How to Dial In "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by U2 - Guitar Tone Settings
Gear for "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
Suggested rig · the original isn't documented.
Knob Positions, Pickup, and Tuning
Where to set the knobs for this tone. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale.
On your amp, these numbers won't sound the same.
Get the settings for my ampHow the artist had their guitar configured for this take.
From A Very Special Christmas (1987). A Very Special Christmas is the first in the A Very Special Christmas series of Christmas-themed compilation albums produced to benefit the Special Olympics. No source we found ties a guitar or amp to this recording, so a Gibson Explorer through a Vox AC30 C2, the nearest rig we use for U2's other songs, stands in. Set the amp to a light crunch and use the bridge pickup. Published transcriptions put it in E♭ standard (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭), a half step below standard.
Common Questions About the "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" Tone
What guitar did U2 use on "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"?
The guitar on "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (released 1987) isn't documented; the Gibson Explorer above gets the sound. Pickup selector: bridge pickup on the guitar. The track is in E♭ Standard (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭), so retune before you dial anything in.
What amp settings does "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" need?
Settings for this sound: Gain 4.5, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 7, Presence 6, Volume 6.5. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale; match them on your amp first, then nudge to taste. ToneMirror can translate these positions for whatever amp you actually own.
Can I play "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" without the original gear?
Yes. ToneMirror takes the settings above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" tone on a Katana, a Helix, a tube combo, or anything else. The translation accounts for EQ curve, gain structure, and pickup type so the result actually sounds like the record, not just the same knob numbers on different gear.
More Tones You Can Dial In
Tone references for "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by U2 are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.