Riff Tone
Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare) [feat. MGMT & Ratatat]
Kid Cudi
Guitarrock2000s
Original Gear
GuitarRatatat's Mike Stroud's Fender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or 1980s, maple neck, single coils)
AmpFender Twin Reverb (likely Silverface or reissue, based on Ratatat's known studio rig for this era)
PickupsFender single-coil pickups
Amp Settings
gain5
bass5.5
mid6
treble7
reverb4.5
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 2008-2009. Guitar and amp inferred from Ratatat's studio use and the song's release year. No evidence of Kid Cudi or MGMT playing guitar on the riff; Ratatat is credited for guitar work on this track.
Tone Character(10)
bright and glassyslightly overdrivenclear note separationambient spaciousnesschiming melodic riffarticulate and percussivemodest sustainlight compressionstudio reverb depthno heavy distortion
Difficulty
The riff is straightforward and repetitive with moderate tempo, requiring clean picking and timing, but no advanced techniques or fast passages.
Sources
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock2000s
Original Gear
GuitarRatatat's Mike Stroud's Fender Stratocaster (likely 1970s or 1980s, maple neck, single coils)
AmpFender Twin Reverb (likely Silverface or reissue, based on Ratatat's known studio rig for this era)
PickupsFender single-coil pickups
Amp Settings
gain5
bass5.5
mid6
treble7
reverb4.5
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 2008-2009. Guitar and amp inferred from Ratatat's studio use and the song's release year. No evidence of Kid Cudi or MGMT playing guitar on the riff; Ratatat is credited for guitar work on this track.
Tone Character(10)
bright and glassyslightly overdrivenclear note separationambient spaciousnesschiming melodic riffarticulate and percussivemodest sustainlight compressionstudio reverb depthno heavy distortion
Difficulty
The riff is straightforward and repetitive with moderate tempo, requiring clean picking and timing, but no advanced techniques or fast passages.