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Riff Tone
Purple rain
Unknown Artist
Guitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarRickenbacker (hot-rodded with G&L pickups)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark I
Amp Settings
gain4
bass6
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Notes
Studio recording, 1984. Guitar was a sealed-up Rickenbacker with G&L pickups, run into a Boss CE-1 chorus and a Mesa/Boogie Mark I amp. Wendy Melvoin played the riff on the original recording. Not Prince's MadCat Tele for this section.
Tone Character(10)
bright and articulatesnappy attackclean and glassychorus-laden shimmerclear note separationtight, focused rhythmminimal breakupcrisp top endpercussiveairy, open sound
Difficulty
The riff requires clean, precise picking and syncopated chord voicings, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast tempo. The main challenge is maintaining clarity and timing with the chorus effect.
This tone has been researched 2 times by the community
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarRickenbacker (hot-rodded with G&L pickups)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark I
Amp Settings
gain4
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
This tone has been researched 2 times by the community
Notes
Studio recording, 1984. Guitar was a sealed-up Rickenbacker with G&L pickups, run into a Boss CE-1 chorus and a Mesa/Boogie Mark I amp. Wendy Melvoin played the riff on the original recording. Not Prince's MadCat Tele for this section.
Tone Character(10)
bright and articulatesnappy attackclean and glassychorus-laden shimmerclear note separationtight, focused rhythmminimal breakupcrisp top endpercussiveairy, open sound
Difficulty
The riff requires clean, precise picking and syncopated chord voicings, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast tempo. The main challenge is maintaining clarity and timing with the chorus effect.