Tone library / Michael Jackson / Beat It

Beat It amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

The Michael Jackson guitar tone for “Beat It”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Harley Benton SC-Custom II. Studio version, Thriller (1982) — Eddie Van Halen solo section

Original rig

Charvel 'Frankenstrat' with single humbucker → MXR Phase 90 → Jose Arredondo-modded Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W run through a Variac

Hot, compressed high-gain lead with singing sustain and mid-forward bark, slight phase sweep on sustained notes

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

CHANNELBrownBRIGHToffBOOSTon

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	6
Reverb	1
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Katana Built-in Phaser (use Boss Tone Studio)

Set to 4-stage phaser type; subtle sweep, not dramatic — EVH used it sparingly for color on sustained notes

Rate 3 · Depth 4 · Resonance 3

Why these settings

The Katana's Brown channel is voiced after the exact amp EVH used — a modded Plexi. Your SC-Custom II's humbuckers are hotter than EVH's single-coil-sized humbucker, so I dropped treble from the original's 7.5 to 6 to prevent ice-pick highs. Boosted mids from 5.5 to 7 because the Katana's Brown voicing is slightly more scooped than the original Arredondo mod. The built-in boost engages a virtual tube screamer circuit that tightens the low end like the original's cranked Variac compression.

PRO TIPEVH's secret weapon was pick attack dynamics — he dug in hard on the initial note then backed off for the sustain. Practice hitting the string aggressively then relaxing your grip; the Katana's Brown channel is touch-sensitive enough to reward this technique with that singing, violin-like decay.

Get this tone on your amp

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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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.