GuitarDistortedSolo56% confidence
Beat It Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Frankenstrat (Eddie Van Halen's custom Strat-style guitar)
Pickups
Seymour Duncan SH-5 Custom humbucker (bridge position, direct-mounted, single pickup wired to single volume knob)
Amp
Hartley-Thompson HT45 combo with HT45S cab (borrowed from Allan Holdsworth)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1982; Eddie Van Halen played the solo using his Frankenstrat through a Hartley-Thompson amp with Echoplex tape delay. Not his usual Marshall or 5150. No evidence of pedal overdrive/distortion; all gain from amp. No chorus, flanger, or phaser audible or cited for this solo.
Amp Settings
Mids5.5
Bass5.5
Gain7.5
Reverb1.5
Treble7.5
Presence6.5
Effects Chain
- Echoplex Tape Delay · delay
Frankenstrat → Echoplex Tape Delay → Hartley-Thompson HT45 combo amp
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Tone Character
- aggressive and cutting
- bright and articulate
- singing sustain
- tight pick attack
- liquid legato
- explosive harmonics
- clear note separation
- classic 1980s lead sound
- minimal ambient reverb
- distinct tape delay repeats
Notes & Caveats
- No direct numeric amp settings for the Hartley-Thompson HT45 found; settings estimated based on typical 1980s high-gain rock tones and the amp's known characteristics.
- No evidence of chorus, flanger, phaser, or wah in the solo; only delay is clearly audible.
- Pickup and guitar confirmed by multiple interviews and session accounts; amp confirmed by MusicRadar and other reputable sources.
- Pedal use limited to Echoplex tape delay; all distortion from amp.
- Presence and reverb settings estimated based on era and genre; reverb likely minimal as the solo is dry except for tape delay.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Eddie Van Halen played the solo with his signature 'brown sound'—high gain, prominent mids, and cutting treble—using a cranked Marshall with minimal reverb (room sound added in mix). The tone is aggressive, mid-forward, and bright, matching both his style and the 80s hard rock context.