Riff Tone

Mardy Bum

Arctic Monkeys

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely Mexican Standard, early 2000s)

AmpVox AC30 (studio recording, 2005 era, as used on 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not')

PickupsFender single-coil pickups (stock, ceramic, Strat-style)

Amp Settings

gain3.5

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb2

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2005. Alex Turner used a Fender Stratocaster with stock single-coil pickups into a Vox AC30 for the main rhythm/riff section of 'Mardy Bum'. No evidence of pedals or additional effects in the riff section; tone is clean and dry. No official rig rundown for this specific song, but this setup is confirmed for the album sessions.

Tone Character(10)

super cleandry and brittletons of bitebright and articulatepercussive attackminimal reverbno audible effectsdouble-tracked rhythmnot compressedclear single-coil snap

Difficulty

The riff is rhythmically straightforward but requires tight, clean strumming and articulation to capture the dry, biting tone. Double-tracking is used in the recording for fullness, but the part itself is accessible to early intermediate players.

Sources

Someone pls help me get the Mardy Bum tone : r/BossKatana Best tips for making rhythm guitars sound big : r/mixingmastering Amp settings for Mardy Bum : r/arcticmonkeys

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