Bad horsie amp settings — Marshall Mg15r

The Steve Vai guitar tone for “Bad horsie”, dialed in for a Marshall Mg15r with a Jackson JS22 Dinky. Studio version, Alien Love Secrets (1995)

Original rig

Ibanez JEM7V (DiMarzio Evolution bridge humbucker) → Morley Bad Horsie Wah (locked half-open cocked position) → Bogner Ecstasy 101B (high gain channel) → Marshall 4x12

Nasal, vocal, mid-heavy high-gain lead with cocked-wah filtering — raw and almost industrial aggression

Amp settings — Marshall Mg15r

CHANNELOD (Overdrive channel)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	6
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Dunlop Cry Baby GCB95 or similar wah

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. CRITICAL: Lock the wah pedal at roughly half-open position and leave it there — do NOT rock it. This fixed cocked-wah is the entire identity of the tone. Without it, you're just playing a generic high-gain lead.

Pedal Position 5

Why these settings

The MG15R's OD channel is Marshall-voiced but thinner than a Bogner Ecstasy — pushed mid to 7 (vs Vai's scooped 5-6) to compensate for the missing wah's mid-filtering and the smaller speaker's lack of body. Bass pulled to 4 to keep the 8" speaker tight. Gain at 8 because the MG runs hot. The Jackson's ceramic humbuckers are brighter and less compressed than DiMarzio Evolutions, so tone knob rolled to 7 to tame ice-pick highs.

PRO TIPThis tone is 80% the cocked wah — without one, you will NOT get close. A used Cry Baby or Donner/Mooer wah clone costs under $40 and is non-negotiable for this song. Lock it at the halfway point where it sounds most vocal/nasal, then don't touch it. Play with your bridge pickup's volume to control gain dynamics like Vai does.

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These settings are for a Marshall Mg15r. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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