What guitars did Wendy Melvoin use?
Wendy Melvoin used Rickenbacker 330s for the Purple Rain album, film and tour. Her 330s were modified with G&L pickups, a hardtail bridge and closed off F-holes. Originally natural, the guitars were refinished in purple. The 330s were stolen after the Purple Rain tour. Wendy also used the Sadowsky Madcat copies.
For the Parade tour, Wendy switched to a white Gibson ES-335 and a similar Ibanez AS200. She also played a Roland G-707 guitar synth.
For my guitar, it was a Boss compressor, probably a CS-1, directly into a TC Electronic distortion pedal, into an MXR boost, into a Cry Baby Wah, then my chorus, the brand of which escapes me right now, and then into a volume pedal, all of which fed into a Mesa/Boogie Mark II head on a cab with, I think, a pair of JBL speakers. I was using one of my modified purple Rickenbackers when we recorded it.
Her amplifiers on the Purple Rain album and tour were Mesa/Boogie Mark IIs (or Mark I) with Bag End D-12M cabinets ("cab with... a pair of JBL speakers). On the Parade tour she either switched to Peavey Butchers or went directly into the sound board.
Her pedals on the Purple Rain album include a Boss CE-1 Chorus, a Boss DM-2 Delay, Boss CS-1 Compression Sustainer, TC Electronic distortion (probably a TC Electronic Booster+), MXR boost (probably an MXR Micro Amp), Dunlop Cry Baby Wah and an Unknown Volume Pedal.
