Dyin day amp settings — Boss Katana 50 Gen-3

The Steve Vai guitar tone for “Dyin day”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 Gen-3 with a Ibanez RG470PB. Studio version, Fire Garden (1996) — Track 3 on Phase 1 (instrumental section)

Original rig

Ibanez JEM7V with DiMarzio Evolution pickups → Carvin Legacy head (clean-to-edge-of-breakup channel) → various 4x12 cabs; Stuart Hamm on bass. Electric layers use moderate gain with Eventide H3000 for modulation/delay.

Warm, vocal midrange lead tone with singing sustain; clean-ish rhythm foundation with atmospheric delay and reverb; expressive dynamics responding to pick attack

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 Gen-3

CHANNELCrunch amp typeBRIGHToffBOOSToff

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

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss Katana Onboard Delay (Digital setting)

Use the Katana's built-in delay via Tone Studio or panel; set to Digital type for cleaner repeats. Tempo around 350-400ms to match the song's 88 BPM feel.

Time 5 · Feedback 4 · Level 5

02Boss Katana Onboard Chorus (CE-1 type)

Subtle chorus adds dimension to the lead tone without overwhelming it. Access via Tone Studio or FX knob.

Rate 3 · Depth 4 · Level 5

Why these settings

The Carvin Legacy is voiced with strong, clear mids and tight low end — the Katana Crunch channel approximates this better than Brown (too compressed) or Lead (too saturated). Your RG470PB's Quantum pickups are slightly brighter and less mid-focused than Vai's DiMarzio Evolutions, so mid is pushed to 7 to compensate. Gain stays moderate at 4 because the original tone breathes and cleans up with picking dynamics.

PRO TIPVai's singing lead tone on this track relies heavily on legato technique and controlled vibrato — use your fretting hand for sustain rather than cranking gain. Roll your guitar volume to 7-8 for the cleaner rhythm sections, then back to 10 for leads to push the amp slightly harder without touching any knobs.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 Gen-3. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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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.