A Night at the Opera album cover - Blind Guardian
Guitar tone settings

How to Dial In "Age of False Innocence" by Blind Guardian - Guitar Tone Settings

The rig

Gear for "Age of False Innocence"

Suggested rig · the original isn't documented.

The settings

Knob Positions, Pickup, and Tuning

Amp settings

Where to set the knobs for this tone. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale.

Gain7.5
Bass6
Mid6
Treble6.5
Presence6.5
Volume7

On your amp, these numbers won't sound the same.

Get the settings for my amp
Guitar setup

How the artist had their guitar configured for this take.

TuningE♭ Standard(E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭)
Pickup selector
NeckNk+MdMiddleBr+MdBridge
Guitar knobs
Tone9
Volume10
Recording notes

From A Night at the Opera (2002). A Night at the Opera is the seventh studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian, released in 2002. No source we found ties a guitar or amp to this recording, so an ESP LTD EC-1000 through an Engl Fireball 100, the rig we use for Blind Guardian's other songs from A Night at the Opera, stands in. Set the amp to a driven, high-gain crunch and use the bridge pickup. Published transcriptions put it in E♭ standard (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭), a half step below standard.

FAQ

Common Questions About the "Age of False Innocence" Tone

  1. What guitar did Blind Guardian use on "Age of False Innocence"?

    The guitar on "Age of False Innocence" (released 2002) isn't documented; the ESP LTD EC-1000 above gets the sound. Pickup selector: bridge pickup on the guitar. The track is in E♭ Standard (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭), so retune before you dial anything in.

  2. What amp settings does "Age of False Innocence" need?

    Settings for this sound: Gain 7.5, Bass 6, Mid 6, Treble 6.5, Presence 6.5, Volume 7. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale; match them on your amp first, then nudge to taste. ToneMirror can translate these positions for whatever amp you actually own.

  3. Can I play "Age of False Innocence" without the original gear?

    Yes. ToneMirror takes the settings above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "Age of False Innocence" tone on a Katana, a Helix, a tube combo, or anything else. The translation accounts for EQ curve, gain structure, and pickup type so the result actually sounds like the record, not just the same knob numbers on different gear.

Related tones

Tone references for "Age of False Innocence" by Blind Guardian are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.

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