Tone library / Blue Öyster Cult / (Don't Fear) The Reaper

(Don't Fear) The Reaper amp settings — Harley Benson HB-15GXD JamBox

The Blue Öyster Cult guitar tone for “(Don't Fear) The Reaper”, dialed in for a Harley Benson HB-15GXD JamBox with a Harley Benton SC-Custom II. Studio version, Agents of Fortune (1976)

Original rig

Gibson ES-175 (rhythm) / Gibson SG Standard (solo) → Music Man 410-65 combo (clean to light breakup), EMT plate reverb, tape delay

Crystalline clean arpeggios with chimey sustain; warm, glassy midrange with spacious reverb depth

Amp settings — Harley Benson HB-15GXD JamBox

CHANNELClean channel (use amp's cleanest voicing)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	5
Reverb	5
Master	5

Don’t have a Harley Benson HB-15GXD JamBox? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME8

Why these settings

The original used a Music Man combo's bright, mid-forward clean tone. Your HB-15GXD is a small solid-state practice amp with less headroom and a darker voicing, so I pushed mids to 7 to capture that singing clarity and kept gain low at 3 for clean sparkle. Reverb at 5 approximates the EMT plate's spacious depth without drowning the arpeggios.

PRO TIPLet each note of the arpeggiated riff ring out fully—the open G string should sustain like a tolling bell on each quarter note. Use hybrid picking (pick + middle finger) to get even attack across all four strings of the pattern.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Harley Benson HB-15GXD JamBox. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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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.