Is This Love (2017 Remaster) by Whitesnake (Solo · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Is This Love (2017 Remaster) by Whitesnake guitar tone is built on a Mesa/Boogie Coliseum head, dialed in at gain 7.5/10, bass 6, mid 6.5, treble 7, presence 6 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

Amp settings (0–10)

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 7.5 sits well above the rock average (4.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most rock tones; mids at 6.5 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Custom (John Sykes' main studio guitar for Whitesnake 1987 album) · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Coliseum head (Mark III preamp) into Marshall 4x12 cabinet

Studio recording, 1986-1987. John Sykes recorded all guitar parts for the album, including the solo on 'Is This Love.' No evidence of live or alternate gear for this solo. Effects were primarily rack-based, with chorus and delay likely in the effects loop. No evidence of Peavey Vandenberg or Steve Vai on this track.

Gear used on this tone

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Gibson Les Paul Custom (John Sykes' main studio guitar for Whitesnake 1987 album) → Chorus rack unit (model unknown, likely Roland Dimension D or similar) → Digital delay rack unit (model unknown, likely TC Electronic or Lexicon) → Mesa/Boogie Coliseum head (Mark III preamp) into Marshall 4x12 cabinet

Effects

chorus, delay, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (plate, level 3)

Tone character

singing sustain, liquid and smooth lead tone, lush chorus shimmer, crystal-clear note separation, fat and polished, high output humbucker bite, melodic phrasing with sustain, wide stereo image (chorus/delay), touch-sensitive attack, polished 80s studio sheen

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, slow tempo, medium dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Is This Love (2017 Remaster) sound.

Difficulty

4/5 · Solo

The solo requires advanced control of legato, vibrato, and phrasing, as well as the ability to execute melodic lines with sustain and clarity at a moderate tempo.

Worth knowing

• No direct numeric amp settings found; values estimated based on typical Mesa/Boogie Mark III/Coliseum usage for 80s high-gain rock and forum consensus.
• Chorus and delay are clearly audible in the solo but specific rack unit models are not confirmed in sources; chorus is likely rack-based (e.g., Roland Dimension D or similar), delay is likely rack digital (e.g., TC Electronic or Lexicon).
• All guitar parts on the 1987 album were recorded by John Sykes, not Adrian Vandenberg or Steve Vai.
• No evidence of Peavey Vandenberg guitar or Boss DS-1 used on this specific solo; those are associated with other band members or eras.
• Pickup selector inferred from Sykes' known soloing preference and tone analysis.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. The solo tone is classic late-80s British hard rock: high gain but not overly saturated, with strong mids and a bright, singing lead sound. John Sykes typically used a Marshall JCM800 with mids pushed, moderate bass, and some reverb added in production for space, matching the era and genre conventions.

Is This Love (2017 Remaster) guitar tone — FAQ

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Sources

• Whitesnake Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard
• John Sykes sound on Whitesnake '87 - The Gear Page
• Chorus sound on Whitesnake's 'Is This Love' | The Gear Page
• Exploring the lead guitar style of John Sykes | Guitar World

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