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Poison - Nothin’ But a Good Time - Guitar Tab

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100%

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BPM
Key E major
Poison - Nothin’ But a Good Time guitar tab video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Open Up And Say . . . Ahh! album cover
Open Up And Say . . . Ahh!
1988 3:43
Listen on Spotify
Poison Hard Rock 1988 E major
Capo Advisor 0 E major · Original key

About Nothin’ But a Good Time

Few Hard Rock tracks from the late eighties announce themselves as confidently as this one does, and the opening riff is the first thing to get under your fingers. It sits in E major and leans hard on a chugging, palm-muted low-E groove before opening up into those bright, punchy chord punches that define the verse. C.C. DeVille's rhythm work here rewards a clean, tight pick attack, so if your muting feels sloppy, use the Practice Toolbar to loop just the intro riff slowed down until the mutes lock in. The song runs at 120 BPM, which is comfortable enough to feel fun from the start but quick enough that the chord transitions need to be automatic. The solo sits in a classic pentatonic vocabulary with blues-rock bends, and looping it slowed down is the quickest way to match the phrasing and vibrato rather than just hitting the right pitches. Poison kept the arrangement open, so every note in the rhythm part really counts.

  • The main riff is built around palm-muted low-E chugging in E standard tuning, making right-hand mute control the first technique to nail.
  • At 120 BPM the chord transitions are brisk, so drilling the verse rhythm pattern slowly before bringing it up to tempo will pay off quickly.
  • The lead solo relies heavily on pentatonic scale bends and vibrato, and slowing it down with the Practice Toolbar helps you match the phrasing accurately.

How to Play Nothin’ But a Good Time

The song moves through: Intro, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Bridge, Solo, Break.

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E major · Tempo: 120 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

The arrangement runs through 7 distinct sections, and the solo is the steepest jump, so isolate it on its own.

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

C.C. DeVille used the Les Paul Standard in Poison's later years, leveraging its thick body and warm humbucker tones for a heavier, more classic rock foundation. The instrument provided a fatter sustain than his superstrats while maintaining the cutting presence needed to slice through the band's dense arrangements.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul Custom appeared in DeVille's setup during Poison's evolution, offering premium hardware and premium pickups that reinforced his bridge humbucker-driven lead tone with enhanced articulation and sustain. Its weight and construction allowed him to achieve singing, sustained solos while keeping the glam metal edge intact.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

DeVille's signature tone came directly from the JCM800's moderate-high gain voicing, which delivered that saturated yet articulate crunch essential to Poison's Sunset Strip sound. The amp's presence peak kept his leads cutting through the mix without needing excessive gain, letting the guitar's midrange shine through the drums.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

DeVille wielded the Cry Baby Wah as his primary expressive effect, adding vocal-like sweep and movement to lead passages and rhythm accents throughout Poison's glam metal anthems. The pedal's responsive taper complemented his flashy, over-the-top playing style and became a signature element of his soloing voice.

DigiTech Whammy
Pedal

DigiTech Whammy

While not a primary tool in DeVille's original chain, the DigiTech Whammy offered harmonic shifting effects that could enhance his signature whammy bar dive bombs and pitch-bend moments during solos. The pedal's tracking algorithms could layer synth-like tones beneath his squalling leads for added drama.

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