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by Jim Button September 02, 2021 5 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 recognised by SIR techs at rehearsals in 1987, however, and they took it back: and so ended Slash's relationship with his Appetite tone.
Modifed Marshall 100W 1959T Super Lead. Image courtesy of slashparadise.com
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) into a Marshall 1959 Super Lead.
Instead of a 1959 Super Lead, you could alternatively 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 even one of Slash's signature Marshal 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 have one of the Marshalls listed above (or one of their modern miniature derivatives, such as the Marshal Studio range), then all you need to do is add a couple of pedals and you'll have a great Slash rig...
If you can get all the gain you need from your amp, try adding the Stompnorth Midgie Booster Overdrive to your setup. It's a boost/overdrive pedal with up to 20dB on tap to drive your amp that little bit harder, giving you that on-the-edge sound that's characteristic of Slash's Appetite For Destruction tone. Add in germanium or silicon clipping for a touch more gain, and enjoy the tube-like response of the MOSFET transistor.
If you're rocking a Fender and need some help from a pedal to get a gainy sound, the Walrus Audio Eras is a fantastic high-gain distortion with 5 clipping modes plus a Clean Blend control. Stick it in Mode II and you're good to go!
The Kink Guitar Pedals Smashed Kraken is a BBD chorus based on the Boss CE-2, an ideal 80's-style chorus for the intro to Paradise City!
The Greenhouse Effects Logos Chorus-Vibrato does a great job at emulating the chorus sections on Appetite For Destruction too, but it's equally at home in other genres, and with its various modes it's a more flexible solution for your pedalboard.
Lacking a Marshall amp? Not to worry - the Formula B Super Plexi will get you some great British sounds! It incorporates one channel based on the JTM45 "Plexi" (forerunner to Slash's 1959 Super Lead) and a separate Boost which can be placed before or after the JTM45 channel in the circuit.
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.
For some ambience, the Greenhouse Effects Deity Reverb has you covered with its three modes, taking you from standard room/hall 'verb to modulated tremolo and LFO madness, and dual-octave lushness. It covers all bases really!
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
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An awesome pedal from an awesome pedal maker. It was shipped fast and packaged well. Thanks again.
I spent an obsessive amount of time checking out univibe pedals. I'm so glad that I purchased this one from Boost. It is simply fantastic! If you don't believe me, then check out some video demos. Thanks Jim! + JG
This is a fantastic drive pedal. There’s plenty of Plexi style pedals out there and I’ve owned a few, this one stood out for the switchable A/B-B/A switch. The boost side is nice and simple, much like an LPB-1. Not overly clean but a perfect partner to the drive side. The Plexi side is again nothing revolutionary but very good all the same and sounds great, on a par with far more expensive pedals.
The build quality is also top end, very neat and tidy. Squeezed into the single enclosure and with a lifetime warrantee I couldn’t ask for more. I don’t think this’ll be leaving my pedal board any time soon!
I’m only just starting to scratch the surface of the KMA MACHINES Cirrus, but absolutely loving it so far. Very responsive to pick attack which means can really control the “ambience” with playing style. Really looking forward to exploring further.
Great vibe pedal, the best I’ve tried so far
Best prices on the net, in stock and fast delivery. Would buy again. Great sounding pedal and exactly as I had hoped. This one should be on my board for a while!
Really like this pedal. Good fun and easy to use and well made. It has a really hypnotic tone and feel to it. It is very reminiscent of old tape echo units.
Really personable service with exemplary communication and swift shipping.
Had a few vibes, absolutely loving this one, check the YT demos, lovely satisfying vibe with all the swirly goodness you could hope for. Beautifully made and reasonably priced. Highly recommended - and Jim at Boost is a top guy
I came across the Formula B Fuzz Rangers via online demos on Youtube, and they all sounded so good that I had to get one. Looking online I found the Boost Guitar Pedals website via the Formula B website as a listed UK stockist. Jim was excellent and the pedal arrived when he said it would and it was perfectly packaged. I would have no hesitation in buying any other product from Boost.
As for the Fuzz Rangers, it is a great pedal. I had to work at it a touch to get the sounds I liked from it, but it seems to react really well to different guitars and different amps with adjustments to volume and tone on the guitar and different amp settings. I found it works best into a slightly cranked amp, and volume roll-off on the guitar offers a great variety of sounds from clean to classic fuzz. Thoroughly enjoying the pedal. Well done Jim, great website and a great selection of interesting brands and pedals..... Which one next????
Having used a number of univibe clones over the years this one truly nails the sound for me, it comes with some clever additions in a pedal board friendly size and is excellent value for money. If you want the true sound of the original this pedal delivers.Special thanks to boost Guitar Pedals for putting this deal together so quickly..
I'm still working my way through all the sounds, but so far I'm loving them all.
Each time I think I've got a fav sound I flip the diode switch and there's another one. Great value for a four-in-one fuzz pedal!!
Not writing a long review but this is the best vibe I’ve owned. Do yourself a favour and get one on your board
Both modes really useable. The first can get a wooly or starved/wolly sound or more nasally raw sound depending on how you dial it in.
Mode two can be more mid focused and with both switches down it's just a real nice deep, warm wall of fuzz. Great stuff.
Awesome pedal. Does everything from short slaps, to long endless delays, or echo-verb. The infinite delay feature on the button hold is interesting, though if you need a certain sound out of it like that, you have to be okay with the sound that those settings create when the infinite hold feature is off. I’m sure it will be great for recording some interesting textures, but I don’t think I’d use it live, as the infinite hold sounds glitchy and cuts off very quickly at some of the shorter, more subtle delay settings that I use. The art on the pedal is nice, and the build quality is solid. Comes with a carry bag, for some reason, but I can’t complain. A great unit by any standard, but especially good quality and features for the ticket price.