Boss Katana settings
Mr. Brightside settings for Boss Katana
The Killers · adapted 94 times on ToneAdapt
To get the The Killers "Mr. Brightside" riff tone on a Boss Katana, set Gain 4.5, Bass 4, Mid 6, Treble 7, Reverb 5, Fx 5. Use the bridge pickup (single-coil) pickup with your guitar's tone on 8 and volume on 8-9.
Riff settings
Adapted for a Squier Stratocaster · updated 2026-11-13
- Pickup
- Bridge pickup (single-coil)
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 8 · Volume 8-9
Boss Katana knobs
- Gain
- 4.5
- Bass
- 4
- Mid
- 6
- Treble
- 7
- Reverb
- 5
- Fx
- 5
- Bst
- 0
- Power control
- 2
Built-in effects
- Chorus on
- Reverb on (Spring) · 5
Playing tips
- Use your amp's built-in chorus set to a moderate level to recreate the spacious feel of the original tone.
- Keep your playing dynamic to emphasize the edge-of-breakup tone.
- Experiment with picking intensity to achieve the desired bite in the riff.
Solo settings
Adapted for a Schecter CR-6 · updated 2026-01-26
- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 7-8 · Volume 8-9
Boss Katana knobs
- Gain
- 3.5
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 6.5
- Treble
- 6.5
- Presence
- 4
- Reverb
- 3
Playing tips
- Use a light touch for a chimey, jangly sound.
- Incorporate slight bends to add expressiveness to the notes.
- Experiment with palm muting for added dynamics in certain phrases.
The original rig
What The Killers used on the recording, for reference. ToneAdapt translates this to the controls your Boss Katana actually has.
- Guitar
- Fender Stratocaster (likely American Standard, early 2000s, as used by Dave Keuning on the studio recording)
- Amp
- Fender Hot Rod DeVille (studio recording, 2003 era; Fender-style amp confirmed by multiple sources)
- Gain
- 4.5
- Bass
- 4.5
- Mid
- 7
- Treble
- 8
- Presence
- 6
- Reverb
- 5
Different guitar or pedals? Get Mr. Brightside adapted to your exact rig
These settings were generated for the gear named above. ToneAdapt adapts The Killers's tone to your own guitar, pickups, amp and pedals in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Boss Katana settings for Mr. Brightside?
Set Gain 4.5, Bass 4, Mid 6, Treble 7, Reverb 5, Fx 5.
Which pickup should I use for Mr. Brightside?
Bridge pickup (single-coil), with the guitar's tone at 8 and volume at 8-9.
What gear did The Killers use on Mr. Brightside?
Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (likely American Standard, early 2000s, as used by Dave Keuning on the studio recording). Amp: Fender Hot Rod DeVille (studio recording, 2003 era; Fender-style amp confirmed by multiple sources).
Will these settings work with my guitar?
These settings were adapted for a Squier Stratocaster. Different pickups change how much gain and treble you need. ToneAdapt adapts the tone to your exact guitar, pickups, amp and pedals.
Mr. Brightside on other amps
- Mr. Brightside on Fender Mustang LT25 · 202
- Mr. Brightside on Fender Frontman 10G · 88
- Mr. Brightside on Line 6 Helix Floor / LT / Rack · 52
- Mr. Brightside on Fender Champion 20 · 42
- Mr. Brightside on Neural DSP Quad Cortex · 29
- Mr. Brightside on Fender Frontman 15G · 26
- Mr. Brightside on Line 6 POD Go / POD Go Wireless · 24
More The Killers on the Boss Katana
All The Killers tones →Popular songs on the Boss Katana
- Master of Puppets · Metallica
- Sweet Child O' Mine · Guns N' Roses
- Walk · Pantera
- Hotel California · Eagles
- Enter Sandman · Metallica
- Holy Wars · Megadeth
- Back in Black · AC/DC
- Whole Lotta Love · Led Zeppelin
- Raining Blood · Slayer
- Crazy Train · Ozzy Osbourne
- Welcome to the Jungle · Guns N' Roses
- Smells Like Teen Spirit · Nirvana
Settings are generated by ToneAdapt's tone adaptation for the gear named on this page and are a starting point — every amp, guitar and room is a little different.