San Quentin amp settings — Hartke HD75
The Nickelback guitar tone for “San Quentin”, dialed in for a Hartke HD75 with a Sterling by Music Man StingRay Ray4. Studio version, Get Rollin' (2022) — main riff and drop-tuned drive
Mike Kroeger: Spector / Warwick active basses, Darkglass Microtubes B7K / BK7 Ultra preamp overdrive, Ampeg SVT-CL / SVT-VR rig blended with clean DI
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Bass | 7 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Master | 5 |
01Darkglass Microtubes B7K
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; essential for the signature modern Darkglass grit
The Hartke HD75 uses an aluminum-cone Hydrive speaker that delivers the fast, bright attack of modern metal bass naturally, but the amp has a purely clean solid-state preamp and a 3-band EQ with no presence knob. To approximate Mike Kroeger's driven Ampeg/Darkglass clank without pedals, push the bass and treble to 7 to accentuate the sub-fundamental and string grind while keeping the mid control centered around 6 to prevent getting lost under the heavy guitars. Adding a dedicated bass overdrive like the recommended Darkglass B7K is the ultimate step to capture the saturated, distorted grit on the record.
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These settings are for a Hartke HD75. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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