Eruption amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

The Van Halen guitar tone for “Eruption”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Squier Bullet Stratocaster. Studio version, Van Halen (1978)

Original rig

1968 Marshall Super Lead 100W (variac-lowered voltage), Frankenstrat (bridge PAF humbucker), MXR Phase 90, Univox EC-80 Tape Echo, Sunset Sound EMT 140 plate reverb

Classic Brown Sound — harmonically saturated, mid-heavy crunch with smooth top-end and slow phase sweep

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

CHANNELBrown amp typeBOOSTon

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

Don’t have a Boss Katana 50 MkII? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Onboard Booster (Blues Drive model)

Internal Katana Boost assigned to tighten low-end and push saturation

Drive 3 · Tone 5 · Level 8

02Onboard Phaser

Set slow sweep to replicate script-logo MXR Phase 90 on intro and tremolo picking sections

Rate 2 · Depth 6 · Resonance 4

03Onboard Delay (Tape Echo model)

Replicates the Univox EC-80 set around 300ms for slap and trail fullness

Time 4 · Feedback 3 · Effect Level 4

Why these settings

The Squier single-coil bridge pickup is thinner and brighter than Eddie's PAF, so the Strat tone knob is rolled to 8 and treble is pulled back to 5 while boosting mids to 8. The Brown amp type delivers the cranked Marshall core, while the Katana 50 MkII lacks a physical presence knob so top-end smoothing is handled entirely via EQ. The internal booster adds necessary harmonic compression to match the variac-driven Super Lead.

PRO TIPPick with a heavy attack right near the bridge for the tapped harmonics to jump out, and ensure your phaser rate is kept ultra-slow around the 9 o'clock sweep mark so it swirls without losing note clarity.

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.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

More tones for the Boss Katana 50 MkII

You should probably leaveChris Stapleton I got betterMorgan Wallen Memory sure don't mess aroundJordan Davis GoosePolyphia Stairway to Heaven (Live)Led Zeppelin Dead Girl WalkingCarrie Hope Fletcher & Jamie Muscato

Find your amp

Browse

Boss Katana 50 MkII settingsALL SONGS FOR THIS AMP Eruption on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Van Halen tonesALL SONGS Van Halen on the Boss Katana 50 MkIISAME ARTIST, SAME AMP Squier Bullet Stratocaster tonesSAME GUITAR Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.