Tone library / Red Hot Chili Peppers / Can't Stop

Can't Stop amp settings — Blackstar Fly 3

The Red Hot Chili Peppers guitar tone for “Can't Stop”, dialed in for a Blackstar Fly 3 with a Squier Bullet Stratocaster. Studio version, By the Way (2002)

Original rig

1962 Fender Stratocaster (or early 60s Telecaster) → Tube Screamer → Marshall Major 200W / Silver Jubilee, 4x12 cab

Percussive, snappy crunch with prominent upper-mids and Strat quack — tight and articulate, not overly saturated
Amp settings — Blackstar Fly 3
GAIN 2 BASS 4 MID 0 TREBLE 0 PRESENCE 0 REVERB 0 MASTER 7
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain2
Bass4
Mid0
Treble0
Presence0
Reverb0
Master7
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01OD300 (Tube Screamer mode if available)

This is your primary gain source — set amp gain low and let the OD300 push it. If your OD300 has amp sim modes, select a Marshall or British-style voice. Level high, gain low mimics Frusciante's boosted-clean approach.

Level 8 · Tone 5 · Drive/Gain 3
Why these settings

The Blackstar Fly 3 is a tiny practice amp with only Gain, EQ (one-knob), and Volume — no separate bass/mid/treble. I set gain to 2 because your OD300 provides the crunch; the Fly 3 acts as a clean platform. The single EQ knob centers around mids: I left it at the implied neutral position. Your Squier Bullet Strat is bright like Frusciante's 60s Strats, so tone knob at 7 tames ice-pick highs while keeping snap. The recording is dry — no reverb.

PRO TIPFrusciante's percussive attack on this riff comes from muting with the palm heel immediately after each chord stab and digging in hard with a stiff pick angle — the tone is 60% technique. Practice the staccato chop before chasing gear.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Blackstar Fly 3. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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