Tone library / Incubus / Stellar

Stellar amp settings — Peavey Backstage 2

The Incubus guitar tone for “Stellar”, dialed in for a Peavey Backstage 2 with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Make Yourself (1999) — main heavy chorus/riff tone

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Tremoverb combo, PRS Custom 24 / CE 24, Boss RV-3, Line 6 DL4

Thick, saturated modern high-gain with scooped lower-mids and cutting top end
Amp settings — Peavey Backstage 2
CHANNELLead (Overdrive switch engaged)
GAIN 7 BASS 5 TREBLE 7 MASTER 4
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain7
Bass5
Treble7
Master4
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01ProCo Rat 2 (or modern high-gain distortion)

RECOMMENDED — not owned; adds the thick Mesa-style compression and low-end saturation the small practice amp lacks

Distortion 7 · Filter 5 · Volume 6

02Digital Delay / Reverb (Boss RV-3)

RECOMMENDED — not owned; essential for the ambient clean intro/verse textures

Balance 4 · Tone 5 · R.Time 5 · Mode 7
Why these settings

The Peavey Backstage II is a small practice solid-state amp with only Gain (Overdrive switch), Volume, High, and Low controls (no mid, presence, or reverb knobs). Mike Einziger tracked the heavy chorus through a saturated Mesa Dual Rectifier Tremoverb, so we engage the Backstage's overdrive channel with Gain at 7 and Treble at 7 to capture the aggressive bite while keeping Bass at 5 to prevent the 6-inch speaker from farting out. Clean verse: disengage the overdrive channel and switch to the guitar neck or middle pickup split.

PRO TIPFor the heavy chorus chords, Einziger uses full, resonant voicings with open strings ringing against high-fret power chords—strike through all strings aggressively near the bridge pickup to let the upper harmonics cut through the saturation.

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These settings are for a Peavey Backstage 2. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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