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by Jim Button September 02, 2021 6 min read
Slash's Appetite For Destruction tone has gained almost mythical status these day. Guns 'n' Roses' 1987 debut, Appetite For Destruction, was not just the result of bagfuls of talent from all members involved, however - it also required plenty of good fortune along the way.
Debate has raged over exactly what gear was used during the Appetite sessions - mainly because Slash himself has claimed that he can't remember (don't do drugs, kids!). It is now widely accepted, however, that Slash's Appetite For Destruction tone was achieved with a ’59 Les Paul Standard replica and a rented Marshall amplifier... a very special amplifier as it turns out!
Slash's guitar, a replica based on the highly sought after 1959 Gibson Les Paul, is thought to have been built by luthier Kris Derrig and fitted with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro humbuckers. Slash chose this guitar for its sound, and he ended up using it in later recording sessions too.
The amp Slash used on Appetite For Destruction was (depending on whose story you believe) either a modified 100W Marshall Super Tremolo ("1959T") or Super Lead ("1959"), rented out by Studio Instrument Rentals in Los Angeles for the Appetite sessions.
The Super Tremolo in question, referred to by the company as "Stock #39", was a pre-master volume model that had been modded by SIR tech Tim Caswell, who converted the unused valve-driven tremolo circuit into an additional pre-amp gain stage, and added a master volume control.
The Caswell-modded Stock #39 was one of SIR's most popular amps. In the summer of 1986 it had been rented by George Lynch for Dokken's "Under Lock and Key" tour. Notoriously picky about gear and a known user of modded-Marshalls prior to this point, Lynch was so impressed with the amp at rehearsals that he attempted to purchase the amp from SIR - who refused. Instead, he ended up renting it for the first leg of their tour.
Previously, in the spring of 1986, Slash had also selected Stock #39 as his favourite from several amps brought to him to try out by SIR employee, Glenn Buckley. That autumn, just as Guns 'N' Roses were due to enter the studio, Geffen Records sent out a request to SIR for this amp. Buckley recalls, however, that once it had been returned by Lynch, the amp had been rented out to another customer. So Buckley sent a different modified Marshall to Slash instead without telling him. This is possibly the cause of much of the confusion over the years, as Slash himself was none-the-wiser.
This replacement amp, a Marshall Super Lead - "Stock #36" - was an attempt by SIR to capitalise on the success of Stock #39. Built by Caswell's replacement, Frank Levi, the amp lacked the fourth preamp valve of the Super Tremolo circuit, so a space was drilled for a fourth one as part of the modification.
So it is very likely that Slash's Appetite For Destruction amp was Stock #36, a 100W Marshall non-master volume Super Lead. The fact is that Slash loved its sound so much he attempted to keep hold of it after the sessions by claiming it had been stolen. It was later recognised by SIR techs at rehearsals for the tour in 1987, however, and they took it back: and so ended Slash's relationship with his Appetite tone.
Not technically a pedal, but Slash used a rackmounted Roland SRV-2000 Digital Reverb during the Appetite For Destruction sessions, set to the unit's "secret" delay mode for parts such as the intro to "Welcome To The Jungle", and using the more conventional reverb setting for many other parts. Slash also used an MXR Analog Chorus and a Dunlop Crybaby Wah for several parts on the album.
Your best bet to replicate Slash's Appetite For Destruction tone is to use a Gibson or Epiphone Les Paul with lower output pickups (Alnico II would be best).
In an ideal world, a Marshall 1959 Super Lead would be perfect for Slash's Appetite sound; alternatively, you could use a JCM 800 2203 (as Slash himself used when touring the Appetite For Destruction album), a Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555 (also used by Slash live for the Appetite For Destruction tours), or one of Slash's signature Marshall amps - the JCM 2555SL Slash Signature or AFD100 Slash Signature.
In terms of which guitar pedals to use for the Appetite For Destruction sound, less is more! Slash's sound isn't as gain-heavy as many people think and he derives the majority of his gain from the amps, using guitar pedals as seasoning rather than his core tone.
If you're lucky enough to own one of the Marshalls listed above (or one of their modern miniature derivatives, such as the Marshal Studio range), then congratulations, you're almost set! All you need to do is add a couple of pedals and you'll have a great Slash Appetite-era rig...
Try adding a boost in front of your Marshall for that typical hot-rodded '80s sound (assuming your Super Lead or JCM800 hasn't already been modded like Slash's #36 amp).
[product=raygun-fx-vintage-booster]
The Raygun FX Vintage Booster is an affordable and effective option that will drive the front end of your amp that little bit harder, giving you the on-the-edge sound that's characteristic of Slash's Appetite For Destruction tone.
[/product]
[product=kink-guitar-pedals-pc-boost]The Kink Guitar Pedals PC Boost is a diminutively sized boost pedal based on the classic MXR Micro Amp. Stick it in front of other drive pedals to thicken and sweeten your sound, or at the end of the signal chain to boost the volume without affecting tone - great for adding make-up gain after a volume-sucking modulation pedal. It'll drive valve amps nicely too, of course, at higher levels, or provide a powerful clean boost at low- to mid-settings. [/product]
[product=formula-b-eighty-master]
Not to worry - the Formula B Eighty Master is a fantastic Marshall-in-a-box pedal, emulating the firebreathing JCM800 in both its 50W and 100W incarnations.
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[product=walrus-audio-eras]
Slash played a copy of a Gibson Les Paul, but if you're rocking a Fender with single coils and need some help to get a hard rock sound, the Walrus Audio Eras is a fantastic high-gain distortion pedal featuring 5 clipping modes plus a Clean Blend control. Stick it in Mode II and you're good to go!
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[product=kink-guitar-pedals-smashed-kraken]
The Kink Guitar Pedals Smashed Kraken is a BBD chorus based on the Boss CE-2, which is a great 80's-style chorus pedal. The additional Blend control of the Smashed Kraken makes it super-versatile and is a great choice for the intro to "Paradise City"!
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[product=old-blood-noise-endeavors-bl-82-chorus] Alternatively, the Old Blood Noise Endeavors BL-82 Chorus is a flexible modulation pedal offering classic chorus but also flanger and modulated delay sounds - if you want to play more than Guns 'n' Roses all day, then this might be the pedal for you.
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[product=walrus-audio-arp-87]
To replicate the pristine repeats of Slash's Roland SRV-2000 Digital Reverb on its "secret" delay mode, you can't go wrong with the Walrus Audio ARP-87. As well as a Digital mode that's perfect for the intro to "Welcome To The Jungle", it also features Analog, Lo-Fi and Slap modes.
[/product]
[product=greenhouse-effects-deity-reverb]
For some ambience, the Greenhouse Effects Deity Reverb has you covered with its three modes, offering not only typical room/hall reverb but also modulated tremolo and LFO madness, and dual-octave lushness. It covers all bases really!
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Of course, the mixing process will have sculpted and polished Slash's guitar tone, adding in effects such as reverb and compression as well as all those nuances that analogue outboard studio equipment can add. So if you really want to nail it, postprocessing using outboard equipment or high quality plugins will get you that final 5%.
These days, Slash tours with a host of Marshall Silver Jubilee heads, some of which are set up specifically for a clean tone. Slash also uses plenty of rackmount equipment, including an MXR 10-band EQ, Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor, Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Line Driver and Boss DD-3T Delay (straight into the front of the amps for the intro of "Welcome To The Jungle").
Originally published 17th April 2020. Updated 16th November 2020, 25 January 2022, 4 November 2022
by Jim Button December 21, 2022 6 min read
by Jim Button October 18, 2021 6 min read
by Jim Button September 10, 2021 4 min read
I’ve just taken delivery of this beautiful pedal.
To get a first impression I’ve put it through a Simplifier DLX and straight into a FRFR speaker. Delightful.
I’m a guitarist in a Christian Church worship band, so I’m always looking for O/D that is both subtle and musical - that makes a statement without the darkness. The Forest Song, with its rich range of driven tones delivers.
Indeed, high gain plus low volume is an interesting musical mix in this pedal. It works. My complements to the DB development team, and to Boost for supporting them.
This Pedal is easy to use and has many sweet spots! Perfectly tuned combination of two legendary circuits! Highly recommended!
super fun trem, decent sound, huge volume. havent spent a lot of time messing about with it, but did have a play with the slide and drift feature which are a nice bonus. cant wait to have more time to play around with it.
Boost Guitar Pedals are great as always, fast delivery
been playing it a few days now, and have it set up so it works with with whatever i thow at it. its in my chain after OD but Before Distortion. feedback dial is great and can have it very far clockwise before it sends you in an infinity loop, mix is a bonus, i haven't messed about with the shapes much yet because i found a dreamy setting i dont want to change. would highly recommend isolated power suppy, it did not like daisy chain or cheap single wall one, but works smooth with isloated brick
Boost Guitar is great again to got it within 24 hours of shipping
Perfect for that traynor amp growl on bass. There’s a lot of scope with gain and EQ controls (which sound ace wherever you dial them in). Had the Tronographic Rusty Box before this which I regrettably had to sell; this is a perfect (and smaller, less power hungry) substitute.
I spent months searching for an affordable vibe pedal that actually sounded authentic.
Not only does this have the very sound that I was after, without a ton of tweaking, but it is priced reasonably too. It is not at the cheap end of the market, but for a hand-built pedal with dual speeds this is unbeatable.
The sound is spot on. Warm and rich with the throb missing from many of the lower-priced pedals. The second speed makes it easy to switch between chord and solo settings.
The delivery was amazing too - ordered in Friday afternoon and delivered on Sunday morning!
I can’t recommend this highly enough to anyone looking for the best univibe around.
add another 5 stars, im no pro but i know what sounds i like and the Bloom is the sound i like. ive had Boss BD2, donner dumble drive, Tumnus and Tumnus deluxe but to me The Bloom tops them all. its a well built easy to dial in. having full gain is so clear and not nosiy. only tried with my strat single coils atm. the distortion isint the best but im comparing it to the Drunk Beaver Batv2 and have a feeling that its a layer distortion for another distortion pedal. fuzz is lush. the chip and fat switch really bring it to live and gives you more options for sound. i cant believe this is made by 1 guy. To me Drunk Beaver are up there with the best pedal makers. could send hours going on about the great things. and im only useing a boss katana mk2 no tube amp but you can get some faux tube headroom with the right switch. if you like the demos, well i got good news, it sound way better in person
Boost Guitat Pedals are great too, fast delivery, great communication. couldnt ask for a better store
Bone white Davies 1611
The Bleak District Tapescape is one of the best delay and ambience style pedals ever invented. The controls are all intuitive but highly flexible, the sounds are rich and detailed, the modulation can go from dreamy to nightmarish very quickly, and all of that inside a small footprint with a low power requirement. It's difficult to get a bad sound out of it, honestly.
Add in that Boost shipped it out quickly and it arrived with a nice note written on the invoice, is there anything else you could ask for? Definitely will be buying more from both Boost and Bleak District in future.
Part came as described. Website was easy use.
very cool pedal
Awesome service and communication all along!
Will gladly order again
I ordered a set of strings from Boost, that did not initially turn up. After contacting Boost via the website they immediately sent out another set (no questions asked). Both sets arrived a few days later (Thanks Royal Mail!). Boost were prompt in dealing with the issue (gave) me a set of strings and got things sorted out. Highly recommend you use these guys.
My favourite strings, at a great price! Very reasonable postage rates and speedy service. My first purchase from Boost, but will definitely not be my last. Hassle free, excellent...
Jazzmaster happy🙏
I didn’t know that particular manufacturer from Italy, but I definitely recommend their "Vintage Vibe”. It’s simple, intuitive, it looks awesome, the build quality seems impeccable, and most importantly, it sounds fantastic.