Roam amp settings — Peavey Special 120
The The B-52's guitar tone for “Roam”, dialed in for a Peavey Special 120 with a Squier Bullet Stratocaster. Studio version, Cosmic Thing (1989), produced by Nile Rodgers
Keith Strickland used a Rickenbacker 360 or similar jangle-style guitar through clean Fender-style amps with chorus/flanger effects. Nile Rodgers' production favored direct, clean guitar tones with subtle modulation.
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 6 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 6 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 5 |
01Boss BF-2 Flanger
Subtle flanger adds the shimmering movement heard on the recording. Keep depth and resonance conservative to avoid jet-plane sounds—this is tasteful shimmer, not 80s excess.
The Peavey Special 120 is a solid-state amp with bright, scooped American voicing—well-suited for this clean jangle tone. Your Squier Bullet's single coils will nail the brightness; I've kept treble at 7 and pushed mids to 6 to prevent the tone from becoming thin. The original used Rickenbacker-style jangle which has more midrange body than a typical Strat, hence the mid boost.
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These settings are for a Peavey Special 120. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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