Tone library / Paramore / Misery Business

Misery Business amp settings — Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18

The Paramore guitar tone for “Misery Business”, dialed in for a Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 with a Duesenberg Starplayer TV. Studio version, Riot! (2007)

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (Red/Modern), Fender Telecaster Deluxe with humbuckers, Boss Blues Driver (always-on), MXR Distortion III (boost)

Thick, mid-forward punk-rock crunch with tight palm mutes and aggressive attack
Amp settings — Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18
CHANNELLeadBRIGHToffBOOSTon
GAIN 6 BASS 4 MID 8 TREBLE 5 PRESENCE 6 REVERB 0 MASTER 5
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain6
Bass4
Mid8
Treble5
Presence6
Reverb0
Master5
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01Boss Blues Driver (BD-2)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Used as always-on light drive to push amp and add pick attack. The TubeMeister's lead channel alone gets close, but this pedal adds the grit and compression heard on the record.

Level 7 · Tone 5 · Gain 3
Why these settings

The TubeMeister 18 is tighter and less scooped than a Dual Rectifier, so mids are pushed to 8 to match the Recto's saturated midrange bark. Bass dropped to 4 because the TubeMeister's EL84 power section already runs warm in the low-mids. Your Duesenberg's TV Jones Filtertrons are lower output and brighter than Farro's hot Tele humbuckers—gain raised slightly and treble pulled back to compensate.

PRO TIPFarro's attack on this track is all downstrokes on the palm-muted sections with the pick angled slightly toward the bridge for that percussive 'chunk'—the tone lives in the right hand aggression as much as the amp settings.

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These settings are for a Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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