Tone library / men at work / its a mistake

its a mistake amp settings — nux mighty lite mk2

The men at work guitar tone for “its a mistake”, dialed in for a nux mighty lite mk2 with a kaysen les laul. Studio version, Cargo (1983), recorded 1982 at Richmond Recorders, Melbourne

Original rig

Ron Strykert likely used a Fender Stratocaster or similar into a Fender-style amp with moderate overdrive and chorus — typical early '80s Australian new wave setup; specific gear not documented in available sources

Warm, compressed overdrive with lush chorus modulation — punchy mid-forward crunch with '80s sheen
Amp settings — nux mighty lite mk2
CHANNELCrunch or Overdrive channel (NUX modeling voice)BRIGHToffBOOSToff
GAIN 4 BASS 5 MID 6 TREBLE 5 PRESENCE 4 REVERB 2 MASTER 5
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain4
Bass5
Mid6
Treble5
Presence4
Reverb2
Master5
Don’t have a nux mighty lite mk2? Match your own rig →
Guitar
PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01Chorus (NUX built-in or RECOMMENDED external)

Essential to the tone — use the NUX Mighty Lite's onboard chorus effect via the app; if unavailable, a Boss CE-2 style pedal is the classic choice

Rate 4 · Depth 6 · Level/Mix 5
Why these settings

Your Les Paul-style humbuckers are warmer and higher output than the likely single-coil original, so gain is set conservatively at 4 to avoid mud. Mid pushed to 6 compensates for the NUX's neutral digital voicing vs the original's Fender-style amp. Neck pickup with tone rolled to 7 softens the humbucker's bite to match the smooth new wave character.

PRO TIPUse your pick closer to the neck and pick lightly — the original has a soft attack that lets the chorus bloom; digging in hard will kill the vibe and expose the gain.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a nux mighty lite mk2. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play
Find your amp
Browse
Tone libraryEVERYTHING

Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.

Get ToneAdapt — first match free