The Passenger amp settings — Boss katana 50W gen 3

The Iggy Pop guitar tone for “The Passenger”, dialed in for a Boss katana 50W gen 3 with a Fender Stratocaster. Studio version, Lust for Life (1977) — Ricky Gardiner on rhythm guitar

Original rig

Fender Stratocaster (bridge or bridge+middle position), clean-to-edge-of-breakup amp (session recordings suggest Fender-style clean platform or lightly driven British amp), no significant effects — dry, direct tone

Bright, clipped rhythm crunch with chiming clarity — each chord staccato and punchy, not saturated

Amp settings — Boss katana 50W gen 3

CHANNELCrunch amp typeBOOSToff

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Katana's Crunch voice approximates a JCM800-style edge-of-breakup, which matches the punchy-but-not-saturated studio tone. Gain at 4 keeps the clipped, staccato attack intact without mushiness. Your Strat bridge pickup is period-correct to Gardiner's setup—no adaptation needed there. Rolling tone to 8 tames any ice-pick highs the Katana's digital treble can produce. Recording is bone-dry, so reverb stays at 0.

PRO TIPThe magic of this riff is the muted, clipped attack at the END of each chord—palm-mute slightly and release rhythmically. Pick near the bridge for maximum snap, and keep your fretting-hand pressure light so the chords breathe between hits.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Boss katana 50W gen 3. 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.