Tone library / Prince & The Revolution / Purple Rain

Purple Rain amp settings — First Act MA155

The Prince & The Revolution guitar tone for “Purple Rain”, dialed in for a First Act MA155 with a Fender Jazzmaster. Studio version, Purple Rain (1984) — extended outro solo, recorded live at First Avenue

Original rig

Hohner MadCat Telecaster (EMG pickups) → Boss DS-1 Distortion → Boss DM-2 Delay → Boss CE-2 Chorus → Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head

Singing, violin-like lead tone with rich midrange presence, smooth sustain, and lush ambient delay

Amp settings — First Act MA155

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	4
Treble	6
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01NUX MG-300 MK-2 — Distortion Block (DS-1 model)

Select the 'DS-1' or 'Dist+' amp model; this is your primary gain source — amp stays clean

Tone 6 · Level 7 · Dist 6

02NUX MG-300 MK-2 — Chorus Block

Subtle lush chorus for body; disable during the raw solo sections if desired

Rate 4 · Depth 5 · Mix 6

03NUX MG-300 MK-2 — Delay Block (digital or analog model)

~350ms delay with moderate repeats for the ambient, singing sustain

Time 5 · Feedback 4 · Mix 5

Why these settings

The First Act MA155 is a small solid-state practice amp with minimal gain and no mid or presence controls — it cannot produce Mesa-style saturation on its own. Keep it near-clean (gain 2) and let the NUX MG-300's DS-1 distortion block be the sole gain source. Bass 4 tightens the loose low-end of the small speaker; treble 6 preserves Prince's bright attack. Your Jazzmaster's slightly darker, wider voicing vs the original Tele is offset by rolling tone to 7 (not fully open) and using the bridge pickup for clarity.

PRO TIPPrince's solo phrasing relies on slow, wide vibrato and letting notes sustain into feedback — lean into the amp at moderate volume and use your fretting hand's pressure to coax singing overtones rather than picking harder.

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These settings are for a First Act MA155. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.