Down by the river amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII
The Neil young guitar tone for “Down by the river”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Squier Affinity Stratocaster. Studio recording, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
1953 Gibson Les Paul 'Old Black' (P-90/DeArmond era) into cranked 1959 Fender 5E3 Tweed Deluxe (no pedals)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 5 |
01Onboard Booster (Boss Katana Warm OD / Blues Drive model)
Engage onboard Booster switch on Katana to push the preamp into tweed-style compression and sag
02Catalinbread Formula No. 55 (5E3 Tweed Overdrive)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; essential external stompbox for getting authentic Neil Young tweed blowout
The Katana 50 MkII lacks a dedicated Tweed setting, so the Crunch amp type with the onboard booster mimics the blown-out, sagging power tubes of Neil's cranked 1959 Deluxe. Because a Squier Strat has lower-output, brighter single coils compared to Neil's mid-heavy P-90, the amp treble is rounded down and mids/bass are elevated. Note that the Katana 50 MkII physically lacks a Presence control, so presence is null. Verse clean-up: roll guitar volume down to 6-7.
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These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 MkII. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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