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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)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
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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.
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1980s
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)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
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.