Dirty Diana amp settings — Marshall MG30CFX
The Michael Jackson guitar tone for “Dirty Diana”, dialed in for a Marshall MG30CFX with a Squier Affinity Telecaster. Studio version, Bad (1987) — Steve Stevens signature lead guitar track
Jackson Soloist (Seymour Duncan bridge humbucker) → Compressor → Delay → 1969 Marshall Plexi 100W Head → Marshall 4x12 (Celestion V30s)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 5 |
01Jim Dunlop Cry Baby GCB95
Keep rocked forward for peak searing bite during signature lead fills
02Behringer HD300 Heavy Distortion
Main high-gain saturation source into clean channel
03Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; adds the spacious '80s studio solo delay
Because you are using a single-coil Telecaster instead of Steve Stevens' hot humbucker, roll the guitar tone knob back to 8 and keep the HD300's Bottom control up to fill out the low-mid girth. The Behringer HD300 acts as your high-gain distortion engine, so the MG30CFX is set to its Clean channel with gain low to prevent muddy double-gain staging. The MG30CFX lacks a physical presence knob, so mid and treble on the amp and pedal are balanced to mimic the bite of a cranked vintage Plexi.
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These settings are for a Marshall MG30CFX. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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