Freak amp settings — Kustom Kxb20

The Silverchair guitar tone for “Freak”, dialed in for a Kustom Kxb20 with a Fender Player Precision Bass. Studio album cut, Freak Show (1997)

Original rig

G&L L-2000 Bass into Ampeg SVT-CL / SVT-810E cab, blended with heavy studio tube/ribbon mic saturation and DI (picked, Drop D)

Punchy, aggressive grunge bass with prominent pick clank, tight low-end, and heavy upper-mid growl

Amp settings — Kustom Kxb20

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Bass	6
Mid	7
Treble	7
Master	6

Don’t have a Kustom Kxb20? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE9 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI / Overdrive

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; adds the gritty tube-overdrive grind that the clean KXB20 solid-state practice amp lacks

Drive 7 · Blend 8 · Bass 6 · Treble 7 · Presence 7 · Level 6

Why these settings

The Kustom KXB20 is a clean solid-state practice amp with a 4-band EQ (Bass, Lo-Mid, Hi-Mid, Treble) and no native drive control. Pushing the Hi-Mid and Treble compensates for the amp's clean headroom to reproduce the gritty attack of Chris Joannou's active G&L bass and Ampeg rig. The Fender P-Bass split-coil delivers the required thick fundamental when played hard with a heavy pick near the bridge.

PRO TIPTune down to Drop D (D-A-D-G) and dig into the strings hard with a heavy 1.0mm+ nylon or tortex pick right over the split-coil pickup to generate the signature percussive clank and mid-range bite heard on the track.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Kustom Kxb20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

Find your amp

Browse

Freak on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Fender Player Precision Bass tonesSAME GUITAR Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.