Tone library / Michael Jackson / Beat It

Beat It amp settings — Marshall MG15R Gold edition

The Michael Jackson guitar tone for “Beat It”, dialed in for a Marshall MG15R Gold edition with a East coast St1. Studio version, Thriller (1982) — Eddie Van Halen solo section

Original rig

Charvel Frankenstrat with single humbucker → MXR Phase 90 → Jose Arredondo-modded Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W run through a Variac (reduced voltage for earlier breakup and compression)

Bright, aggressive lead tone with singing sustain, pronounced mids, smooth high-end, controlled feedback — the quintessential 'brown sound'

Amp settings — Marshall MG15R Gold edition

CHANNELOD (Overdrive channel)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	4
Mid	6
Treble	6
Presence	5
Reverb	0
Master	7

Don’t have a Marshall MG15R Gold edition? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01MXR Phase 90 (or similar phaser)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. EVH used subtle phaser throughout the solo for movement. Set slow for swirling texture without obvious warble. A budget option like the Donner Jet Convolution or Behringer VP1 gets you close.

Speed 3

Why these settings

The MG15R's OD channel is voiced tighter and more scooped than a cranked Plexi, so mid is pushed to 6 (vs original's 5-6) to restore that cutting bark. Bass dropped to 4 to prevent the solid-state low-end from getting flubby. Treble and presence pulled back slightly because the MG series can get fizzy at high gain — the original Variac'd Plexi had a warmer, more compressed saturation that your amp won't fully replicate, but this gets the aggression and sustain in the ballpark.

PRO TIPRoll your guitar volume back to 7-8 for the melodic passages to clean up the attack slightly, then slam it to 10 for the sustained bends and feedback sections — this is how EVH controlled dynamics on the original take.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Marshall MG15R Gold edition. 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.