Riff Tone
Purple Rain
Prince & The Revolution
Guitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarRickenbacker (sealed body, G&L pickups, custom-modded for sustain and feedback resistance)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark I
PickupsG&L single-coil pickups (custom installed in Rickenbacker)
Amp Settings
gain4.5
bass6
mid7
treble7
reverb4
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
chorusBoss Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble
Notes
Studio recording, 1984. Wendy Melvoin played the riff on a sealed Rickenbacker with G&L pickups into a Boss CE-1 chorus and Mesa/Boogie Mark I amp. This is the original studio setup, not live or modern recreations.
Tone Character(10)
bright and articulatechiming, lush modulationclear note separationtouch-sensitive dynamicssnappy attacklight and airysubtle breakup at higher picking intensitystudio claritychorus shimmernot heavily overdriven
Difficulty
The riff requires clean, syncopated chord work with precise timing to let the chorus effect shine, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.
Sources
This tone has been researched 11 times by the community
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarRickenbacker (sealed body, G&L pickups, custom-modded for sustain and feedback resistance)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark I
PickupsG&L single-coil pickups (custom installed in Rickenbacker)
Amp Settings
gain4.5
bass6
mid7
treble7
reverb4
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
chorusBoss Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble
This tone has been researched 11 times by the community
Notes
Studio recording, 1984. Wendy Melvoin played the riff on a sealed Rickenbacker with G&L pickups into a Boss CE-1 chorus and Mesa/Boogie Mark I amp. This is the original studio setup, not live or modern recreations.
Tone Character(10)
bright and articulatechiming, lush modulationclear note separationtouch-sensitive dynamicssnappy attacklight and airysubtle breakup at higher picking intensitystudio claritychorus shimmernot heavily overdriven
Difficulty
The riff requires clean, syncopated chord work with precise timing to let the chorus effect shine, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.
Purple Rain settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
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