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Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction - Guitar Tab

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100%

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BPM
Key E minor
Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction guitar tab video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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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.
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Guns N' Roses Hard Rock E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Appetite For Destruction

Eb Standard tuning is the first thing to sort out before you play anything on this record. Guns N' Roses tuned down a half step across the board, which gives the rhythm parts a slightly looser, heavier feel that you simply cannot fake in standard E. At 120 BPM in E minor, the song sits at a tempo that feels comfortable until you try to keep the right-hand attack consistent through full chord sequences. The real challenge is matching that raw, percussive strumming energy without tensing up. Slash layers gritty power chords with lead fills that sit right in the middle of the arrangement, so your picking hand and fretting hand both need to be equally reliable. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop any fill or transition slowed down until the position shifts feel automatic. The Hard Rock feel here lives in the dynamics, so once you have the notes, work on when to dig in and when to back off.

  • The entire song is played in Eb Standard tuning, meaning every string is tuned down one half step from standard E.
  • At 120 BPM in E minor, the rhythm parts demand consistent right-hand attack through power chord sequences without losing drive.
  • Slash's lead fills weave closely around the rhythm parts, so switching cleanly between riffing and lead playing is the key technical challenge.

How to Play Appetite For Destruction

The song moves through: Welcome to the Jungle, It's So Easy, Nightrain, Out Ta Get Me, Paradise City, My Michelle, Think About You, Sweet Child O' Mine, You're Crazy, Anything Goes, Rocket Queen.

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

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording. The arrangement runs through 11 distinct sections, so it helps to learn it in blocks rather than front to back.

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.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Slash's weapon of choice, particularly late-'50s specs with mahogany bodies that deliver the thick, singing tone heard throughout 'Appetite for Destruction.' The Les Paul's weight and sustain complement his cranked Marshall, allowing solos to bloom with harmonic richness.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Offering a slightly different tonal character with a thinner body profile, the Custom gives Slash an alternative voice while maintaining the Les Paul's core warmth and sustain essential to his signature lead sound.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The split-channel JCM 800 2205 defines Slash's crunch, delivering natural tube saturation and midrange presence without artificial scooping, crucial for maintaining clarity in heavily driven passages.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Modified 1959 Super Lead amps pushed hard created the iconic raw power and harmonic distortion of 'Appetite for Destruction,' with power tube breakup that shaped GNR's raw, blues-rooted rock sound.

Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro
Pickup

Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro

These lower-output Alnico II humbuckers retain dynamic expressiveness even when the Marshall is cranked, producing a warm, slightly soft attack that makes Slash's tone creamy rather than harsh.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Slash's signature SW-95 wah adds vocal expression to solos like 'Civil War' and 'Estranged,' staying true to his minimalist pedalboard philosophy where tone comes primarily from guitar and amp interaction.

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