Riff Tone
Moonlight on the River
Mac DeMarco
Guitarother2010s+
Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely Japanese or Mexican, as used by Mac DeMarco in this era)
AmpRoland JC-120 Jazz Chorus (most commonly used by Mac DeMarco for studio recordings in this era)
PickupsSingle-coil (stock Fender Stratocaster pickups, likely ceramic or Alnico V)
Amp Settings
gain3
bass6
mid5.5
treble6
reverb6
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
fuzzMatthews Effects Matthews Effects The Whaler
delayUnknown Tape Delay pedal (model unknown)
Notes
Studio recording, 2016-2017 (This Old Dog sessions). Gear inferred from era and Mac's known studio setup; no direct source confirms exact guitar/amp for this song, but Strat and JC-120 are overwhelmingly documented for his studio work.
Tone Character(10)
surfy fuzzy texturesambient and dreamymodulated clean with tape delayslightly gritty edgelush, reverberant soundchorus-like shimmerspacious and atmosphericwarm but not muddysubtle overdrive/fuzz blendclear single-coil articulation
Difficulty
The riff requires careful timing to blend with the delay repeats and dynamic control to balance the edge-of-breakup fuzz with clean articulation, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast playing.
Sources
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarother2010s+
Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely Japanese or Mexican, as used by Mac DeMarco in this era)
AmpRoland JC-120 Jazz Chorus (most commonly used by Mac DeMarco for studio recordings in this era)
PickupsSingle-coil (stock Fender Stratocaster pickups, likely ceramic or Alnico V)
Amp Settings
gain3
bass6
mid5.5
treble6
reverb6
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
fuzzMatthews Effects Matthews Effects The Whaler
delayUnknown Tape Delay pedal (model unknown)
Notes
Studio recording, 2016-2017 (This Old Dog sessions). Gear inferred from era and Mac's known studio setup; no direct source confirms exact guitar/amp for this song, but Strat and JC-120 are overwhelmingly documented for his studio work.
Tone Character(10)
surfy fuzzy texturesambient and dreamymodulated clean with tape delayslightly gritty edgelush, reverberant soundchorus-like shimmerspacious and atmosphericwarm but not muddysubtle overdrive/fuzz blendclear single-coil articulation
Difficulty
The riff requires careful timing to blend with the delay repeats and dynamic control to balance the edge-of-breakup fuzz with clean articulation, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast playing.
Moonlight on the River settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
More Mac DeMarco tones
- Freaking Out the Neighborhood · riff
- My Kind of Woman · riff
- No Other Heart · riff
- Chamber of Reflection · riff
- Moonlight on the River · riff
- My Kind of Woman · solo
- Still Beating · riff
- The Way You'd Love Her · riff
- 20180702 2 · riff
- 20191009 I Like Her · riff