November Rain by Guns N' Roses — Amp Settings & Guitar Tone

Reference tone dialed on a Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster into a Fender Mustang LT25. Settings below are cited from real sources; open the page in a browser for the interactive version, or get this tone dialed for your exact gear.

To recreate Slash's iconic lead tone from 'November Rain,' we'll use the Squier Classic Vibe '60s Stratocaster and the Fender Mustang LT25. The Strat's single-coil pickups will be adjusted to mimic a humbucker's warmth, while the Mustang LT25's modeling capabilities will emulate the Marshall JCM tone. We'll use the '02 SILKY SOLO' preset as a base, tweaking the EQ and gain to achieve the rich midrange and smooth sustain characteristic of the song.

Signal chain settings

Squier Classic Vibe '60s Stratocaster — main guitar

Control	Setting	Why
Pickup Selector	Neck Pickup	Neck pickup selected to emulate the warm, full tone of a Les Paul neck humbucker.
Master Volume	10	Guitar volume full up — roll back to clean up the gain or drop level.
Tone 1	6	Tone rolled down to 6 to reduce brightness and mimic the smoother sound of a humbucker.
Tone 2	Not used	Tone 2 controls the bridge pickup, which is not used for this tone.

Fender Mustang LT25 — amplification

Control	Setting	Why
Preset	02 SILKY SOLO	Selected for its lead gain structure and smooth sustain, similar to a modded Marshall JCM800.
Gain	7	Increased from the preset to achieve the saturated tube crunch and singing sustain.
Volume	5	Set to balance overall output without overpowering the tone.
Treble	5	Adjusted to balance the Strat's natural brightness and achieve a smooth top end.
Bass	6	Boosted to add warmth and fullness, compensating for the single-coil pickups.
Master	8	Set to ensure enough power for expressive dynamics and sustain.
Cabinet build	Not used	Not needed for this tone — leave it off.
Amp Models	Not used	Not needed for this tone — leave it off.

Section guide — how the tone changes through the song

Intro Clean

The intro features a clean and atmospheric tone, distinct from the lead sections.

the pedal: Preset → 01 FENDER CLEAN
the pedal: Gain → 3
the pedal: Treble → 6
the pedal: Bass → 5

What Guns N' Roses actually used

For the recording of 'November Rain,' Slash utilized his Kris Derrig replica Les Paul Standard, known for its Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro humbuckers, through a Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555 amplifier. The tone was further shaped using a Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer and an unspecified delay pedal. The studio added plate reverb to enhance the spatial quality of the guitar sound. The song was recorded in Eb standard tuning, a half-step down from standard tuning, which was typical for Guns N' Roses during this period.

Kris Derrig Replica Les Paul Standard — main. Neck pickup, tone rolled down
Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer — tone shaping
Delay pedal (model unknown) — delay effect
Marshall JCM25/50 2555 Silver Jubilee 100W Head — amplification
Plate reverb — studio reverb send

Tuning: Eb standard

Sources