Tone library / Michael Jackson / Beat It

Beat It amp settings — Fender Mustang LT25

The Michael Jackson guitar tone for “Beat It”, dialed in for a Fender Mustang LT25 with a Epiphone les paul Modern pro. Studio version, Thriller (1982) — iconic main riff

Original rig

1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard into a cranked vintage Fender Deluxe Reverb pushed by an overdrive pedal

Punchy, tight mid-focused rock crunch with dry articulate pick attack

Amp settings — Fender Mustang LT25

CHANNELDELUXE DIRT amp model

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	6
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01OVERDRIVE

Onboard stomp block

Gain 4 · Tone 6 · Level 7

02SMALL ROOM

Onboard REV block — dialed subtle for tight studio room ambience

Level 2 · Decay 3

Why these settings

The DELUXE DIRT model faithfully captures Steve Lukather's pushed Fender tweed/blackface crunch while avoiding the harshness of a generic high-gain model. Pushing the encoder-set mid control to 7 compensates for the Les Paul's low-end warmth and delivers the iconic forward riff bite. The onboard OVERDRIVE block is engaged as a boost to tighten the bottom end and provide touch-sensitive saturation.

PRO TIPPick aggressively near the bridge saddles using sharp downstrokes and rest-stroke palm muting on the open low strings to replicate Lukather's percussive attack.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender Mustang LT25. 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.