Real AmpTuning: E StandardPickup: BridgeBeginner FriendlyAlternative RockCrunchBest for Beginners
Black Holes Glam Support — Restrained Crunch Guitar
The track’s hook is primarily a layered prepared-piano melody, so the guitar functions as rhythmic support rather than the central lead instrument. The exact guitar and amplifier settings are not documented, and later performances were transposed down, so this preset uses the recorded key with a representative Manson, Vox and Marshall blend. Source: Rich Costey’s EQ interview, MuseWiki’s “Starlight” page and Equipboard’s Black Holes and Revelations gear page.
Signal Chain
Manson M1D1-style guitar→Vox AC30 with Marshall blend→Vox 2x12 plus Marshall 4x12→Short Room Reverb→Output
GuitarManson M1D1-style guitar
Tone
8.5
PickupBridge
TuningE Standard
Volume
10
AmpVox AC30 with Marshall blend
Bass
5
Gain
4.5
Mids
7
Master
7
Treble
6
Presence
5
Marshall Blend3
Cab / IRVox 2x12 plus Marshall 4x12
MicClose dynamic and condenser pair
Mic PositionSlightly off-axis
EffectShort Room Reverb
Mix
1.5
Decay2
Notes
Keep the guitar behind the piano and bass. Use short chord attacks and avoid extra delay that would blur the song’s simple pulse.
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.