Treat You Better amp settings — Fender Blues Junior IV
The Shawn Mendes guitar tone for “Treat You Better”, dialed in for a Fender Blues Junior IV with a Harley Benton SC-Custom II. Studio version, Illuminate (2016) — iconic palm-muted intro/verse rhythm
Fender Telecaster into Fender Blues Deluxe / SSL console, optical compression (Avalon 2044), tape delay (SoundToys EchoBoy 1/8th note)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 5 |
The Blues Junior's preamp gain is kept low at 3 with the FAT switch off to preserve pristine clean headroom matching the studio track. Because the Harley Benton SC-Custom II has warmer humbuckers compared to Shawn's single-coil Telecaster, bass is pulled back to 4 and treble is pushed to 7 to maintain snappy percussive definition. Selecting the middle pickup position blends both coils to mimic the spanky, clear attack of a Telecaster middle position.
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These settings are for a Fender Blues Junior IV. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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