November Rain
Singing neck-pickup lead with silky sustain.
What is the November Rain guitar tone?
The November Rain guitar tone is singing neck-pickup lead with silky sustain, heard on Guns N' Roses' 1990s hard rock recording. It is a distorted solo tone, and Guns N' Roses reportedly tracked it with Slash's Les Paul into the Marshall JCM800 2203 modified by Frank Levi and known as #34, the amp behind his tone from Use Your Illusion onwards, with the solo worked up from an improvisation. This is a mid-forward sound rather than a scooped one, and it usually sits closer to the edge of breakup than to full saturation.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a high-gain head and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
November Rain amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6.5, Bass 5, Middle 7, Treble 6, Presence 6, Reverb 2, with the neck pickup for body, bridge if the lead needs to cut.
- Gain 6.5
- Bass 5
- Middle 7
- Treble 6
- Presence 6
- Reverb 2
- Signal chain
- Amp distortion → Delay on leads
- The control that matters most
- Middle. This is a mid-forward sound, not a scooped one. Scooping it is the single most common way players miss this tone.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Neck pickup for body, bridge if the lead needs to cut
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
What gear did Guns N' Roses use on November Rain?
Slash's Les Paul into the Marshall JCM800 2203 modified by Frank Levi and known as #34, the amp behind his tone from Use Your Illusion onwards, with the solo worked up from an improvisation.
Sources: Guitar.com: five myths about Slash's gear, MusicRadar: Marshall AFD100 Slash signature review, Wikipedia: November Rain
Tonelify reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get the November Rain tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of November Rain
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
November Rain tone questions
What amp settings do you need for November Rain?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6.5, Bass 5, Middle 7, Treble 6, Presence 6, Reverb 2, with the neck pickup for body, bridge if the lead needs to cut. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same singing neck-pickup lead with silky sustain from different positions.
What is the most important control for the November Rain tone?
Middle. This is a mid-forward sound, not a scooped one. Scooping it is the single most common way players miss this tone.
Can you get the November Rain tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with Slash's Les Paul into the Marshall JCM800 2203 modified by Frank Levi and known as #34, the amp behind his tone from Use Your Illusion onwards, with the solo worked up from an improvisation, but the parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order. Those translate to other equipment, which is what the adaptation step does.
Is November Rain a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a solo part with a distorted character, from Guns N' Roses' 1990s hard rock catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Your first match for your own gear is free with an account, and needs no card. After that both plans start with a 7-day free trial: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
