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Alice Cooper - Poison - Guitar Cover

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Key A minor
Alice Cooper - Poison guitar cover video
Kfir Ochaion
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Trash album cover
Trash
1989 4:30
Listen on Spotify
Alice Cooper Hard Rock 1989 A minor
Capo Advisor 0 A minor · Original key

About Poison

Few hard-rock songs from 1989 centre so completely on a single repeating guitar figure, and "Poison" is all about that hypnotic A minor riff that locks in at 120 BPM and drives the entire track. In E Standard tuning, the part sits comfortably in the lower register of the neck, but playing it with the right amount of palm muting and controlled release is what gives it that coiled, menacing feel. Getting the tone right matters too: the original has a smooth yet slightly overdriven character, so dial back the gain compared to what you might expect from a harder riff. The chorus voicings open things up a bit, moving away from the riff and asking for clean chord transitions that keep momentum without rushing. If the main figure feels slippery at speed, use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the picking hand is completely consistent before bringing the tempo back up. Alice Cooper built the song as a piece of Hard Rock songwriting where less is more, so accuracy and groove matter far more than flash here.

  • The signature riff sits in A minor in E Standard tuning, making it accessible on the fretboard but demanding precise palm muting to nail the correct feel.
  • At 120 BPM the groove is mid-tempo, so focus on keeping your picking hand steady rather than relying on speed to carry you through.
  • The main guitar figure repeats throughout the song, meaning any small inconsistency in technique becomes very noticeable over multiple passes.

How to Play Poison

Tuning: E Standard · Key: A minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Alice Cooper's original band occasionally used the Telecaster for bright, cutting tones that sliced through the dense Marshall crunch on tracks like 'School's Out.' Its twang provides sharp articulation contrasting the warm humbucker thickness Cooper preferred.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

The Les Paul Standard delivers the warm, singing sustain that defines Cooper's classic era solos and rhythm crunch when paired with Marshall Plexis. Its balanced PAF humbuckers give Cooper responsive dynamics, from controlled verses to saturated solo tones.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Michael Bruce and later players like Ryan Roxie relied on the Les Paul Custom for its thicker body resonance and hotter output, providing the sustaining lead tones and aggressive rhythm crunch essential to Cooper's theatrical hard rock sound.

Gibson ES-335
Guitar

Gibson ES-335

Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter used the semi-hollow ES-335 for warm, singing lead lines with natural breakup, capturing the '70s solo era's melodic sophistication while the semi-hollow body added organic warmth against Marshall's aggressive gain.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The JCM800 became Alice Cooper's tone foundation from the '80s onward, delivering tight, mid-heavy gain with note clarity that cut through dense arrangements on 'Poison' and beyond. Its responsive push lets Cooper shift from controlled verses to explosive solos.

Seymour Duncan JB
Pickup

Seymour Duncan JB

Hotter ceramic humbuckers like the Seymour Duncan JB powered Alice Cooper's '80s sound, delivering saturated gain and compressed sustain for arena-filling solos while maintaining the midrange definition the JCM800 amplified.

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