Bad amp settings — Fender 10g

The Wave to earth guitar tone for “Bad”, dialed in for a Fender 10g with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, 0.1 flaws and all. (2023)

Original rig

Les Paul-style humbucker guitar, likely Fender-style clean amp (Deluxe Reverb or similar) with overdrive pedal for the crunch sections — Korean indie rock typically uses this setup for the warm, mid-focused tone

Warm, smooth overdrive with controlled mids and rolled-off highs — dreamy but with grit

Amp settings — Fender 10g

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

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE5 VOLUME8

Signal chain

01Overdrive (TS-style or Blues Driver)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. A Boss BD-2 or Behringer TO800 ($25) would get you 90% there. Without this pedal, push amp gain to max (10) but expect a thinner, fizzier result.

Drive 5 · Tone 4 · Level 6

Why these settings

Your Strat's single coils are brighter and lower output than the original's humbuckers, so I cut treble to 4 and boosted bass/mid to compensate for the thinner voice. The Fender 10G is a practice amp with limited headroom — pushing gain to 7 with neck pickup and rolled-back tone knob approximates the warmth, but an OD pedal is essential for the smooth saturation heard on the record.

PRO TIPPick closer to the neck (over the fretboard) with the fleshy part of your thumb grazing the strings slightly — this softens the attack and removes the 'quack' that Strats naturally add, getting you closer to that pillowy humbucker response.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender 10g. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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More tones for the Fender 10g

Close Minded FailureSolstice The CliqueNumber One Son AerialsSystem of a down Bulls in the BronxPierce the Veil WalkPantera Take me awayFreaky Friday

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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.