Tone library / Michael Jackson / Beat It

Beat It amp settings — Line 6 Spider IV 30

The Michael Jackson guitar tone for “Beat It”, dialed in for a Line 6 Spider IV 30 with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Thriller (1982) — Main rhythm/riff guitar by Steve Lukather

Original rig

Valley Arts Custom Pro (HSS) into Paul Rivera-modded Fender Deluxe Reverb, no pedals

Tight, punchy crunch with controlled midrange bite and snappy attack — not high-gain, but aggressive clean-edge breakup

Amp settings — Line 6 Spider IV 30

CHANNELCrunch (Spider IV channel selector)BOOSToff

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The Spider IV's Crunch channel approximates the Rivera-modded Fender's pushed clean-into-breakup character. Mids pushed to 7 (vs original 6) because the Spider's digital voicing is naturally scooped compared to the original's tube midrange warmth. Gain at 5 keeps it from getting too saturated — the original tone is tight crunch, not full distortion. Tone knob rolled to 8 tames the Strat's single-coil brightness vs Lukather's humbucker-equipped Valley Arts.

PRO TIPPalm mute with your picking hand resting lightly on the strings near the bridge saddles — the riff's percussive punch comes from tight, controlled muting, not from gain. Dig in hard with the pick on accents to let the notes breathe through the muting.

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These settings are for a Line 6 Spider IV 30. 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.