Gary Moore Amp Settings: Still Got the Blues Tone Guide
Gary Moore amp settings for Still Got the Blues and Parisienne Walkways, with Les Paul pickups, gain staging and practical settings for your own rig.
By the ToneTwin Research Team · Evidence and uncertainty reviewed
For the Still Got the Blues lead tone, use a Les Paul-style guitar on the neck humbucker, a clean or lightly driven Marshall-style amp and a mid-rich overdrive for sustain. Keep the bass firm, push the mids and smooth the treble. Gary Moore's phrasing, wide vibrato and control of feedback are as important as the equipment.
Gary Moore amp settings: a practical start
| Control | Starting point | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | 4 to 5 before the drive pedal | A clear note edge under the sustain |
| Bass | 4 to 5 | Weight without a loose low end |
| Mids | 6.5 to 8 | A vocal lead that stays forward |
| Treble | 4.5 to 6 | Clarity without a hard pick click |
| Presence | 3.5 to 5 | Air without fizz |
| Reverb | 1.5 to 3 | Depth behind the dry note |
These numbers are a starting point, not recovered studio positions. Vintage-style tone controls interact, and two amplifiers with the same labels can produce different curves. Set gain and mids with the actual melody, then correct bass and treble for the room.
What is documented for Still Got the Blues
Moore returned to a direct British blues-rock setup for the 1990 album. A retrospective in Vintage Guitar identifies the Les Paul-to-Marshall foundation and the Marshall Guv'nor as the added drive source. In a separate interview, Moore identified his 1959 Les Paul as the same main guitar he used on Still Got the Blues. That evidence supports the equipment family. It does not reveal every studio control position.
One common error is to assign the Peter Green Les Paul, often called Greeny, to the title track. Moore told an interviewer that he used another Les Paul that he had obtained shortly before the record. A reliable guide must keep the famous ownership story separate from the guitar used for this session.
Build the gain in two stages
- Set the amplifier to a full clean or low-gain crunch sound.
- Use the neck humbucker and put the guitar volume near maximum.
- Add a Guv'nor-style or other mid-rich drive with moderate gain.
- Raise pedal level until sustained notes feel easy, but chords remain clear.
- Add a small amount of reverb after the dry sound is correct.
Too much preamp gain removes the contrast between a light note and a strong bend. Moore's sound is saturated, but it still reacts to the hands. If every note has the same size, lower the gain and raise the output level.
Still Got the Blues and Parisienne Walkways are not one preset
| Song | Main target | Important difference |
|---|---|---|
| Still Got the Blues | Smooth neck-humbucker lead with mid-rich pedal drive | Cleaner amplifier base and controlled ambience |
| Parisienne Walkways | More open late-1970s British lead sound | Stronger live-volume interaction and a rawer attack |
The long note in Parisienne Walkways depends on stage volume, feedback position and left-hand control. Do not claim that one later Still Got the Blues rig is the documented chain for the earlier recording. Start from a Les Paul and British amplifier voice, then tune the amount of drive by ear.
How to translate the tone to other equipment
- Fender-style clean amp: use a British overdrive with strong mids and trim bright treble.
- Modern high-gain amp: use the lower-gain channel and keep resonance low.
- Modeler or plugin: choose a JTM45 or early Marshall family, then add a Guv'nor-style drive before it.
- Single-coil guitar: use the neck pickup, add low mids and use less treble.
- Small practice amp: keep bass controlled and use pedal level, not maximum pedal gain, for sustain.
If the result still sounds wrong
- Thin and sharp: lower presence, add mids and check that the neck pickup is selected.
- Muddy: restore the guitar tone control, reduce bass and use less drive gain.
- No sustain: add output level and focused mids before adding more distortion.
- Too smooth: lower compression and make the pick attack more deliberate.
