Song Rig

Raspberry Beret

Prince · Around the World in a Day · 1985

Tone Overview

What Makes This Sound Unique

Prince's most psychedelic-era guitar tone — a clean, chorus-drenched Strat sound with a jangly quality reminiscent of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper period. The Around the World in a Day album marked his intentional move toward psychedelic pop, and the guitar is layered, bright, and lush.

Signal Chain

1Fender Stratocaster (Hohner or standard, neck pickup)
2Roland Dimension D Chorus (stereo, high intensity)
3Clean Fender or direct console recording

Amp Settings

Gain / Volume2

Bass5

Mid6

Treble7

Reverb5

Very clean with heavy chorus and reverb — the psychedelic shimmer is the point. Prince is building a sonic texture rather than a guitar feature, so individual note attack is softened by the chorus depth.

Technique

How to Play It

Layered chord overdubs with subtle rhythmic displacement — Prince recorded multiple guitar passes with slight timing differences, creating the wide stereo spread and sense of movement without any single instrument playing aggressively.

Budget Alternative

Achievable With

Strat neck pickup → Boss CE-2 or Roland Dimension D clone → any clean amp → hall reverb. The key is multiple light guitar passes rather than one hard-hitting track.

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