Boston Amp Settings & Guitar Tone
Tom Scholz is the engineer-guitarist who built his own equipment to capture the perfect tone. His custom Power Soak, multi-tracked layers, and meticulous studio approach created the biggest guitar sound in classic rock.
Signature Sound
Scholz's tone comes from technology and patience. He designed a Power Soak to crank his Marshall at low volumes, then layered dozens of guitar tracks — each with different tone settings — to create the massive Boston wall of sound. Later, he invented the Rockman to capture this sound in a headphone amp. It's engineering applied to rock guitar.
Featured Tone
More Than a Feeling (1976)
Gibson Les Paul Goldtop / Standard → Custom Scholz 'Power Soak' with Marshall and Fender amps
Warm, thick, harmonically rich distortion with lush layered quality. Smooth, singing leads with long sustain. Wall of sound from multi-tracking. Revolutionary for the era.
Typical Gear & Settings
Average Amp Settings
Amplifiers
- Custom Scholz 'Power Soak' with Marshall and Fender amps
Guitars
- Gibson Les Paul Goldtop
- Standard
Pickups
- humbucker
Effects & Pedals
power attenuator
Custom Scholz Power Soak
studio effects
Extensive multi-tracking and studio processing
Boston Song Tones
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