Riff Tone

Let It Happen

Tame Impala

Guitarrock2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely Japanese or Mexican, as used by Kevin Parker on Currents era studio recordings)

AmpVox AC30 (studio recording, likely standard or hand-wired model, as used on Currents)

PickupsSingle-coil (Fender stock Strat pickups, likely neck or neck+middle position for clean tone)

Amp Settings

gain2.5

bass5.5

mid7

treble6.5

reverb4.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

modulationDonner Donner Harmonic Square (or similar octave pedal)

compressionMXR MXR Dyna Comp

phaserElectro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser

reverbElectro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb

delayUnknown Delay pedal (model unknown, likely analog or tape-style)

Notes

Studio recording, 2015 (Currents album). Kevin Parker is known to record most guitars himself, often DI with amp sims or re-amping, but Vox AC30 is the most cited amp for this era. Clean sections use Stratocaster with single-coils, likely neck or neck+middle pickup. No evidence of live gear or alternate guitars for this section.

Tone Character(10)

synth-like cleanoctave-down effectlush and modulatedglassy single-coil clarityambient and spaciousswirling phaser movementsoft attackdynamic and touch-sensitivestereo width from effectsminimal breakup

Difficulty

The riff is rhythmically syncopated but not technically fast; the main challenge is keeping the clean tone articulate with multiple effects and octave tracking, plus dynamic control for the soft, synth-like feel.