Tone library / Michael Jackson / Beat It

Beat It amp settings — Fender Champion 20

The Michael Jackson guitar tone for “Beat It”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 20 with a Vintage Stratocaster. Studio version, Thriller (1982) - signature main rhythm riff

Original rig

Steve Lukather's 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard into a modified Paul Rivera Fender Deluxe Reverb II and Marshall JCM800

Tight, punchy, medium-gain rock crunch with defined mid-bite and clear low-end articulation

Amp settings — Fender Champion 20

CHANNELBritish (amber/high-gain voice)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	6
Treble	5
Reverb	2
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Champion 20 lacks a dedicated mid knob, so dial the Voice knob to the British/80s Marshall setting to supply the focused midrange grind Steve Lukather tracked on his Les Paul. Because a vintage Strat bridge single-coil is thinner and brighter than a PAF humbucker, roll the guitar tone knob down to 8 and keep the amp's treble slightly restrained to avoid harsh ice-pick bite. The 8-inch speaker breaks up quickly, so gain at 6 provides sufficient saturation while keeping the low-string riff percussive and tight.

PRO TIPDig in hard with the edge of a heavy pick right against the bridge saddles on the low E and D string palm mutes to match Steve Lukather's punchy, percussive attack.

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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.