Tone library / Bryan Adams / Summer of 69

Summer of 69 amp settings — Boss Katana-50

The Bryan Adams guitar tone for “Summer of 69”, dialed in for a Boss Katana-50 with a Harly Benton Single-Cutaway-Korpus. Studio version, Reckless album (1984)

Original rig

Fender Stratocaster through Marshall Plexi or Vox AC30, Boss BF-2 flanger (set as comb filter), compression, reverb

Bright, jangly 80s crunch with midrange presence and arena-rock shimmer

Amp settings — Boss Katana-50

CHANNELCrunch amp typeBOOSToff

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

Don’t have a Boss Katana-50? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge+middle TONE8 VOLUME9

Signal chain

01Katana Built-in Compressor (via Tone Studio)

Enables smooth dynamics and sustain characteristic of the recording

Sustain 4 · Level 6

02Katana Built-in Flanger (via Tone Studio)

Set rate near zero with manual high to create comb-filter effect heard on recording — subtle, not swooshy

Rate 0 · Depth 2 · Manual 8 · Resonance 3

Why these settings

Your Harley Benton single-cut likely has humbuckers — these are warmer and hotter than Scott's Strat single-coils. I've pushed mids to 7 (vs typical 5-6) to recover that vocal presence, rolled treble back slightly to prevent harshness, and dropped volume knob to 9 to clean up the attack. The Katana Crunch channel approximates the Marshall/Vox edge without excess saturation.

PRO TIPThe secret sauce is that nearly-static flanger acting as a comb filter — it adds the shimmery, slightly hollow texture that makes this tone recognizable. Without it, the tone sounds flat. Access it through Boss Tone Studio; if unavailable, a phaser with zero rate is a rough substitute.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Boss Katana-50. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

Find your amp

Browse

Summer of 69 on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Bryan Adams tonesALL SONGS 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.