The killers amp settings — Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb
The Mr brightside guitar tone for “The killers”, dialed in for a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb with a Squier Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster. Studio version, Hot Fuss (2004)
Fender Telecaster (bridge pickup) → Vox AC30 at edge-of-breakup, subtle phase/chorus doubling effect in studio
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 4 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 7 |
| Reverb | 3 |
| Master | 5 |
The Tone Master Deluxe Reverb is scooped and Fender-bright vs the AC30's mid-forward chime, so I pushed mid +1 and pulled treble -1 from the original AC30 settings. Your Strat's single coils are brighter and lower-output than Keuning's Tele, so I rolled tone to 8 to tame ice-pick highs. Bridge+middle position adds quack that mimics the Tele's mid-bite. Bright switch ON recovers the AC30's presence sparkle that Fenders naturally lack in the upper mids.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
Get ToneAdapt on Google PlaySong, 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.