Reeling in the years amp settings — Boss ME-80
The Steely dan guitar tone for “Reeling in the years”, dialed in for a Boss ME-80 with a Jackson Super Strat. Studio cut, Can't Buy a Thrill (1972) — Elliott Randall lead solo
1963 Fender Stratocaster (PAF humbucker in neck position) straight into cranked Ampeg SVT tube bass head and 8x10 cabinet (AKG C12 mic)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 6 |
01Boss ME-80 OD/DS Block (BOOST / NATURAL OD)
Used as a mild push to simulate the massive power-tube saturation and compression of the cranked SVT
02Boss ME-80 DELAY Block
Subtle room/slapback ambiance to replicate the studio room mic acoustic space
Elliott Randall recorded the legendary solo plugging directly into an Ampeg SVT bass head with a neck PAF humbucker, yielding punchy low-mids without standard guitar-amp treble bite. On the ME-80, the Tweed preamp model provides that vintage non-master tube warmth, while the onboard Boost/Natural OD adds the smooth compression of an SVT pushed hard. A Jackson Super Strat's neck pickup (single-coil or humbucker) hits the right vocal warmth, especially with the guitar tone knob rolled back slightly to 8.
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