Guitar tone · rock, country

The Killers guitar tone: gear & amp settings

The gear and amp settings behind 8 The Killers songs, researched from rig rundowns, interviews and gear forums. The rig that shows up most: Fender Stratocaster into Ampeg SVT Classic (tube head, likely with 8x10 cab).

Guitars The Killers used

Fender Stratocaster2 songs
Fender Jazz Bass (passive, likely American Standard or similar early 2000s model)1 song
Fender Jazz Bass (likely 1970s reissue, passive)1 song
Fender Telecaster (likely 1970s or early 2000s American Standard, as used by Dave Keuning in studio era)1 song
Fender Stratocaster (likely American Standard, early 2000s, as used by Dave Keuning on the studio recording)1 song
Gibson ES-3351 song
Fender American Standard Stratocaster1 song
Gibson Explorer1 song

Amps The Killers used

Ampeg SVT Classic (tube head, likely with 8x10 cab)1 song
Ampeg SVT Classic (likely studio rental, era-appropriate for 2003 rock)1 song
Fender Hot Rod DeVille (most likely studio amp for this era and genre, based on typical Killers studio setups and genre conventions)1 song
Fender Hot Rod DeVille (studio recording, 2003 era; Fender-style amp confirmed by multiple sources)1 song
Fender-style amp (likely Fender Hot Rod DeVille or similar)1 song
Fender-style amp (exact model not specified, likely Fender Hot Rod or Twin Reverb based on era and sources)1 song
Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 III 60W 2x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp1 song
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe1 song

14 The Killers tones

Song	Part	Guitar	Amp	Gain
Mr. Brightside · riff	Riff · distorted	Fender Stratocaster (likely American Standard, early 2000s, as used by Dave Keuning on the studio recording)	Fender Hot Rod DeVille (studio recording, 2003 era; Fender-style amp confirmed by multiple sources)	4.5
Mr. Brightside · solo	Solo · distorted	Gibson ES-335	Fender-style amp (exact model not specified, likely Fender Hot Rod or Twin Reverb based on era and sources)	6
When You Were Young · riff	Riff · distorted	Fender Stratocaster (likely American Standard or similar, as used by Dave Keuning in studio for this era)	Fender-style amp (likely Fender Princeton or Roland Jazz Chorus, as referenced by Keuning for studio use in this era)	6.5
All These Things That I've Done · riff	Riff · distorted	Fender Telecaster (likely 1970s or early 2000s American Standard, as used by Dave Keuning in studio era)	Fender Hot Rod DeVille (most likely studio amp for this era and genre, based on typical Killers studio setups and genre conventions)	4.5
Mr. Brightside · riff	Riff · clean	Gibson ES-335 (black, stock pickups, as used by Dave Keuning on Hot Fuss era studio recordings)	Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 III (studio recording, 2003-2004 era)	0
Somebody Told Me · riff	Riff · distorted	Gibson Explorer	Fender Hot Rod DeVille	7
A Dustland Fairytale · riff	Riff · distorted	Fender Stratocaster	Fender Hot Rod Deluxe	4
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine · clean	Clean · clean	Fender Jazz Bass (passive, likely American Standard or similar early 2000s model)	Ampeg SVT Classic (tube head, likely with 8x10 cab)	0
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine · riff	Riff · distorted	Fender Stratocaster (likely American Standard, early 2000s, as used by Dave Keuning on Hot Fuss)	Marshall JCM900 (studio recording, as per era and genre conventions; no direct source confirmation for this exact model on this track, but consistent with Keuning's known early gear and Hot Fuss tones)	5.5
Mr. Brightside · clean	Clean · clean	Fender Jazz Bass (likely 1970s reissue, passive)	Ampeg SVT Classic (likely studio rental, era-appropriate for 2003 rock)	0
Mr. Brightside · solo	Solo · clean	Fender Stratocaster (likely USA Standard, early 2000s)	Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 (studio recording, 2003-2004 era)	0
Read My Mind · solo	Solo · distorted	Fender Stratocaster	Fender-style amp (likely Fender Hot Rod DeVille or similar)	6
Read My Mind · riff	Riff · distorted	Fender American Standard Stratocaster	Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 III 60W 2x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp	4
Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town · riff	Riff · clean	Fender Telecaster (likely 1970s or reissue, as per The Killers' typical studio choices for country covers)	Fender Twin Reverb (likely, based on genre, era, and The Killers' known studio gear for clean/country tones)	3.5

The Killers songs on popular amps

Exact settings ToneAdapt players use for these songs on their own amps.

Get The Killers's tone on your gear

Pick any The Killers song and ToneAdapt adapts the original rig to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.

Match a tone on the web iPhone app Android app

Frequently asked questions

What amp did The Killers use?

Across 8 researched songs, the amps that come up most are Ampeg SVT Classic (tube head, likely with 8x10 cab) (1 song), Ampeg SVT Classic (likely studio rental, era-appropriate for 2003 rock) (1 song), Fender Hot Rod DeVille (most likely studio amp for this era and genre, based on typical Killers studio setups and genre conventions) (1 song), Fender Hot Rod DeVille (studio recording, 2003 era; Fender-style amp confirmed by multiple sources) (1 song).

What guitar did The Killers use?

Most often: Fender Stratocaster (2 songs), Fender Jazz Bass (passive, likely American Standard or similar early 2000s model) (1 song), Fender Jazz Bass (likely 1970s reissue, passive) (1 song), Fender Telecaster (likely 1970s or early 2000s American Standard, as used by Dave Keuning in studio era) (1 song).

How do I get The Killers's tone on my amp?

Open any The Killers song below to see the original gear and settings, then use ToneAdapt to adapt them to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.