Riff Tone

Purple Rain

Prince & The Revolution

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarRickenbacker (sealed, hot-rodded with G&L pickups)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark I

PickupsG&L single-coil pickups (custom installed in Rickenbacker)

Amp Settings

gain4.5

bass6.5

mid7

treble7

reverb4

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusBoss Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble

Notes

Studio recording, 1983-1984. Wendy Melvoin played the main riff on the original recording using a sealed-up Rickenbacker with G&L pickups into a Boss CE-1 chorus and a Mesa/Boogie Mark I amp. Not Prince's Hohner Madcat (used for solos/live).

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatelush chorus shimmersnappy attackclean and glassyclear note separationpercussive strummingminimal breakupstudio clarityairy and opendistinctive modulation depth

Difficulty

The riff requires clean, syncopated strumming with precise timing to let the chorus effect shine, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.

Sources

Wendy Melvoin breaks down her chords in Prince's Purple Rain | Guitar World Prince & Prince – Purple Rain - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard

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