Guitar tone · rock, other

Prince guitar tone: gear & amp settings

The gear and amp settings behind 11 Prince songs, researched from rig rundowns, interviews and gear forums. The rig that shows up most: Hohner Madcat Telecaster into Fender Twin Reverb (likely Silverface, late 1970s era).

Guitars Prince used

Hohner Madcat Telecaster3 songs
Hohner Madcat Telecaster (Prince's main Tele-style guitar, maple neck, ash body)1 song
Schecter Custom Explorer (built by Newt Coupe for Dez Dickerson)1 song
Hohner Madcat Telecaster (Prince's main guitar for early recordings, widely documented for this era)1 song
Ovation 1619-4 Custom Legend1 song
Hohner Madcat Telecaster (Prince's main Tele-style guitar, used on early albums)1 song
Orr Guitar (custom solid body, late 1970s)1 song
Hohner/H.S. Anderson MadCat (late '70s, Telecaster-style)1 song

Amps Prince used

Fender Twin Reverb (likely Silverface, late 1970s era)1 song
Unknown (likely solid-state or tube combo, model not specified in any source)1 song
Acoustic 134 combo amp (most documented for Prince's 1978 era studio work)1 song
Unknown (likely direct to console or clean solid-state amp)1 song
Peavey Classic (likely 212 combo, as used by Prince in studio in late 1970s/early 1980s)1 song
Unknown (likely solid-state or tube combo amp, model not specified for this recording)1 song
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIB (1981) into Bag End Q12 4x12 cabinets with JBL D120F speakers1 song
Unknown solid-state or tube amp (likely a Mesa/Boogie or similar, but not confirmed for this recording)1 song

14 Prince tones

Song	Part	Guitar	Amp	Gain
Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? · solo	Solo · distorted	Hohner Madcat Telecaster (Prince's main Tele-style guitar, used on early albums)	Peavey Classic (likely 212 combo, as used by Prince in studio in late 1970s/early 1980s)	6
Adore (2020 Remaster) · riff	Riff · clean	Hohner Madcat Telecaster	Unknown studio amp (likely Fender Twin Reverb or Mesa/Boogie, but not confirmed for this track)	3
Adore (2020 Remaster) · solo	Solo · distorted	Hohner Madcat Telecaster	Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (studio, likely with Mesa cab)	4
Crazy You · riff	Riff · clean	Ovation 1619-4 Custom Legend	Unknown (likely direct to console or clean solid-state amp)	0
Guitar · solo	Solo · distorted	Hohner/H.S. Anderson MadCat Telecaster copy (late-'70s)	1981 Mesa/Boogie Mark IIB	7
I Wanna Be Your Lover · riff	Riff · clean	Hohner Madcat Telecaster (Prince's main Tele-style guitar, maple neck, ash body)	Fender Twin Reverb (likely Silverface, late 1970s era)	0
If I Was Your Girlfriend (2020 Remaster) · riff	Riff · clean	Hohner Madcat Telecaster (Prince's main Tele-style guitar, maple neck, single-coil pickups)	Unknown solid-state or tube amp (likely Roland JC-120 or Mesa/Boogie, but not confirmed for this track)	0
Little Red Corvette · riff	Riff · distorted	Hohner Madcat Telecaster (Prince's main Tele-style guitar, maple neck, single-cut, used on studio recording)	Mesa Boogie Mark IIB (studio recording, saturated channel)	5
Little Red Corvette (Single Version) · solo	Solo · distorted	Schecter Custom Explorer (built by Newt Coupe for Dez Dickerson)	Unknown (likely solid-state or tube combo, model not specified in any source)	6
Little Red Corvette (Single Version) · riff	Riff · distorted	Schecter Custom Explorer (Newt Coupe custom build, used by Dez Dickerson)	Unknown solid-state or tube amp (likely a Mesa/Boogie or similar, but not confirmed for this recording)	4
Musicology · riff	Riff · distorted	Hohner/H.S. Anderson MadCat (late '70s, Telecaster-style)	Mesa/Boogie Mark IIB (1981) into Bag End Q12 4x12 cabinets with JBL D120F speakers	5
My Love Is Forever · riff	Riff · distorted	Hohner Madcat Telecaster	Mutron Bi-Phase into likely a solid-state or tube combo amp (exact model unknown, but Mutron Bi-Phase confirmed for album recording)	4
Soft and Wet · riff	Riff · distorted	Hohner Madcat Telecaster (Prince's main guitar for early recordings, widely documented for this era)	Acoustic 134 combo amp (most documented for Prince's 1978 era studio work)	4.5
Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? · riff	Riff · distorted	Orr Guitar (custom solid body, late 1970s)	Unknown (likely solid-state or tube combo amp, model not specified for this recording)	5.5

Prince songs on popular amps

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

Little Red Corvette (Single Version) on Ibanez IBZ10G V2

Get Prince's tone on your gear

Pick any Prince 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 Prince use?

Across 11 researched songs, the amps that come up most are Fender Twin Reverb (likely Silverface, late 1970s era) (1 song), Unknown (likely solid-state or tube combo, model not specified in any source) (1 song), Acoustic 134 combo amp (most documented for Prince's 1978 era studio work) (1 song), Unknown (likely direct to console or clean solid-state amp) (1 song).

What guitar did Prince use?

Most often: Hohner Madcat Telecaster (3 songs), Hohner Madcat Telecaster (Prince's main Tele-style guitar, maple neck, ash body) (1 song), Schecter Custom Explorer (built by Newt Coupe for Dez Dickerson) (1 song), Hohner Madcat Telecaster (Prince's main guitar for early recordings, widely documented for this era) (1 song).

How do I get Prince's tone on my amp?

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