Tone library / Wheatus / Teenage Dirtbag

Teenage Dirtbag amp settings — Crate. Acoustic Crate ca611od

The Wheatus guitar tone for “Teenage Dirtbag”, dialed in for a Crate. Acoustic Crate ca611od with a Squier Affinity Stratocaster. Studio version, Wheatus self-titled album (2000) — six-layered acoustic guitar through SansAmp PSA-1 preamp + Mesa Subway Blues amp

Original rig

Martin 00016 TR acoustic → SansAmp PSA-1 preamp (distortion) + Mesa/Boogie Subway Blues (edge of breakup) — NO electric guitars on recording

Thick, wooly fuzz-like distortion with compressed mids and rolled-off highs — deliberately lo-fi and chunky, not bright or articulate

Amp settings — Crate. Acoustic Crate ca611od

CHANNELOverdrive channel engaged

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

Don’t have a Crate. Acoustic Crate ca611od? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE3 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Distortion pedal (RECOMMENDED — Boss DS-1 or Danelectro Daddy-O)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Brendan Brown used a Danelectro Daddy-O live to replicate this tone. A DS-1 or any fuzzy distortion with the tone rolled way down works. Essential for this sound — the amp OD alone won't get the woolly character.

Tone 3 · Level 6 · Dist 7

Why these settings

The original tone is dark and compressed because it's an acoustic guitar through a preamp — not a bright electric. Your Strat's single coils are inherently brighter, so I've dropped treble to 4, presence to 3, and you MUST roll your tone knob to 3 to kill the ice-pick highs. Neck pickup only. The Crate's overdrive channel approximates the SansAmp saturation, but a dedicated fuzz/distortion pedal with its tone knob near minimum would nail the woolly, lo-fi character far better.

PRO TIPPalm-mute the chugging sections very lightly — the original has a compressed, 'pillowy' attack because acoustic strings don't sustain like electrics. Dig in hard on downstrokes but let notes decay quickly rather than ringing out.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Crate. Acoustic Crate ca611od. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

Find your amp

Browse

Teenage Dirtbag on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Squier Affinity 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.