Riff Tone

Is This It

The Strokes

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarEpiphone Riviera (early 2000s, stock mini-humbuckers, used by Nick Valensi on studio recording)

AmpFender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12 combo

PickupsEpiphone mini-humbuckers (stock, not P90s or full-size humbuckers)

Amp Settings

gain3

bass4.5

mid6.5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2001. Both Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. used nearly identical rigs for the album. Clean tone sections are played with the amp set to a low gain/clean channel, pedals off. No evidence of additional amps or effects for clean sections. Settings are for the studio recording, not live.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatetight and percussivechimey top endmid-forward attackslightly compressedclean with a hint of breakuppunchy and directminimal ambienceraw, unprocessed feelfocused bridge pickup clarity

Difficulty

The riff is straightforward but requires tight picking and muting for clarity and groove; no advanced techniques, but rhythmic precision is essential.

Sources

Gear Rundown: The Strokes The Strokes (Albert Hammond Jr. / Nick Valensi) Amp Settings (gear and tone tips) - Guitar Chalk Nick Valensi's Guitar Gear, Pedalboard & Amps | Equipboard Albert Hammond Jr.: Gear settings : r/TheStrokes - Reddit

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