Creep amp settings — Washburn Bad Dog BD12

The Radiohead guitar tone for “Creep”, dialed in for a Washburn Bad Dog BD12 with a Thomson Stratocaster-style BD12. Studio version, Pablo Honey (1993) — Jonny Greenwood's heavy chorus crunch

Original rig

Fender Telecaster Plus (Lace Sensor Dually bridge pickup) -> Marshall Shredmaster -> Fender Eighty-Five solid-state amplifier

Abrasive, thick, high-gain 90s solid-state distortion with scooped upper mids and sharp attack

Amp settings — Washburn Bad Dog BD12

CHANNELOverdrive / Boost OnBOOSTon

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

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Marshall Shredmaster (or high-gain distortion pedal)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned

Gain 8 · Bass 7 · Contour 8 · Treble 6 · Volume 7

Why these settings

The Bad Dog BD12's 6.5-inch speaker lacks the low-end weight of Jonny's 1x12 Fender Eighty-Five, so engage the amp's overdrive/boost switch with gain pushed to 8 for immediate crunch. Treble is dialed to 7 to replicate the piercing Lace Sensor bridge bite, while bass is raised to 7 to compensate for the small practice cabinet. Quiet verse: disengage the overdrive switch and pick softly near the neck.

PRO TIPFor the famous aggressive 'chug-chug' muted dead-strokes before the chorus hits, slam the side of your picking hand across the bridge while striking all six strings with a heavy downstroke.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Washburn Bad Dog BD12. 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.