Paradise City amp settings — Marshall JCM900
The Guns N' Roses guitar tone for “Paradise City”, dialed in for a Marshall JCM900 with a PRS Custom 24. Studio version, Appetite for Destruction (1987) — main distorted riff/verse tone
1986 Gibson Les Paul Standard (Kris Derrig replica with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro humbuckers), 1977 Marshall 1959 Super Lead / JCM800 (S.I.R. Stock #36 modded by Frank Levi / Glenn Buckley), Boss DS-1 (solo boost), Boss DD-3
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 6 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 6 |
01Maxon OD808 Overdrive
Engaged as a clean boost into the amp input to tighten the low-end attack like Slash's modded frontend
The JCM900 shares the classic Marshall mid-forward bark with Slash's modded JCM800/Plexi, so the Lead channel with Gain at 7 handles the core crunch natively. Running the Maxon OD808 with Drive at 0 and Balance pushed tightens the front end and provides the aggressive pick attack of the modded S.I.R. rig. On your PRS Custom 24, rolling the tone knob back to 9 warms the upper treble to emulate Slash's warmer Alnico II PAF pickup response. Clean intro: switch amp to Channel A Clean with the OD808 bypassed, and engage the MXR Analog Chorus and Boss DD-3.
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These settings are for a Marshall JCM900. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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