🎸 Rock · 2000s

Is This It by The Strokes (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by The Strokes · riff

The Is This It by The Strokes guitar tone is built on a Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12, dialed in at gain 4.5/10, bass 5, mid 6.5, treble 7, presence 6 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

4.5

GAIN

BASS

6.5

MID

TREBLE

PRESENCE

REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 4.5 sits right around the rock average (4.8); mids at 6.5 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Epiphone Casino (Albert Hammond Jr.) · Amp: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12

Studio recording, 2001. Both Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi used Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12 amps for the album. Distorted riff tone achieved with Jekyll & Hyde overdrive pedal into the amp. No evidence of additional effects for the riff section. Settings are for the studio recording, not live.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →🎚️ P-90 pickups songs & tones →🎚️ Fender Hot Rod Deluxe & Blues Junior songs & tones →

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Epiphone Casino (Albert Hammond Jr.) → Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde Ultimate Overdrive → Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12

Effects

overdrive, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 2)

Tone character

sharp and edgy, raw garage rock crunch, tight and percussive attack, bright and articulate, slightly compressed, mid-forward presence, not overly saturated, dynamic and responsive, distinct single-coil bite

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, loud dynamics · crunch distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Is This It sound.

Difficulty

2.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires tight, percussive strumming and good control of muted strings for the signature attack, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast lead playing.

Worth knowing

No official amp knob settings for the studio recording found; settings estimated based on typical Hot Rod DeVille use for this genre and era, and user-reported settings.
Pedal settings for Jekyll & Hyde not specified for this song; category and position inferred from multiple sources.
No evidence of additional effects (delay, chorus, etc.) on the riff section; only overdrive/distortion is confirmed.
Exact pickup selector position is inferred from user and forum advice to use the bridge pickup for the riff.
Presence and reverb settings are estimated based on typical Hot Rod DeVille usage for this sound.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. The Strokes' 'Is This It' riff features a dry, mid-forward, jangly tone with minimal gain—typical of Albert Hammond Jr.'s use of a Fender Hot Rod DeVille set clean with a slight edge, bright treble, and little to no reverb, matching the early-2000s garage rock production style.

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →

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Is This It guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Is This It guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 4.5, bass 5, mid 6.5, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 1. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Is This It tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Epiphone Casino (Albert Hammond Jr.) · Amp: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12; overdrive, reverb.

Can I get the Is This It tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like The Strokes on Is This It — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 4.5, bass 5, mid 6.5, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 1), and overdrive, reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

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Sources

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More like this

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Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com