Fender Mustang III settings
How to Save a Life settings for Fender Mustang III
The Fray · adapted 2 times on ToneAdapt
To get the The Fray "How to Save a Life" riff tone on a Fender Mustang III, select the '59 Bassman preset, then set Gain 4, Bass 6, Mid 5, Treble 7, Reverb 1. Use the bridge pickup with your guitar's tone on 7-8 and volume on 8-9.
Riff settings
Adapted for a Squier Stratocaster · updated 2026-11-03
- Preset / mode
- '59 Bassman
- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
- Guitar knobs
- Tone 7-8 · Volume 8-9
Fender Mustang III knobs
- Gain
- 4
- Bass
- 6
- Mid
- 5
- Treble
- 7
- Reverb
- 1
Built-in effects
- Reverb on (Spring) · 1
Playing tips
- Use your amp's built-in reverb set to moderate levels to recreate the spacious feel of the original tone.
- Play with a light touch to maintain clarity and articulation in your chord voicings.
- Focus on dynamic playing to enhance the touch-sensitive response of your tone.
The original rig
What The Fray used on the recording, for reference. ToneAdapt translates this to the controls your Fender Mustang III actually has.
- Guitar
- Fender Telecaster (likely 1970s or early 2000s American Standard, as seen in live performances and consistent with studio era)
- Amp
- Fender Hot Rod DeVille (most commonly cited for The Fray's studio and live tones in this era, no direct studio confirmation for this song, but highly probable)
- Gain
- 3.5
- Bass
- 6
- Mid
- 6.5
- Treble
- 6.5
- Presence
- 5.5
- Reverb
- 5
Different guitar or pedals? Get How to Save a Life adapted to your exact rig
These settings were generated for the gear named above. ToneAdapt adapts The Fray's tone to your own guitar, pickups, amp and pedals in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
What preset should I use on the Fender Mustang III for How to Save a Life?
Start from the '59 Bassman preset, then set Gain 4, Bass 6, Mid 5, Treble 7, Reverb 1.
Which pickup should I use for How to Save a Life?
Bridge pickup, with the guitar's tone at 7-8 and volume at 8-9.
What gear did The Fray use on How to Save a Life?
Guitar: Fender Telecaster (likely 1970s or early 2000s American Standard, as seen in live performances and consistent with studio era). Amp: Fender Hot Rod DeVille (most commonly cited for The Fray's studio and live tones in this era, no direct studio confirmation for this song, but highly probable).
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.
Popular songs on the Fender Mustang III
- Sweet Child O' Mine · Guns N' Roses
- Master of Puppets · Metallica
- Whole Lotta Love · Led Zeppelin
- Walk · Pantera
- Enter Sandman · Metallica
- Welcome to the Jungle · Guns N' Roses
- Crazy Train · Ozzy Osbourne
- Highway to Hell · AC/DC
- Pride and Joy · Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Stairway to Heaven · Led Zeppelin
- Smells Like Teen Spirit · Nirvana
- Holy Wars · Megadeth
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.