Riff Tone

Diamonds and Pearls

Prince & The New Power Generation

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarHohner HG-490 Madcat (Telecaster-style)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIB

PickupsSingle-coil (Strat-style, possibly Fender Vintage Noiseless or Kinman Traditional as later mods, but likely stock or early noiseless for 1991 recording)

Amp Settings

gain3.5

bass5.5

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb3

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1991. Guitar is the Hohner Madcat Tele-style, as confirmed by multiple sources for Prince's studio work in this era. Amp is Mesa/Boogie Mark IIB, which was Prince's main studio amp for this period. Settings are estimated based on typical Mark IIB use for funk/rock rhythm. No direct evidence of live rig for this song's riff section.

Tone Character(10)

bright and funkytight and percussivearticulate single-coil snapcrisp transient responseminimal sustain, fast decayemphasized upper midsdistinctive Telecaster twangdynamic, touch-sensitiveslight amp breakup on peaksclean with edge-of-breakup crunch

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate-level funk rhythm technique, with precise muting, dynamic control, and tight timing to achieve the percussive, articulate sound characteristic of Prince's playing.

Sources

Prince | Equipboard Prince | Equipboard The secrets behind Prince's tone on Let's Go Crazy - Guitar World

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