Wake Up Dead amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII
The Megadeth guitar tone for “Wake Up Dead”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Epiphone Les Paul Classic. Studio version, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? (1986)
Marshall JCM800 2203 / modified Marshall Plexi + Jackson King V / BC Rich Bich (Bill Lawrence L500 / Seymour Duncan JB) + MXR Distortion+ / overdrive boost
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 8 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
The Katana 50 MkII lacks a physical presence knob, so we push treble to 8 to capture Mustaine's razor-sharp pick attack. The Brown amp voice models the hot-rodded Marshall tone, while keeping the bass tight at 4 prevents the Les Paul's mahogany body from getting muddy during fast thrash palm muting. Using the onboard Boost at moderate gain emulates the front-end overdrive push used on the original recording.
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These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 MkII. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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