What amp did Tom Scholz use on More Than a Feeling?

Scholz used a Marshall amp with his custom-built Power Soak, which attenuates the amp's volume while keeping it fully cranked. He also blended Fender amps for different tonal layers.

Why does Boston's guitar tone sound so huge?

The enormous sound comes from layering many guitar tracks in the studio — clean arpeggios, crunchy rhythms, and lead lines are all recorded separately and blended together. It's not a single guitar tone.

How to approximate the Boston tone live?

Use a cranked Marshall-style tone with moderate gain and bright EQ. Layer a chorus or short delay to simulate the multi-tracked width. A compressor helps even out dynamics. The Rockman (also designed by Scholz) was created specifically for this.

Classic Rock1976Boston

More Than a Feeling Amp Settings

by Boston

More Than a Feeling has one of rock's most meticulously crafted guitar tones. Tom Scholz, an MIT-educated engineer, built his own Power Soak device to crank a Marshall at bedroom levels, then layered multiple guitar tracks to create the massive, shimmering wall of sound.

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What Makes This Tone Iconic

Scholz was a tone scientist. He designed custom equipment to capture the sound of a fully cranked Marshall at low volumes, then layered multiple guitar tracks with different tones — clean arpeggios, crunchy rhythms, and singing leads — all blended into one massive sound. The result is a tone that sounds huge and polished, yet warm and organic. It set the template for arena rock guitar production.

Key Tone Elements

Custom Scholz Power Soak allowing cranked Marshall tone at low volume
Multiple layered guitar tracks — clean, crunch, and lead combined
Marshall and Fender amps blended for fullness
Meticulous studio layering (not achievable with a single guitar)
Bright, shimmering clean tones mixed with warm overdrive

Original Recording Settings

EstimatedResearched tone data for "More Than a Feeling" by Boston

Original Gear

Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop / Standard
Pickups: Gibson humbuckers (bridge for rhythm, neck for leads, layered)
Amplifier: Custom Scholz 'Power Soak' with Marshall and Fender amps
Channel: Custom rig
Tuning: standard
Pickup Selector: varies - layered recording
Strings: Not documented

MIT-educated Scholz built his own Power Soak attenuator. Recorded mostly in his apartment.

Amp Settings

Gain

7.0

Bass

5.0

Mid

6.0

Treble

6.0

Presence

5.0

Volume

10.0

Highly custom rig. Mid-heavy with smooth harmonic saturation.

Effects Chain

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Custom Scholz Power Soak

power attenuator

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Extensive multi-tracking and studio processing

studio effects

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1.Custom Scholz Power Soak — Cranked amp tone at apartment-friendly volumes.

2.Extensive multi-tracking and studio processing — Multiple guitar overdubs create lush wall of sound.

Playing Technique

Extensive multi-tracking and layering. Harmonized lead lines. Clean arpeggiated sections contrast with full power chords. Meticulous about intonation and timing.

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