Carry on Wayward Son amp settings — Fender Champion 50XL
The Kansas guitar tone for “Carry on Wayward Son”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 50XL with a Ibanez JS100 1995 - Joe Satriani Signature JS100 1995 - Joe Satriani Signature. Studio version, Leftoverture (1976)
Gibson ES-335 or Les Paul → Marshall 100W Super Lead (Plexi) cranked, no pedals
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Presence | 0 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
01Tube Screamer style (TS9 / TS808 clone)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. A basic TS clone ($30-50) will push the Champion's overdrive channel into Marshall-like saturation and tighten the low end. Without this, the tone will be thinner and less compressed than the original.
The Champion 50XL is a solid-state Fender with a scooped, American-voiced EQ — the opposite of the mid-forward Plexi grind. I pushed mids to 7 (vs the original's 6) to compensate for Fender's mid-scoop, dropped bass to 4 (the JS100's DiMarzio humbuckers are already full in the lows), and cut treble to 5 to avoid the Fender's characteristically bright top end. The British voicing on the overdrive channel gets you closer to Marshall territory. A TS-style pedal in front is the missing link — it adds the compression and mid-push the amp lacks.
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These settings are for a Fender Champion 50XL. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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