What guitar did Alex Turner use on I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor?

Alex Turner used a Mexican Standard Fender Stratocaster in Arctic White for the recording. He played it with the bridge pickup selected and both volume and tone controls at maximum to achieve the bright, cutting sound.

How to get Arctic Monkeys I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor guitar tone?

Use a Stratocaster bridge pickup through a ProCo RAT 2 pedal into a pushed Orange tube amp. Set the RAT with distortion around 2 o'clock and filter around 1 o'clock, with the Orange amp on a clean to edge-of-breakup setting.

What amp did Arctic Monkeys use on their first album?

Alex Turner used an Orange AD30HTC head with an Orange PPC212 cabinet for the guitar parts on 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.' The amp was set to Channel 2 with moderate gain settings.

What distortion pedal did Alex Turner use on I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor?

Alex Turner used a ProCo RAT 2 distortion pedal, which was the primary source of distortion for the song. The RAT provided the biting, aggressive character while the Orange amp remained relatively clean.

Where was I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor recorded?

The song was recorded at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, produced by Jim Abbiss and engineered by Ewan Davies. The guitar was miked primarily with a Shure SM57, possibly blended with a Royer R121 ribbon mic.

lead guitar from "i bet you look good..." by arctic monkeys

i bet you look good...

arctic monkeys

lead guitar

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Tone Profile

A raw, energetic, and slightly trebly British indie rock tone, characterized by a biting distortion from a ProCo RAT into a pushed Orange amp, delivering a direct and punchy attack.

Shop This Rig

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Fender Stratocaster (Mexican Standard, Arctic White)(instrument)
Orange AD30HTC head + Orange PPC212 Cabinet(amp)
Shure SM57(microphone)
ProCo RAT 2(processing)
Fender Player Stratocaster(guitar)
Orange AD30HTC(amp)
Orange PPC212 Cabinet(amp)

The Story

Alex Turner recorded the lead guitar for 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor' using his Mexican Standard Fender Stratocaster through a ProCo RAT 2 distortion pedal into an Orange AD30HTC head and PPC212 cabinet. The session took place at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, produced by Jim Abbiss and engineered by Ewan Davies, with the guitar primarily miked using a Shure SM57, possibly blended with a Royer R121. The band aimed for a raw, live feel with minimal post-processing to maintain the immediate, energetic sound.

Production Credits

Producer: Jim Abbiss

Engineer: Simon 'Barny' Barnicott

Recorded at: Chapel Studios (Lincolnshire)

Signal Chain

Instrument: Fender Stratocaster (Mexican Standard, Arctic White)Shop on Reverb

Amp: Orange AD30HTC head + Orange PPC212 CabinetShop on Reverb

Microphone: Shure SM57Shop on Reverb

Processing: ProCo RAT 2Shop on Reverb

Other: Bridge pickup selected. Guitar volume and tone knobs at maximum. Orange AD30 Channel 2. RAT pedal for main distortion. SM57 on one speaker cone, possibly blended with a Royer R121.

Recreation Tips

Use a Fender Stratocaster, selecting the bridge pickup for a bright, cutting tone.
The ProCo RAT 2 is crucial: set Distortion around 2 o'clock, Filter around 1 o'clock (adjust for desired brightness), and Volume to level or slight boost.
Use an Orange AD30 amp (Channel 2, Gain around 9-11 o'clock, Treble and Mids slightly boosted) or a similar British-voiced amp (e.g., Vox, other Marshall models) set to a clean or edge-of-breakup tone.
The amp should provide a solid foundation, with the RAT pedal delivering the primary distortion character.
Employ aggressive, consistent downstrokes for the main riff to capture the rhythmic drive.
Keep the sound relatively dry; avoid using excessive reverb or delay to match the directness of the original recording.

Original Gear

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Fender Player StratocasterShop on Reverb(guitar)
Orange AD30HTCShop on Reverb(amp)
ProCo RAT 2Shop on Reverb(pedal)
Shure SM57Shop on Reverb(mic)
Orange PPC212 CabinetShop on Reverb(amp)

Substitutions & Recommendations

Fender Player StratocasterShop on Reverb$650-$750

Alternative to: Mexican Standard Fender Stratocaster

Direct evolution of the Mexican Standard series with same pickup configuration and bridge pickup bite essential for this cutting indie tone

ProCo RAT 2Shop on Reverb$70-$90

Alternative to: ProCo RAT 2

The exact same pedal used on the recording, still in production and crucial for the specific distortion character

Orange Rocker 32Shop on Reverb$800-$900

Alternative to: Orange AD30HTC

Modern Orange tube amp with similar British voicing and EL84 tubes that captures the pushed clean Orange sound

Neural DSP Archetype PliniPlugin Boutique$100-$130

Alternative to: Orange AD30HTC + ProCo RAT 2

Includes accurate Orange amp modeling and RAT-style distortion for home recording at lower cost

Orange Micro DarkShop on Reverb$180-$220

Alternative to: Orange AD30HTC head

Budget Orange hybrid head that provides the British Orange character when paired with external cab and RAT pedal

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

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