Yankee Rose amp settings — Fender Champion 20
The David Lee Roth guitar tone for “Yankee Rose”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 20 with a Jackson JS22 Dinky. Studio version, Eat 'Em and Smile (1986)
Lee Jackson-modded Marshall JMP (extra gain stage, KT88 power tubes), Ibanez JEM prototype with DiMarzio PAF Pro pickups, Boss SD-1 or OD-1 boost, Roland SDE-3000 delay
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 10 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for this tone. The SD-1 pushes the amp into tighter saturation and adds the mid-hump that defines Vai's EEAS sound. A Boss SD-1 or Behringer TO800 clone (~$25) gets you 70% there.
02Digital Delay
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Vai used Roland SDE-3000 set to ~350-400ms slapback on rhythm parts, longer on solos. Any digital delay works.
The Champion 20 is a solid-state practice amp with limited gain and a scooped Fender voicing — it cannot replicate a modded high-gain Marshall. Maxing the gain and pushing mids to 7 compensates for the Fender scoop and gets the closest approximation. Without an overdrive pedal, you will get a thin, fizzy distortion rather than Vai's singing compression. The Jackson's humbuckers help — they're hotter than Vai's PAF Pros, so no gain compensation needed there.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Fender Champion 20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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