When you were young amp settings — Blackstar Blackstar idx core 100
The Killers guitar tone for “When you were young”, dialed in for a Blackstar Blackstar idx core 100 with a PRS Custom 24. Studio version, Sam's Town (2006) — main driving rhythm and lead parts
Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12/4x10, Fender Stratocaster / Ibanez Destroyer, Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, Boss DD-7 Delay
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 6 |
01Boss GE-7 Equalizer
Used pre-drive to push upper-mid chime and tighten the low-end
02Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808
Primary gain source pushing a punchy indie crunch
03Boss DD-8 Digital Delay
Set to Warm or Standard mode, dialed for dotted-eighth repeats synced to 130 BPM
The Blackstar ID:Core is set to Clean Warm with ISF shifted American (around 3) to replicate the bright headroom of a Fender Hot Rod DeVille. Your TS808 acts as the primary dirt source into the clean preamp to avoid muddy double-gain, while the GE-7 pushes 800Hz–1.6kHz to mimic the crisp single-coil bite through your PRS humbuckers. The DD-8 provides the signature rhythmic dotted-eighth bounce essential to the track's spatial bounce.
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