Alex Turner Gear Guide
A quick reference to Alex Turner’s Arctic Monkeys guitars, British and American amps, distortion pedals and album-era changes.
A period-by-period quick reference to guitars, amplification, effects and song associations. Specific equipment varies by recording, tour and available documentation.
Guitars
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Fender Stratocaster | A principal guitar in the early Arctic Monkeys stage setup. | Early era |
| Fender Bronco | Short-scale guitar used during the early band period. | Early era |
| Fender Jazzmaster | Used as the band’s sound moved into broader textures. | Later tours |
| Rickenbacker 330 | Bright semi-hollow tone suited to early jangling riffs. | Selected years |
| Gretsch baritone | Lower-register instrument for selected album and live parts. | Later eras |
| Gibson Les Paul | Humbucker guitar for thicker rhythm and lead sounds. | Selected use |
| Fender Telecaster | A direct, bright option across studio/touring setups. | Selected years |
| Acoustic guitar | Used for quieter arrangements and songwriting textures. | Selected sessions |
| Rickenbacker pedal steel | Bought during the AM-era sessions for selected color. | AM sessions |
Amplifiers
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Vox AC30 | Bright British combo associated with early jangling guitar sounds. | Early/live |
| Selmer Truvoice | Used with Jamie Cook and Alex Turner on early recordings. | Early albums |
| Magnatone amp | A Magnatone was used in studio sessions with the band. | Selected sessions |
| Orange amplifiers | Orange amps appear in the band’s later guitar setups. | Selected tours |
| Rickenbacker pedal-steel amp | Small amp purchased during the AM sessions for a particular track. | AM sessions |
| Zodiac Twin 30 | Selmer amp model documented in touring-period gear coverage. | Selected tours |
Effects and signal chain
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Pro Co RAT | Distortion for aggressive early guitar sounds. | Early era |
| Ibanez Tube Screamer | Overdrive for midrange-focused lead tones. | Later touring |
| Coopersonic Valveslapper | Distinctive overdrive used in later pedalboard setups. | Later tours |
| MXR Micro Amp | Level boost for solos and louder passages. | Selected tours |
| Electro-Harmonix POG | Octave effect for thickened guitar parts. | AM era |
| Electro-Harmonix Hum Debugger | Noise reduction for high-gain single-coil setups. | AM era |
| Boss DM-1 Delay Machine | Delay repeats in selected live setups. | Selected tours |
| Fulltone Mini DejaVibe | Vibrato/Uni-Vibe style modulation. | AM era |
| Boss tuner | Stage tuning in the touring board. | Live |
| Line 6 Echo Farm | Studio delay/echo processing used for special effects. | Recording |
Songs and era references
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor | Bright early guitar attack and distortion-pedal drive. | 2005 |
| Brianstorm | Fast, tight rhythm playing with sharp amp and pedal attack. | 2007 |
| Cornerstone | Cleaner, more spacious guitar textures. | 2009 |
| Do I Wanna Know? | Lower, thicker riff sound from the AM era. | 2013 |
| R U Mine? | Overdrive and octave colors support the tightly layered riff. | 2012/2013 |
| One for the Road | Pedal-steel amp and studio effects broaden the AM-era palette. | 2013 |
| Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino | More keyboard-centered records mean guitar parts use a wider set of textures. | 2018 |