Tone library / Whitesnake / Is this love

Is this love amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

The Whitesnake guitar tone for “Is this love”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Studio version, Whitesnake (1987) — John Sykes' power ballad lead tone

Original rig

Gibson Les Paul Custom with neck pickup (volume rolled to 8), Marshall JCM800 2203 at medium gain, Boss CE-2 Chorus (slow rate, moderate depth), studio reverb (large hall)

Warm, singing lead tone with late-80s shimmer — neck pickup sweetness into mid-gain British crunch, widened by chorus and bathed in hall reverb

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

CHANNELCrunchBRIGHToffBOOSToff

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

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME8

Why these settings

Original was Les Paul neck humbucker into JCM800 — your Strat single coils are brighter and lower output. Katana Crunch channel approximates JCM800 voicing. Raised bass +1 and mid +1 to compensate for the Strat's thinner low-mids; dropped treble -2 to tame single-coil brightness. Roll tone knob to 7 to approach humbucker warmth. Use the Katana's built-in Chorus (Tone Studio: CE-1 mode, Rate 3, Depth 5) and onboard Reverb set to Hall — no external pedals needed.

PRO TIPThe verse sections use volume knob rolled to 6-7 for a cleaner, more intimate sound — then kick to full 10 for the chorus chord stabs and solo. This dynamic control is central to Sykes' performance on the track.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 MkII. 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.