Riff Tone

Is This Love (Live)

Whitesnake

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1987 Fender Stratocaster (likely John Sykes' main live guitar for this era, white finish, maple neck)

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head with 4x12 cabinet (standard Whitesnake live rig, late 1980s)

PickupsEMG SA single-coil (active, noiseless, as used by John Sykes live in late 1980s)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb4.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusBoss Chorus pedal (model unknown, likely Boss CE-2 or CE-3)

Notes

Live performance, late 1980s (circa 1987-1988). Settings and effects inferred from live tone tutorials and period-correct gear. No direct source for exact live pedalboard, but chorus and reverb are clearly audible in the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

lush and glassybright and articulatechorus shimmer80s-style reverby cleanslightly compressedfull-bodiedstudio-like claritywarm but not muddyno audible breakupsubtle sustain

Difficulty

The riff requires clean, articulate chord playing with precise timing and dynamic control to achieve the lush, chorus-laden 80s clean tone, but does not involve complex fingerings or advanced techniques.

Sources

Whitesnake "Is This Love" Guitar Tone Tutorial (Clean)Is This Love Whitesnake clean tone and effects : r/Guitar Whitesnake – Is This Love Guitar Tone | Valeton GP-200 [NEWBIE] How to create that 80s reverby clean tone, a la ...Chorus sound on Whitesnake's "Is This Love" | Guitar Forum

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