Guns N' Roses · 1987 · Studio album
Appetite for Destruction tuning.
E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 1 of 12 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E♭ Standard
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredWidely reported
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Mobile Fidelity UDCD 699 (1997 gold remaster) | +2.3 ¢ | A 440.6 | 12 | +0.5 to +3.6 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E♭ Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).
Slash recorded most of the album on a Kris Derrig replica of a 1959 Les Paul through a rented Marshall, with Izzy Stradlin on rhythm. Every song is in E♭ Standard, guitars and bass alike. TuneLit measured the Mobile Fidelity gold CD about 2 ¢ sharp, which counts as concert pitch; only Out ta Get Me sits higher, at about 11 ¢.
12 songs · 1 tuned differently
Every song, ready to tune
Tune opens the tuner in that song's tuning, pitch included. Play along opens the song player set to that tuning, so the track plays in yours. What the labels mean
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1. Welcome to the Jungle
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Guitar World lists .010–.046 strings tuned to E♭ Standard for this song. A popular Songsterr copy is rewritten for E Standard; with it you play a half step above the record.
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2. It's So Easy
E♭ StandardMeasured
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3. Nightrain
E♭ StandardMeasured
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4. Out ta Get Me
Different pitch
E♭ Standard +11 ¢Measured
Notes
TuneLit measured it about 11 ¢ sharp, a little higher than the rest of the album.
Guitar World's breakdown of Slash's Welcome to the Jungle rig lists E♭ Standard on .010–.046 strings, and Slash has said the band tunes down a half step for the vocals and a heavier sound. Every song is tabbed in E♭ Standard, guitars and bass.
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5. Mr. Brownstone
E♭ StandardMeasured
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6. Paradise City
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
TuneLit's audio check points to E here, a known blind spot: the song never rings the open low E♭. The tab's G, C and F shapes sound as F♯, B and E on the record, which is what a guitar a half step down gives.
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7. My Michelle
E♭ StandardMeasured
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8. Think About You
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Slash adds an acoustic guitar, in E♭ like the electrics.
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9. Sweet Child o' Mine
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
The intro riff runs over D, C and G chords in the tab, which sound a half step lower on the record: D♭, B and G♭. The most-viewed alternatives on Songsterr are rewritten for E Standard; tune down a half step to match the record.
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10. You're Crazy
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
The fast electric version. The slower acoustic one, as the song was first written, is on G N' R Lies.
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11. Anything Goes
E♭ StandardMeasured
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12. Rocket Queen
E♭ StandardMeasured
What the labels mean
- Measured
- TuneLit measured the pitch on an original CD or LP. The tuning name still comes from the sources.
- Official
- The band, a member, their producer or their guitar tech said it.
- Widely reported
- Trusted outlets, guides and tabs agree, but the band did not say it directly.
- Community
- From community tabs, or from players who tune along with the record.
- Disputed
- Sources disagree. The likeliest setting is shown; the notes name the other one.
Each song shows one label, the strongest it has, in this order. How we measure recordings →
Questions
What tuning is Appetite for Destruction in?
Guns N' Roses recorded Appetite for Destruction (1987) in E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Out ta Get Me uses E♭ Standard +11 ¢.
Why does Appetite for Destruction sound out of tune with my guitar?
Out ta Get Me sits about 11 cents sharp (A ≈ 443), so a guitar tuned to A 440 clashes with it. The Tune buttons on this page set the tuner's reference to match the record, so you only tune the strings.