The Poison amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII
The Bullet for My Valentine guitar tone for “The Poison”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Jackson JS32 Dinky. Studio version, The Poison (2005) — main rhythm tone
Peavey 5150/6505 (Rhythm channel, Crunch on, Pre 6.5, Bass 6, Mid 2, Treble 5.5, Post 3, Resonance 7, Presence 8), Maxon/Ibanez Tubescreamer (drive at minimum, used as boost/tightener), ESP/Jackson with EMG 81 bridge pickup, Mesa Rectifier 4x12 cab, SM57 + MD421 mics into Neve 1073 preamps
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 3 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 8 |
| Reverb | 0 |
01Behringer TO800 Vintage Tube Overdrive
Used as clean boost to tighten low-end and add pick attack — mimics the TS into 5150 recording chain
02Behringer NR300 Noise Reducer
Essential for high-gain with drop tuning — engage during palm-muted sections to kill hum between riffs
The Katana Brown channel approximates the 5150's tight, aggressive voice. Original had mid at 2 (heavily scooped) but Katana Brown is less inherently mid-scooped than a real 5150, so mid raised to 3 to avoid thin brittleness. Presence pushed to 8 matching the original's cutting high-end. The TO800 at zero drive replicates the TS tightening trick Colin Richardson used — it's not adding gain, it's shaping the low-end and adding pick definition. Boss MT-2 omitted because the Brown channel provides sufficient saturation and the MT-2's voice would fight the 5150-style character.
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These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 MkII. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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