The Extremist amp settings — Fender Champion 40
The Joe Satriani guitar tone for “The Extremist”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 40 with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, The Extremist (1992)
Ibanez JS series (DiMarzio FRED/PAF Pro) -> Boss DS-1 -> Boss CE-2 -> Marshall 6100 Anniversary / '69 Plexi / Soldano SLO-100
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 5 |
01Boss DS-1 Distortion
Primary high-gain saturation source into clean/edge amp
02Boss GE-7 Equalizer
Shapes the mid-hump focus and smooths fizzy top end
03Boss CH-1 Super Chorus
Subtle stereo width emulation without heavy detune
04Boss DM-2W Waza Delay
Warm analog repeats (Standard mode) behind the lead lines
Joe Satriani famously generated his signature Extremist lead tone by running a Boss DS-1 into clean/mildly breaking Marshall channels. On the Champion 40, select the British Crunch voice with low amp gain (3) to prevent muddy double-distortion while adding Marshall-style power stage warmth. The Champion 40 panel lacks a dedicated Middle knob, so the GE-7 boosts the crucial 800Hz–1.6kHz range to replicate DiMarzio FRED mid harmonics and trims the 6.4kHz shelf to eliminate solid-state harshness.
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These settings are for a Fender Champion 40. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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