Nice to Know You amp settings — Fender Deluxe Reverb
The Incubus guitar tone for “Nice to Know You”, dialed in for a Fender Deluxe Reverb with a Squier Affinity Stratocaster. Studio version, Morning View (2001) — recorded at Stern House, Malibu
PRS Hollowbody II (humbuckers) → BOSS PH-2 Super Phaser / MXR Phase 90 → Mesa Boogie amp (likely Dual Rectifier or Mark series)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 6 |
01Phaser (MXR Phase 90 or BOSS PH-2)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for the verse swirl. MXR Phase 90 (~$90 new) or BOSS PH-2 gets you there. Without this, the tone is incomplete for the verses but the main riff works.
02Overdrive (Tube Screamer style)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The Deluxe Reverb cannot replicate Mesa Boogie saturation on its own. A TS9 or clone (~$30-80) pushes the amp into the aggressive crunch territory this song needs. Without this, you will get clean-to-edge-of-breakup only.
The original uses Mesa Boogie high-gain voicing with humbuckers — your Deluxe Reverb is a clean platform amp and your Strat has lower-output single coils. I pushed Volume to 6 to get the 6V6 tubes compressing, raised Mid to 7 to compensate for the Fender's naturally scooped mids vs Mesa's mid-forward voice, and kept Bass at 4 to prevent mud when pushing the amp. Without an overdrive pedal, you will not achieve the aggressive attack of the recording — the Deluxe Reverb's breakup is too smooth and the Strat's output is too low.
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These settings are for a Fender Deluxe Reverb. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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