Tone library / Dire straist / Sultans of swing

Sultans of swing amp settings — Boss Katana 100 MkII

The Dire straist guitar tone for “Sultans of swing”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 100 MkII with a Ibanez SA260. Studio version, Dire Straits debut album (1978)

Original rig

1961 Fender Stratocaster (pickup selector jammed between bridge and middle) into 1961 Brown Fender Vibrolux, no pedals, fingerstyle technique

Glassy, snappy clean with quacky out-of-phase midrange scoop, dynamic and touch-sensitive

Amp settings — Boss Katana 100 MkII

CHANNELClean amp typeBOOSToff

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

Don’t have a Boss Katana 100 MkII? Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge+middle TONE8 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Katana's Clean amp type approximates a Fender blackface voicing. Your Ibanez SA260 has humbuckers with coil-split capability — engage the coil split for the bridge+middle position to get closer to single-coil quack. Treble set high (7) to replicate the Fender's bright top-end sparkle; mid at 5 to retain the characteristic honk without the natural scoop of a real Fender circuit.

PRO TIPThe entire tone lives in fingerstyle technique — use your thumb for bass notes and fingers for melody with a consistent angle of attack on the strings; a pick will never replicate Knopfler's dynamic control and note bloom.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Boss Katana 100 MkII. 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 Katana 100 MkII

Holy warsMegadeth Our lips are sealedGo gos We got the beatGo gos Wild EyesParkway Drive Unholy ConfessionsAvenged Sevenfold Nothing else mattersMetallica

Find your amp

Browse

Boss Katana 100 MkII settingsALL SONGS FOR THIS AMP 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.