GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
505 Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys · 2000s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster (likely 1960s reissue, as used by Alex Turner in studio for '505')
Pickups
Fender single-coil pickups
Amp
Vox AC30 Combo Amp
Pickup Position
Neck pickup
Studio recording, 2007. Evidence from Equipboard and forum discussions points to Alex Turner using a Fender Stratocaster into a Vox AC30 for the '505' riff. No evidence of live/tour gear or alternate guitars for this section.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6
Gain5
Reverb4.5
Treble6.5
Presence5.5
Effects Chain
- Coopersonic Valveslapper Dual-Valve Distortion · distortion
- Delay pedal (model unknown) · delay
- Reverb pedal (model unknown) · reverb
Fender Stratocaster → Coopersonic Valveslapper → Delay pedal → Reverb pedal → Vox AC30 (spring reverb on)
Tone Matcher
Match This Tone to Your Gear
Tell us your guitar and amp — we’ll calculate the exact settings translated to your specific rig.
Adapt to MY Gear →7-day free trial · Cancel anytime.
Tone Character
- chiming and bright
- slightly gritty edge-of-breakup
- ambient and spacious
- clear note separation
- touch-sensitive
- mid-forward British amp character
- warm but present high end
- articulate single-coil clarity
- not heavily compressed
- moderate sustain
Notes & Caveats
- No direct numeric amp settings for '505' found in sources; settings estimated based on typical Vox AC30 usage for 2000s indie rock and forum consensus.
- Pedal models inferred from Equipboard and era-correct pedalboard photos; no explicit studio session documentation for '505' pedal chain.
- Delay and reverb are clearly audible in the recording, but specific pedal models and settings are not confirmed for the studio version.
- Guitar model inferred from multiple forum discussions and Equipboard, but not confirmed by official studio documentation.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. The '505' riff tone is a mid-forward, slightly gritty British crunch typical of Alex Turner's Vox/Ampeg setups from the Favourite Worst Nightmare era, with moderate gain, strong mids, restrained treble, and subtle reverb for space. These settings reflect the song's warm, vintage-inspired indie rock character and the band's production style at the time.