rhythm guitar from “last nite” by the strokes | ToneDB
last nite
the strokes
rhythm guitar
95% ai confidence
Tone Profile
A bright, slightly gritty, and articulate rhythm guitar tone with a distinct lo-fi edge, driven by P-90 style pickups into a Fender amp with light overdrive. It's punchy and direct, cutting through the mix without being overly saturated.
Signal Chain
Instrument: 1995 Epiphone Riviera with Gibson P-94 pickups (neck pickup selected)
Amp: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12 (Clean Channel)
Microphone: Shure SM57
Processing: Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde V1 (Overdrive side)
Other: Mic placed close to the grille, slightly off-center of one speaker cone. The Jekyll & Hyde's overdrive channel was used with the gain set relatively low and level boosted to push the amp.
Recording Notes
- Recorded by Gordon Raphael, who aimed for a raw, live, and direct sound with minimal studio processing.
- Guitars were often recorded with little to no compression during tracking to maintain dynamics.
- The album 'Is This It' was recorded to an MCI JH16 2-inch 16-track tape machine, contributing to its characteristic warmth and slight saturation.
- The production philosophy focused on capturing the band's energetic performance authentically.
- Nick Valensi's guitar parts are typically panned to one side, with Albert Hammond Jr.'s guitar on the other, creating a distinct stereo image.
Recreation Tips
- Use the neck pickup of a guitar equipped with P-90 or P-94 style pickups for warmth and clarity.
- Set your Fender-style amp to its clean channel, with volume pushed to the edge of breakup (e.g., Volume 3-5). EQ settings: Treble around 6-7, Mids 4-5, Bass 4-5, Presence around 5.
- Use a light overdrive pedal (like the Jekyll & Hyde's OD side). Set the Drive knob low (around 9-10 o'clock), Tone knob to add brightness (around 1-2 o'clock), and Level knob to boost the signal into the amp.
- Avoid excessive low-end; the tone is characteristically trebly and mid-focused but not thin or harsh.
- Play with a precise and somewhat staccato picking technique for the main riff to capture the rhythmic feel.
- Experiment with mic placement; a Shure SM57 close to the speaker cone, slightly off-axis, is a good starting point.
Recommended Gear
- Epiphone Nick Valensi Riviera P94(guitar)
- Gibson P-94R (neck) / P-94T (bridge) pickups(pickup)
- Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 IV(amp)
- Truetone (formerly Visual Sound) V3 Jekyll & Hyde Overdrive & Distortion(pedal)
- Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde V1 or V2 (used)(pedal)
- Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer(pedal)
- Shure SM57(mic)