John doe amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII
The Acranius guitar tone for “John doe”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Kramer Striker HSS. Studio version, Risen in Darkness EP (2015) / When Mutation Becomes Homicidal (2017)
ESP/LTD guitars with active EMG pickups, 8-string tuned to Drop E, Peavey 5150/6505 or similar high-gain amp, Maxon OD808 or Ibanez TS9 as a tightening boost, no modulation or reverb — bone-dry brutal death metal/slam production
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 8 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 5 |
| Reverb | 0 |
01Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
Used as a clean boost/tightener in front of amp — low drive, high level tightens the low-end and adds pick attack for slam chugs; this is essential for this tone
Acranius uses 8-string guitars with active EMGs into 5150-style high-gain heads — the Katana Brown channel approximates the 5150's aggressive voice but lacks its cascaded gain stages. The SD-1 compensates by tightening the low-end and pushing the front end harder. Mid scooped to 3 (vs typical 5150 at 4-5) because the Katana Brown is already mid-forward compared to a real 5150. Bass pulled to 4 to prevent flub on the Katana's 12" speaker when chugging in low tunings. Your passive HSS Kramer has less compressed output than active EMGs — the SD-1 boost and gain at 8 compensate.
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These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 MkII. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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