Tone library / Prince & The Revolution / Purple Rain

Purple Rain amp settings — Yamaha THR10II

The Prince & The Revolution guitar tone for “Purple Rain”, dialed in for a Yamaha THR10II with a Yamaha Pacifica 112V. Studio version, Purple Rain album (1984) — solo recorded live at First Avenue, August 3, 1983

Original rig

Hohner MadCat (P-90 bridge pickup) → Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive → Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head → Bag End D12-M cabinet

Singing, sustained lead tone with thick midrange, creamy overdrive, and vocal-like sustain — not harsh, very expressive and dynamic

Amp settings — Yamaha THR10II

CHANNELLead (amp model selection)

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

Don’t have a Yamaha THR10II? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE6 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01THR10II Built-in Compressor

Use Yamaha THR Remote app to add light compression for sustain — mimics the natural sag of the Mark IIC+ power section

Comp (via app) 4

02THR10II Built-in Chorus/Modulation

Subtle chorus via THR Remote app — Prince used BF-2 Flanger set slow for thickening, chorus approximates this

Depth 3 · Speed 2

03THR10II Built-in Delay

Moderate slapback-to-medium delay — Prince used Boss DM-2 for warmth and space

Time 4 · Feedback 3 · Level 3

Why these settings

The THR10II Lead channel approximates a pushed tube amp but lacks the Mark IIC+'s signature thick midrange hump and power tube compression. Compensate by pushing mid to 7 (vs typical 5-6 on a Mesa), rolling treble back to 5 to avoid the THR's digital brightness, and using the app's compressor to fake the sag. Your Pacifica's Alnico V humbucker is hotter and brighter than Prince's MadCat P-90 — roll tone knob to 6 to warm it up.

PRO TIPPrince's solo sustain came from standing close to his Bag End cabinet and letting notes feed back naturally. On the THR10II, turn up master volume as loud as your room allows and lean into the speaker during held notes — even small modeling amps will start to feed back sympathetically, giving you that endless singing sustain on the climactic bends.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Yamaha THR10II. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

Get ToneAdapt on Google Play

More tones for the Yamaha THR10II

Sweet Child O' MineGuns N' Roses evheddie van halen Ain't talking about loveVan halen NightmareAvenged Sevenfold hotel CaliforniaEagles Fluorescent AdolescentArctic Monkeys

Find your amp

Browse

Yamaha THR10II settingsALL SONGS FOR THIS AMP Purple Rain on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP Yamaha Pacifica 112V tonesSAME GUITAR Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.