Tone library / Michael Jackson / Beat It

Beat It amp settings — Fender Frontman 20g

The Michael Jackson guitar tone for “Beat It”, dialed in for a Fender Frontman 20g with a Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster. Studio version, Thriller (1982) — Eddie Van Halen solo tone

Original rig

Charvel/Frankenstrat with bridge humbucker → MXR Phase 90 → Jose Arredondo-modded Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexi (Variac'd to ~90V for sag and compression)

Saturated, singing lead tone with compressed sustain, bright upper-mids, and harmonic richness — the Variac'd Plexi gives spongy attack and endless sustain

Amp settings — Fender Frontman 20g

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	10
Bass	4
Treble	7
Reverb	0
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Overdrive/Distortion Pedal (TS-style or DS-1)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. A Boss DS-1 ($50 new) or Joyo Vintage Overdrive ($30) is essential — the Frontman 20G's solid-state gain cannot replicate Plexi saturation alone. This pedal becomes your primary gain source.

Gain/Drive 7 · Tone 6 · Level 7

Why these settings

The Frontman 20G has only Gain, Treble, Bass, and Volume — no mid or presence controls. I maxed gain because solid-state clipping is your only onboard saturation, but it will sound fizzy and thin compared to the original tube compression. Bass dropped to 4 (vs original's 5-6) because the Frontman's solid-state bass gets flubby when pushed. Treble at 7 compensates for your Strat's single-coil bridge being brighter and thinner than EVH's humbucker — rolling it back prevents ice-pick harshness. Without an overdrive pedal, you'll get maybe 40% of this tone; with one, you'll reach 70%.

PRO TIPEVH's secret weapon was the Variac compressing his power section — you can fake this by picking lighter and letting notes bloom, rather than digging in hard. Also, his vibrato was wide and from the wrist, not finger vibrato — practice that slow, exaggerated shake on sustained notes to nail the vocal quality of his lead lines.

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

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More tones for the Fender Frontman 20g

I dont wanna be meType O Negative FaintLinkin Park Can't stopRed hot chilli peppers Come As You AreNirvana Ain't talking bout loveVan Halen Nothing else mattersMetallica

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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.