Quiet Storm Guitar Tone - Amp Settings, Gear, and Songs
7 iconic Quiet Storm 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. 3 of them are bass tones. Built to be dialled in on whatever gear you own.
Translate any Quiet Storm tone to the rig you already own
Median knob positions across the 7 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
- 1.5
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 5
- Treble
- 6.5
- Presence
- 5.5
- Volume
- 6
Gear That Defines the Quiet Storm Sound
- ampTwin ReverbModern equivalent: Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissueon 4 Quiet Storm tones
- guitarStratocasterModern equivalent: Fender American Professional II Stratocasteron 4 Quiet Storm tones
- pedalBoss CE-2 ChorusModern equivalent - the original isn't named hereon 3 Quiet Storm tones
- bassMusic Man StingRay Specialon 2 Quiet Storm tones
- bassSquier Classic Vibe '70s Precision Basson 1 Quiet Storm tone
- pedalDunlop JHF1 Hendrix Fuzz Face (Silicon)on 1 Quiet Storm tone
- pedalMXR Phase 90on 1 Quiet Storm tone
Artists With the Most Quiet Storm Tones
Quiet Storm Tones You Can Dial In
Common Questions About Quiet Storm Tone
What amp settings do I need for Quiet Storm?
Across the 7 Quiet Storm tones in our catalog the median is gain 1.5 (range 1–4), with bass 5, mid 5, 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 Quiet Storm sound?
In our catalog the Quiet Storm tones lean most on the Twin Reverb (modern equivalent: Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue), the Stratocaster (modern equivalent: Fender American Professional II Stratocaster), the Boss CE-2 Chorus (a modern equivalent). 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 Quiet Storm?
The Isley Brothers, Sade, Anita Baker have the most Quiet Storm 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.