Am I evil amp settings — Fender Champion 20

The Metallica guitar tone for “Am I evil”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 20 with a Gibson Les Paul Special. Studio version, Creeping Death EP (1984) / Kill 'Em All sessions (1983)

Original rig

Jose-modded Marshall Super Lead Plexi 100W + ProCo RAT pedal, Gibson Flying V with EMG 81 humbuckers, Marshall 1960 cab

Bright, punchy mid-forward thrash crunch with aggressive kerrang bite

Amp settings — Fender Champion 20

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	6
Treble	8
Reverb	0
Master	6

Don’t have a Fender Champion 20? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01ProCo RAT (or similar high-gain distortion)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This is the primary gain source; amp stays relatively clean to preserve definition.

Distortion 7 · Filter 6 · Volume 7

Why these settings

The original used a cranked Plexi plus RAT for stacked gain into a bright 4x12. Your Fender Champion 20 has no mid control and a scooped clean platform, so the RAT pedal becomes mandatory—it supplies the Marshall-style mid presence and aggressive gain the amp cannot produce alone. Amp gain stays at 2 to keep the clean headroom; the RAT does all the work. Treble is maxed at 8 to compensate for the Champion's darker 8-inch speaker versus the original's bright Celestions.

PRO TIPPick HARD with downstrokes near the bridge—early Metallica rhythm tone lives in the attack transient, not sustain. Your P90s in the Les Paul Special will sound grittier and slightly darker than Kirk's EMG 81s; this actually works well for the raw Kill 'Em All era vibe.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender Champion 20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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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.