How to Dial In "Good Company" by Queen - Guitar Tone Settings
The Gear Behind "Good Company"
Original Knob Positions, Pickup, and Tuning
Where to set the knobs for this tone. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale.
These numbers are for the original amp. On your amp, they won't sound the same.
Get the settings for my ampHow the artist had their guitar configured for this take.
From A Night at the Opera (1975). The song's Wikipedia article quotes Brian May saying the horn lines on "Good Company" were played on four kinds of guitars, built one note at a time with a volume pedal, mostly through small amplifiers including John Deacon's little amplifier, the Deacy Amp, and that the song itself came out while he was playing the ukulele. He does not say which guitars, so his Red Special, his main guitar, stands in. The Deacy Amp was a one-off, so the Vox VBM-1 Brian May Special, which Vox built from the Deacy circuit, stands in for it, and an Ernie Ball VP Jr volume pedal stands in for the volume pedal he mentions. No source gives the pickup selection, so start on the bridge pickup. Set a small-amp, compressed, saturated tone, use the volume pedal to swell each note in, and record each horn line as its own part. Standard tuning.
Common Questions About the "Good Company" Tone
What guitar did Queen use on "Good Company"?
Queen recorded "Good Company" (released 1975) before the Brian May Guitars Red Special came out; it is named above as a modern equivalent. Pickup selector: bridge pickup on the guitar. Tuned to standard (E A D G B E).
What amp settings does "Good Company" need?
On the original amp: Gain 5, Volume 6. 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.
Can I play "Good Company" without the original gear?
Yes. ToneMirror takes the original recipe above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "Good Company" 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.
What pedals are on "Good Company"?
The Ernie Ball VP Jr 250K Volume Pedal named above is a modern equivalent - it came out after the record. Whether you own those exact units or close substitutes, ToneMirror maps the pedal voicings onto the pedalboard you actually have.
More Tones You Can Dial In
Tone references for "Good Company" by Queen are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.