Riff Tone
The Bad Thing
Arctic Monkeys
Guitarrock2000s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely early 2000s Mexican Standard or similar, as used by Jamie Cook in the 'Humbug' era)
AmpBad Cat Wild Cat (used by Jamie Cook during 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' and early 'Humbug' era, including 'The Bad Thing')
PickupsFender single-coil pickups (stock Stratocaster configuration)
Amp Settings
gain5.5
bass6
mid7
treble7
reverb2.5
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 2006-2007. Jamie Cook used a Fender Stratocaster into a Bad Cat Wild Cat amp for the main riff section. No evidence of Alex Turner's gear for this part. Gear confirmed for this era and album, not live settings.
Tone Character(10)
tight and punchy midrangeslightly gritty edgeclear note separationarticulate single-coil attackpresent upper midsdynamic response to pickingmodest amp breakupno heavy fuzz or high-gain saturationpercussive rhythm clarityBritish-voiced crunch
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, punchy rhythm playing with good muting and dynamic control, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast tempos.
Sources
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Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely early 2000s Mexican Standard or similar, as used by Jamie Cook in the 'Humbug' era)
AmpBad Cat Wild Cat (used by Jamie Cook during 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' and early 'Humbug' era, including 'The Bad Thing')
PickupsFender single-coil pickups (stock Stratocaster configuration)
Amp Settings
gain5.5
bass6
mid7
treble7
reverb2.5
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 2006-2007. Jamie Cook used a Fender Stratocaster into a Bad Cat Wild Cat amp for the main riff section. No evidence of Alex Turner's gear for this part. Gear confirmed for this era and album, not live settings.
Tone Character(10)
tight and punchy midrangeslightly gritty edgeclear note separationarticulate single-coil attackpresent upper midsdynamic response to pickingmodest amp breakupno heavy fuzz or high-gain saturationpercussive rhythm clarityBritish-voiced crunch
Difficulty
The riff requires tight, punchy rhythm playing with good muting and dynamic control, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast tempos.
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