Aerials amp settings — Fender Champion 20
The Soad guitar tone for “Aerials”, dialed in for a Fender Champion 20 with a Fender American Ultra Stratocaster. Studio version, Toxicity (2001) - iconic heavy drop-C main riff
1962 Gibson SG / Gibson Les Paul into Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier blended with Marshall JMP 2203, MXR Smart Gate
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 5 |
The Fender Champion 20 is a modeling amp with a 2-band EQ and no mid or presence knobs, so both are nulled. Selecting the high-gain Metal voice provides the saturated Mesa-style distortion Daron Malakian used on Toxicity. To compensate for single-coil Strat pickups compared to Malakian's mahogany humbuckers in Drop C, treble is set slightly lower at 6 while bass is kept at 6 to maintain low-end weight without muddying the 8-inch speaker.
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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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