Tone library / Van Halen / Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

The Van Halen guitar tone for “Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Epiphone Les Paul Classic. Studio version, Van Halen (1978) - intro riff & rhythm parts

Original rig

1968 Marshall Super Lead 100W (variac ~90V), Ibanez Destroyer (PAF humbucker), MXR Flanger, MXR Phase 90, Maestro Echoplex EP-3

Punchy 'Brown Sound' crunch with chewy upper-mid bite, tight palm-muted lows, and dynamic flanger/slapback ambiance

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

CHANNELBrown amp type (Variation off)BOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	6
Reverb	3
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Katana Onboard Flanger (MOD block)

Engage Katana built-in MOD/Flanger for the signature chewy sweep

Rate 2 · Depth 6 · Manual 5 · Resonance 6

02Katana Onboard Delay (Echoplex slapback style)

Set to roughly 125ms slapback with 1-2 repeats

Time 3 · Feedback 2 · Effect Level 3

Why these settings

The Katana 50 MkII's Brown amp type specifically models the variac-sagged Marshall Plexi 'Brown Sound'. With Les Paul humbuckers, gain at 6 provides the ideal vintage crunch without turning modern and fizzy. Bass is pulled down to 4 to keep the rapid palm-muted arpeggios tight and percussive.

PRO TIPPick aggressively near the bridge with heavy palm muting on the open A and low strings to replicate EVH's tight, percussive dynamic response.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 MkII. 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.