
MicSM57-style dynamic mic
Mic PositionSlightly off-axis, a short distance from the cone
EffectStereo Double / Micro-Pitch
Mix
3.5
Left Detune-6 cents
Right Detune+6 cents

Notes

Build width with tightly played layers and a small detune rather than excessive reverb. The fixed filter should emphasize the singing upper mids without becoming a nasal cocked-wah caricature.

Don't have this gear?

See the same signal chain mapped to another platform. Knob values carry over as starting points — gain ranges differ between platforms.

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