Tone library / Bon Jovi / You Give Love a Bad Name

You Give Love a Bad Name amp settings — Boss GX-100

The Bon Jovi guitar tone for “You Give Love a Bad Name”, dialed in for a Boss GX-100 with a Gibson Firebird. Studio cut, Slippery When Wet (1986) — main rhythm riff and fills

Original rig

Modified Marshall JCM800 2203/Plexi, Kramer Pacer Custom (Seymour Duncan JB humbucker), Boss OD-1 / Ibanez TS9 boost, studio plate reverb

Punchy, mid-forward 80s hard rock crunch with crisp top-end bite and tight low end
Amp settings — Boss GX-100
CHANNELBRIT STACK amp block + 4x12 Marshall IRBRIGHTonBOOSToff
GAIN 6 BASS 4 MID 7 TREBLE 7 PRESENCE 6 REVERB 0 MASTER 6
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain6
Bass4
Mid7
Treble7
Presence6
Reverb0
Master6
Don’t have a Boss GX-100? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →
Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01GX-100 OD block (T-SCREAM)

Clean boost into the BRIT STACK to tighten lows and add upper-mid cut

Drive 2 · Tone 6 · Level 8

02GX-100 PLATE REVERB block

Studio arena plate space after amp block

Level 3 · Time 4 · Pre-Delay 2
Why these settings

The Firebird's mini-humbuckers have a tighter low end and brighter cut than Sambora's Seymour Duncan JB, so keep the BRIT STACK bass around 4 to avoid thud and lean into the 7 mid setting to fill out the core body. On the GX-100, the BRIT STACK block pushed with a T-SCREAM set as a level boost authentically recreates the cranked JCM800 front-end saturation without muddy preamp fizz. Solo switch: tap an onboard GX-100 pitch/harmonizer or wah block with a slight level lift for the lead break.

PRO TIPDig in hard near the bridge with an angled pick strike; Richie Sambora's percussive muted rakes and pinch harmonics on the verse and chorus hooks rely heavily on sharp picking dynamics.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Boss GX-100. 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 Boss GX-100
TimePink floydHow you remind meNickelbackGirls Like YouMaroon 5Seek & DestroyMetallicaWeakSkunk AnansieBasket caseGreen day
Find your amp
Browse
Boss GX-100 settingsALL SONGS FOR THIS AMP You Give Love a Bad Name on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Bon Jovi tonesALL SONGS Gibson Firebird 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.

Get ToneAdapt — first match free