Killer queen amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

The Queen guitar tone for “Killer queen”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Yamaha Pacifica 112V. Studio version, Sheer Heart Attack (1974) multi-tracked solo and harmony parts

Original rig

Red Special (Burns Tri-Sonic pickups in series) -> Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster -> Vox AC30

Mid-focused, singing vintage British chime with rich harmonic upper-mid sustain

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

CHANNELCrunchBOOSTon

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	4
Mid	8
Treble	7
Reverb	2
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPmiddle TONE8 VOLUME9

Signal chain

01Onboard Booster (Treble Boost type)

Engage Katana internal BST (set to Treble Booster in Tone Studio if available, or standard booster knob)

Drive 7 · Tone 8 · Bottom 3

Why these settings

The Katana Crunch voice provides the Vox AC30 edge-of-breakup platform, while the onboard Boost emulates Brian May's Dallas Rangemaster to drive upper mids into vocal sustain. Bass is lowered to avoid low-end mud, with mids pushed high to replicate the distinctive in-series Burns Tri-Sonic voicing on your Pacifica. Presence is omitted as the Katana 50 MkII lacks a physical presence pot.

PRO TIPUse an old British sixpence or a hard metal coin instead of a plastic pick, angling the coin slightly against the strings to capture Brian May's signature chirping scratch attack.

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.

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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.