Tone library / Avenged Sevenfold / Afterlife

Afterlife amp settings — Gb frigmen GA-20

The Avenged Sevenfold guitar tone for “Afterlife”, dialed in for a Gb frigmen GA-20 with a Fender American Ultra Stratocaster. Studio version, Avenged Sevenfold self-titled album (2007)

Original rig

Bogner Uberschall/Shiva + Marshall blend, Schecter Synyster Custom with Seymour Duncan SH-8 Invader (bridge), Drop D tuning

Tight, aggressive high-gain with pronounced mids, controlled low-end, and cutting presence for palm-muted rhythm work
Amp settings — Gb frigmen GA-20
GAIN 8 BASS 4 MID 7 TREBLE 6 PRESENCE 5 REVERB 0 MASTER 5
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain8
Bass4
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Reverb0
Master5
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01Tube Screamer style overdrive (TS9 or clone)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Used as a boost to tighten low-end and add mid-focus, essential for achieving the Bogner-style tightness on a smaller amp. Set drive low; this is a clean boost, not a gain source.

Drive 1 · Tone 6 · Level 7

02Noise Gate

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Critical for tight palm-muted stops in the main riff. Place after the overdrive, before amp input.

Threshold 5 · Decay 3
Why these settings

The GA-20 is a low-wattage amp designed for warm, bluesy tones — it lacks the high-gain saturation and tight low-end of a Bogner Uberschall. I pushed gain to 8 (near max) but this still won't match the original's saturation; a TS-style pedal is essential to compress the low-end and push the front end harder. Your Strat's single coils are significantly brighter and lower output than the Invader humbuckers, so I raised mids to 7 and cut bass to 4 to prevent flub while maintaining the mid-forward aggression. Roll tone knob to 8 to tame single-coil icepick.

PRO TIPPalm mute directly over the bridge saddles, not near the neck — the Afterlife riff demands extremely tight, percussive chugs. Downstroke every note of the main riff for authentic attack; alternate picking will sound too loose.

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These settings are for a Gb frigmen GA-20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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