Tone library / Whitesnake / Is this love

Is this love amp settings — Yamaha GA-15

The Whitesnake guitar tone for “Is this love”, dialed in for a Yamaha GA-15 with a Marshall Rocket Special. Studio version, Whitesnake (1987) — John Sykes lead guitar

Original rig

Gibson Les Paul Custom (neck pickup, volume rolled to 8) → Marshall JCM800 2203 (mid-gain ~5-6) → Boss CE-2 Chorus (slow rate, moderate depth) → studio reverb (large hall)

Warm, singing lead tone with late-80s shimmer — neck pickup smoothness, moderate gain saturation, chorus width, and hall reverb tail for ballad sustain

Amp settings — Yamaha GA-15

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

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE8 VOLUME8

Signal chain

01Chorus pedal (Boss CE-2 style)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for the late-80s shimmer and stereo width on this track. Any affordable chorus (TC Electronic Corona, Boss CE-5, Donner Tutti Love) gets you there.

Rate/Speed 3 · Depth 6

02Reverb pedal (Hall type)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. The GA-15 has no built-in reverb. A hall reverb (TC HOF Mini, Donner Verb Square) adds the sustain tail that defines this ballad's emotional solo sections.

Decay/Time 6 · Mix/Level 5 · Tone 7

Why these settings

The Yamaha GA-15 is a basic 15W solid-state practice amp with only Gain, Bass, Treble, and Master Volume — no mid, presence, or reverb controls. The original JCM800 is mid-forward British voicing; the GA-15 is neutral/slightly scooped, so I've pushed bass +1 and dropped treble -2 to compensate for the amp's tendency toward brightness and thinness. Gain at 6 delivers the warm breakup this tone needs — the GA-15's small speaker won't handle much more cleanly. The Marshall Rocket Special's humbuckers are hotter than a vintage PAF, so gain stays moderate.

PRO TIPRoll your guitar volume to 6-7 for the fingerpicked verse arpeggios (cleans up the gain naturally), then kick it to 10 when the chorus hits full chords — Sykes used this dynamic trick throughout the track. Wide, slow finger vibrato on sustained solo notes is essential to the vocal quality of the lead tone.

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These settings are for a Yamaha GA-15. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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