Beat It by Michael Jackson (Solo · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Beat It by Michael Jackson guitar tone is built on a Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W, dialed in at gain 8/10, bass 6, mid 5.5, treble 7.5, presence 6.5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

Amp settings (0–10)

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 8 sits well above the rock average (4.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most rock tones; mids at 5.5 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: Charvel 'Frankie' Strat-style (Eddie Van Halen's custom guitar, likely with Floyd Rose tremolo) · Amp: Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W (Jose Arredondo modded, with Variac)

Studio recording, 1982. Eddie Van Halen played the solo as a guest. Guitar was his custom 'Frankie' with a single bridge humbucker, through a hot-rodded Marshall with a Variac to drop voltage. No confirmed pedals used for distortion; all gain from amp. No chorus, flanger, or phaser audible in the solo. Delay is clearly audible. No evidence of wah, fuzz, or modulation. Tone is classic 'brown sound' EVH. Pickup selector set to bridge. No evidence of effects loop.

Gear used on this tone

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Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Charvel 'Frankie' Strat-style (Eddie Van Halen's custom guitar, likely with Floyd Rose tremolo) → Delay pedal (model unknown) → Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W (Jose Arredondo modded, with Variac)

Effects

delay, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 2)

Tone character

explosive, saturated lead tone, singing sustain, tight, percussive attack, harmonic-rich overtones, aggressive pick attack, searing, cutting highs, classic 'brown sound' Van Halen distortion, minimal reverb, dry studio sound, clear, articulate note separation, fast legato and tapping passages

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, fast tempo, loud dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Beat It sound.

Difficulty

5/5 · Solo

This solo is considered expert level due to its rapid tempo, advanced tapping and legato techniques, and the need for precise whammy bar control and phrasing, all of which are hallmarks of Eddie Van Halen's style.

Worth knowing

• No official studio knob settings published; amp settings estimated based on typical EVH 'brown sound' and era-correct Marshall Jose mod usage.
• No evidence of overdrive/distortion pedals used; all gain from amp.
• Delay is clearly audible in solo but no source confirms exact pedal or settings; included as 'Delay pedal (model unknown)'.
• No evidence of chorus, flanger, phaser, or wah in solo section.
• Pickup and amp model confirmed by multiple reputable sources; pickup model inferred from EVH's main guitar at the time.
• Settings are estimated based on genre, era, and known EVH amp mods; not from direct source.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Eddie Van Halen played the solo using his signature high-gain 'brown sound' (Marshall Plexi, variac, mid-forward EQ), with tight bass, pronounced mids, and bright but not harsh treble; reverb was minimal as most ambience was added in post-production.

Beat It guitar tone — FAQ

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Sources

• Michael Jackson's Beat It: how Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather ...
• How to get classic EVH 5150 tones using guitar modelling | MusicRadar
• The amp wizards who gave the world great guitar tone | Guitar World

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