Tone library / Sister of mercy / Marian

Marian amp settings — Fender Champion 20

The Sister of mercy guitar tone for “Marian”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 20 with a Gretsch G5220 Electromatic. Studio version, First and Last and Always (1985) — Wayne Hussey's shimmering 12-string arpeggiated part

Original rig

Roland JC-60 Jazz Chorus amp (built-in chorus), Aria 12-string electric, Boss compressor, Boss phaser, Boss distortion, Electro-Harmonix Memory Man Deluxe delay. Clean signal with heavy chorus, delay, and compression creating the signature chiming gothic shimmer.

Crystalline clean jangle with lush chorus shimmer, long atmospheric delay trails, and bell-like 12-string chime — spacious and ethereal, no distortion
Amp settings — Fender Champion 20
GAIN 3 BASS 4 TREBLE 7 REVERB 0 MASTER 5
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain3
Bass4
Treble7
Reverb0
Master5
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Guitar
PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01Chorus pedal (Boss CE-2 style)

RECOMMENDED — not owned. Essential for the JC-60 chorus shimmer. A Boss CE-5 or TC Electronic Corona would work.

Rate 4 · Depth 7

02Analog Delay (Boss DM-2 or digital delay)

RECOMMENDED — not owned. Set to 450ms (quarter note at 133 Bpm). High feedback for long atmospheric trails. A Boss DD-3 or TC Flashback covers this.

E.Level 5 · F.Back 6 · D.Time 7

03Compressor (Boss CS-3 style)

RECOMMENDED — not owned. Evens out the 12-string-style arpeggios and adds sustain. Run BEFORE chorus and delay.

Level 6 · Tone 5 · Attack 3 · Sustain 6
Why these settings

The Champion 20 has no mid or presence knob — only gain, bass, treble, and reverb. The original used a Roland JC-60's pristine clean channel with built-in stereo chorus; your solid-state Fender can approximate the clean headroom but lacks onboard chorus/delay, which are non-negotiable for this tone. Treble pushed to 7 compensates for your Gretsch humbuckers being darker than the original's bright 12-string. Reverb set to 0 because the original's space comes from delay trails, not spring reverb.

PRO TIPPlay arpeggiated open-string voicings high on the neck and let notes ring into each other — the delay and chorus turn simple triads into a wall of shimmer. Roll tone knob to 6-7 to tame any harshness from the Filter'Tron pickups; the original 12-string had a naturally softer attack.

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These settings are for a Fender Champion 20. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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