Tone library / Prince & The Revolution / Purple Rain

Purple Rain amp settings — Blackstar Fly 3

The Prince & The Revolution guitar tone for “Purple Rain”, dialed in for a Blackstar Fly 3 with a Squier Affinity Stratocaster. Studio version, Purple Rain (1984) — guitar solo recorded live at First Avenue, August 3, 1983

Original rig

Hohner MadCat (Strat-style pickups) → Boss SD-1 → Boss OC-2 → Boss BF-2 → Dunlop Crybaby → Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (Volume 7 w/ Pull Bright, Master 8) into Bag End Q12 cabs with JBL D120F speakers

Singing, sustained lead with warm overdrive, subtle octave thickening, and slow flanger sweep — expressive and vocal-like

Amp settings — Blackstar Fly 3

CHANNELOD1 (Overdrive 1)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	4
Mid	6
Treble	5
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01BOSS ME-90 — OD/DS Section (Turbo OD)

Primary gain source — emulates the SD-1 pushing the Mesa into singing sustain

Drive 7 · Tone 6 · Level 7

02BOSS OC-3 Super Octave (RECOMMENDED — not currently owned)

RECOMMENDED — run in OC-2 mode before the ME-90 for the thick low-octave doubling Prince used; ME-90's pitch shifter can approximate but lacks the analog warmth

Oct 2 10 · Direct Level 7 · Oct 1 6

03BOSS ME-90 — MOD Section (Flanger)

Slow, deep sweep — signature Purple Rain 'swirl' on sustained notes

Rate 3 · Depth 7 · Resonance 8

04BOSS ME-90 — Pedal FX Section (Wah)

Use sparingly for vocal-like cry on key phrases — Prince engaged it selectively during the solo

Position 0 · Range 6

Why these settings

The Blackstar Fly 3 is a 3-watt practice amp with limited headroom and no presence control — the ME-90 must do all the heavy lifting for gain and modulation. ISF doesn't exist on the Fly 3; keep gain low (3) so the Turbo OD defines the overdrive character without mud. Your Squier's Strat single-coils actually match the MadCat's Strat-style pickups well — roll tone to 8 to tame the Fly 3's small-speaker brightness.

PRO TIPPrince's solo sustain came from controlled feedback — stand close to your amp, angle the guitar toward the speaker, and let notes bloom. On a Fly 3, you'll need volume; if practicing quietly, the ME-90's Sustainer effect can fake the infinite decay Prince got from a cranked Mark IIC+ at stage volume.

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