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Is This Love (2017 Remaster) Guitar Tone Settings — Whitesnake
Whitesnake · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster (likely 1960s or 1970s, as used by John Sykes on the 1987 album for clean parts)
Pickups
Single-coil (Fender stock Strat pickups, likely neck or neck+middle position for clean tone)
Amp
Marshall JCM800 2203 100W Tube Head
Pickup Position
Neck pickup or Position 4 (neck + middle)
Studio recording, 1986-1987 (album released 1987, remaster 2017). Clean sections likely used Stratocaster for glassy tone; Sykes is known to have used Les Paul for heavy parts but Strat for clean. Amp is Marshall JCM800, as per era and Equipboard. Effects processor (TC Electronic G-Major II) is associated with Doug Aldrich, not Sykes, and not for this era/song.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass5.5
Gain0
Reverb3.5
Treble7
Presence6
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Tone Character
- glassy and bright
- articulate single-coil clarity
- lush, slightly compressed
- warm low end, not boomy
- subtle reverb ambience
- dynamic response to picking
- no audible breakup
- 80s studio polish
- no chorus or modulation audible
- chimey Stratocaster clean
Notes & Caveats
- Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
- No direct studio documentation for exact clean section gear/settings; inferred from era, genre, and known Sykes/Whitesnake practices.
- Doug Aldrich's TC Electronic G-Major II is not relevant to this 1987 recording; Sykes was primary guitarist.
- No explicit pedal or effect model confirmed for clean section; effects inferred from audio.
- Settings estimated based on typical Marshall JCM800 clean usage with Stratocaster in 80s rock context.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. The riff tone on 'Is This Love' is classic 80s hard rock: crunchy but smooth, with strong mids and a slightly bright, singing quality typical of Sykes' Marshall amps and Les Pauls. The production is polished but not overly wet, with just enough reverb for space, and the EQ is balanced with a mid-forward, British rock character.