Beat it amp settings — Fender Blues Junior IV
The Michael Jackson guitar tone for “Beat it”, dialed in for a Fender Blues Junior IV with a Fender American Professional II Stratocaster. Studio version, Thriller (1982) — iconic main rhythm riff (Steve Lukather)
1959 Gibson Les Paul (humbuckers) into a Paul Rivera-modded Fender Deluxe Reverb
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 8 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 5 |
To replicate Lukather's thick Les Paul crunch through single coils, the Blues Junior's 'FAT' boost is engaged with preamp gain pushed to 8 and middle pushed to 7. Treble is trimmed to 5 to keep the Strat bridge pickup from sounding shrill against the warm humbucker original. If you add a TS9 OD pedal later, turn off the FAT switch and set amp gain to 4 for tighter low-end definition.
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These settings are for a Fender Blues Junior IV. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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