Tone library / Exploited / Beat the bastards

Beat the bastards amp settings — Harley Benton HB-20mfx

The Exploited guitar tone for “Beat the bastards”, dialed in for a Harley Benton HB-20mfx with a Harley Benton R-466. Studio version, Beat the Bastards album (1996), produced by Colin Richardson

Original rig

Marshall JCM800 cranked, high-output humbucker guitar (likely Gibson/Epiphone style), Boss DS-1 or similar distortion pedal for extra aggression

Aggressive, tight thrash punk with scooped mids, grinding distortion, and percussive palm-mute attack

Amp settings — Harley Benton HB-20mfx

CHANNELOD/Distortion channel (high-gain voicing)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	6
Mid	4
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Amp's built-in distortion/OD modeling

Use the amp's highest gain voicing; if the HB-20MFX has multiple distortion types, select the 'British' or 'Metal' style

Gain/Drive 8

Why these settings

The HB-20MFX is a small solid-state modeling amp, so it lacks the tube compression and power section sag of the original JCM800. Compensate by running gain at 8 (not maxed) to retain note definition, and keep mids at 4 for the scooped thrash character. Your R-466 has humbuckers which match the original's output, so no pickup compensation needed. Rolling tone knob to 8 tames the solid-state fizz.

PRO TIPFor authentic Exploited attack, use aggressive downstrokes and tight palm muting right near the bridge saddles—the percussive 'chug' defines this tone more than any knob setting. Keep your picking hand locked and let the amp do the sustain work.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Harley Benton HB-20mfx. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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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.