Psycho Holiday amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

The Pantera guitar tone for “Psycho Holiday”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Ibanez JEM7V Steve Vai. Studio version, Cowboys from Hell (1990)

Original rig

Randall RG-100ES head, Dean ML with Bill Lawrence L-500XL pickup, MXR 6-Band EQ (always on, boosting presence frequencies), Furman PQ-4 parametric EQ, Boss Noise Gate

Tight, scooped, razor-sharp high-gain rhythm with surgical midrange cut and searing harmonic overtones

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

CHANNELBrownBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	6
Mid	3
Treble	7
Presence	8
Reverb	0

Don’t have a Boss Katana 50 MkII? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss GE-7 or MXR 6-Band EQ

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Dimebag's tone depends heavily on the MXR 6-Band running constantly, cutting low-mids and boosting upper-mids/presence. Use the Katana's built-in GEQ block as a substitute if available in BOSS Tone Studio.

100Hz 4 · 200Hz 3 · 400Hz 2 · 800Hz 3 · 1.6kHz 6 · 3.2kHz 7 · Level 6

Why these settings

The Katana's Brown channel emulates a cranked modded Marshall, which is brighter and more mid-forward than Dimebag's scooped Randall solid-state tone. Mid dropped to 3 (vs typical 5) to approximate the Randall's inherent scoop. Presence pushed to 8 to replicate the MXR EQ's upper-mid boost that gave Dime his cutting 'chainsaw' attack. Gain kept at 7 — the Brown channel saturates early and Dimebag's tone was tighter than people assume.

PRO TIPDimebag picked extremely hard directly over the bridge pickup pole pieces with his hand anchored on the bridge — this attack angle is what produces those signature harmonic squeals and razor-edged note definition. Practice pinch harmonics by barely grazing the string with your thumb edge immediately after the pick strike.

Get this tone on your amp

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.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

More tones for the Boss Katana 50 MkII

You should probably leaveChris Stapleton I got betterMorgan Wallen Memory sure don't mess aroundJordan Davis GoosePolyphia Stairway to Heaven (Live)Led Zeppelin Dead Girl WalkingCarrie Hope Fletcher & Jamie Muscato

Find your amp

Browse

Boss Katana 50 MkII settingsALL SONGS FOR THIS AMP Psycho Holiday on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Pantera tonesALL SONGS Pantera on the Boss Katana 50 MkIISAME ARTIST, SAME AMP Ibanez JEM7V Steve Vai tonesSAME GUITAR Tone libraryEVERYTHING

Song, 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.