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Bohemian Rhapsody amp settings — NUX MG-400

The Queen guitar tone for “Bohemian Rhapsody”, dialed in for a NUX MG-400 with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, A Night at the Opera (1975) — rock solo section after the operatic middle

Original rig

Brian May Red Special guitar (middle+neck pickups out of phase) → Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster → Vox AC30 (Top Boost channel, cranked). Recorded at Rockfield Studios with multiple overdubs.

Creamy, singing sustain with harmonic-rich midrange bark and chimey top-end — the iconic 'out-of-phase' scream that cuts through the layered arrangement

Amp settings — NUX MG-400

CHANNELAC30 model (or closest Vox-style amp sim) with Top Boost voicingBRIGHTonBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	0
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPneck+middle TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Treble Booster block (Rangemaster style)

Enable the treble booster or bright overdrive sim before the amp block — this is essential for the searing harmonic content; if MG-400 lacks a dedicated treble booster, use a Tube Screamer block with Drive at 2, Tone at 8, Level at 7 as substitute

Level 7 · Tone 6

02Delay block

Short slapback (~300ms) for spatial depth on lead lines — post-amp block or in virtual FX loop

Time 3 · Feedback 2 · Mix 2

Why these settings

Your GRG170DX has humbuckers vs May's single-coil-output Red Special, so mid pushed +1 and gain held at 6 to avoid over-saturation. The MG-400's AC30 model is inherently brighter than a real AC30, so presence dropped to 6 vs the original's higher setting. The out-of-phase tone is impossible to replicate exactly with standard humbuckers — using neck+middle position gets the closest midrange character.

PRO TIPMay used a sixpence coin as a pick for that distinctive attack and harmonic overtone bloom — try a thick rigid pick (2mm+) held loosely and strike the strings with a slight scraping angle to get closer to that articulation.

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These settings are for a NUX MG-400. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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