Progressive Pop Guitar Tone - Amp Settings, Gear, and Songs
5 iconic Progressive Pop tones with the exact settings behind them - gain, EQ, pickup, tuning, and pedal chain per song, plus the median amp settings across the whole style. 1 of them are bass tones. Built to be dialled in on whatever gear you own.
Translate any Progressive Pop tone to the rig you already own
Median knob positions across the 5 catalog tones in this genre, on the amps they were recorded with. A starting point for the sound - then pick a song below for the exact recipe.
- Gain
- 3
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 6
- Treble
- 6.5
- Presence
- 5.5
- Volume
- 6.5
Gear That Defines the Progressive Pop Sound
- ampTwin ReverbModern equivalent: Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissueon 2 Progressive Pop tones
- ampSuper LeadModern equivalent: Marshall 1959SLP Plexi Super Lead Reissueon 1 Progressive Pop tone
- ampAC30Modern equivalent: Vox AC30 C2on 1 Progressive Pop tone
- guitarStratocasterModern equivalent: Fender American Professional II Stratocasteron 1 Progressive Pop tone
- guitarGibson SG Standardon 1 Progressive Pop tone
- guitarTelecasterModern equivalent: Fender Custom Shop George Harrison Rosewood Telecasteron 1 Progressive Pop tone
- bassRickenbacker 4001Son 1 Progressive Pop tone
- pedalBoss DD-3 Digital DelayModern equivalent - the original isn't named hereon 1 Progressive Pop tone
- pedalBoss CE-2 ChorusModern equivalent - the original isn't named hereon 1 Progressive Pop tone
Artists With the Most Progressive Pop Tones
Progressive Pop Tones You Can Dial In
Common Questions About Progressive Pop Tone
What amp settings do I need for Progressive Pop?
Across the 5 Progressive Pop tones in our catalog the median is gain 3 (range 1.5–5), with bass 5, mid 6, treble 6.5 - on a 0–10 scale. That's the window, not a recipe: pick any song below for the exact knob positions it was recorded with, then let ToneMirror re-voice them for your amp.
What gear gives you the Progressive Pop sound?
In our catalog the Progressive Pop tones lean most on the Twin Reverb (modern equivalent: Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue), the Super Lead (modern equivalent: Marshall 1959SLP Plexi Super Lead Reissue), the AC30 (modern equivalent: Vox AC30 C2). You don't need any of it - the match engine translates each recipe onto the gear you already own, compensating for a different EQ curve, gain structure, and pickup type.
Which artists best represent Progressive Pop?
The Beatles, The Alan Parsons Project, Mike Oldfield have the most Progressive Pop tones catalogued here. Each artist page breaks down their full rig and how their tone changed across records.
Can I get these tones without buying vintage gear?
Yes - that's the point of ToneMirror. Every setting on this page was dialled in on the original artist's rig, and the match engine re-voices it for whatever guitar, amp, and pedals you actually have, including modellers like the Helix, Katana, and Kemper.