Tone library / B.B. King / The Thrill Is Gone

The Thrill Is Gone amp settings — Fender Champion 40

The B.B. King guitar tone for “The Thrill Is Gone”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 40 with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Completely Well (1969) — iconic lead guitar and signature fills

Original rig

Gibson ES-355TD-SV (Varitone position 2, both pickups) -> Fender Twin Reverb (studio) -> onboard spring reverb

Clean, punchy, midrange-forward with a slightly nasal honk, smooth treble roll-off, and vocal-like dynamics

Amp settings — Fender Champion 40

CHANNELChannel 2 - Voice: '65 Twin or Blackface CleanBRIGHToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	5
Treble	5
Reverb	4
Master	5

Don’t have a Fender Champion 40? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE6 VOLUME9

Signal chain

01Boss RV-6 Reverb

Set mode to Spring to match the studio Twin Reverb (or use Champion 40 onboard FX set to Spring)

E.Level 4 · Tone 4 · Time 5 · Mode 1

Why these settings

The Champion 40 lacks a dedicated mid knob, so setting the Blackface voice with bass at 5 and treble rolled back to 5 keeps the low end tight while preventing high-end fizz. B.B. King achieved his signature honk via the ES-355 Varitone circuit and out-of-phase pickup blend, which is emulated on the Ibanez GIO humbuckers by running the neck pickup with guitar tone dialed back to 6. Keep amp gain low for absolute clean headroom so pick dynamics translate naturally without distortion.

PRO TIPAnchor your fretting hand and generate B.B.'s signature rapid 'hummingbird' vibrato entirely from the wrist and forearm rather than individual fingers, letting the string ring cleanly against the fretboard.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender Champion 40. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

More tones for the Fender Champion 40

JungleJimi Hendrix Basket caseGreenday Never meantAmerican football Enter SandmanMetallica Born DeadSilverstein Translating the nameSaosin

Find your amp

Browse

Fender Champion 40 settingsALL SONGS FOR THIS AMP The Thrill Is Gone on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Ibanez GIO GRG170DX tonesSAME GUITAR Tone libraryEVERYTHING

Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.