Beat It amp settings — vault frenzy 20
The Michael Jackson guitar tone for “Beat It”, dialed in for a vault frenzy 20 with a hertz strat. Studio version, Thriller (1982) — iconic main rhythm riff
Steve Lukather's 1959 Gibson Les Paul into a modded Fender Deluxe Reverb pushed by an overdrive pedal
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 5 |
01Tube Screamer (TS9 / Overdrive)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; tightens low-end percussiveness
The Vault Frenzy 20 is a small solid-state practice amp lacking dedicated presence controls, so drive is engaged at gain 6 to simulate Lukather's modded Fender breakup. Your Strat's single-coil bridge pickup is brighter and leaner than Lukather's '59 Les Paul humbucker, so tone is rolled back to 8 with treble kept moderate to avoid harsh high frequencies while boosting bass to 6 for weight. Adding a TS-style overdrive pedal later will let you switch to the clean channel with lower amp gain to achieve the exact tight studio crunch.
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These settings are for a vault frenzy 20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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