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The Arctic Monkeys are famous for having a unique sound that has evolved and changed significantly with every album. One of the ways they're able to change their sound, is by using different instruments. So here's a breakdown of all the guitars and bass guitars that were used in each Arctic Monkey's era. So let's jump into this ultimate gear guide! Album: Whatever people Say I Am, That's What I'm Not Released in January 2006 First Album When the Sun Goes Down I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor The Arctic Monkeys' first album debuted in early 2006 and featured their first singles "When the Sun Goes Down" and "I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor". It became the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history selling over 350,000 copies in the first week. It was also declared the "5th greatest British album of all time" by NME magazine. But how did they create it? Here's a guide to the instruments the Arctic Monkeys' used in their first album. GuitarsThe lead guitarist of the Arctic Monkeys', James Cook, had a pretty simple setup and used a Fender Telecaster whilst the singer and rhythm guitarist Alex Turner played a Fender Stratocaster. Of course, the Strat is one of the most iconic guitars of all time, the Telecaster is less known but still hugely popular. They generally have similar electronics and are made of similar materials, although they have a different feel and sound. Amps The Arctic Monkeys' mainly used Orange brand amps in their early career, more specifically the Orange AD30. It's a UK built amp with a very specific tone. There are two channels, one that produces a crunchy and clean sound and the second that produces a higher gain. Pedals and EffectsWhilst touring their first album, the Arctic Monkeys used a pretty plain pedalboard including ProCo RAT2 distortion pedal and BOSS TU-2 tuner. Bass GuitarThe bass player, Nick O'Malley used a Fender Precision Bass and a Rickenbacker 300 in his early career. The Fender Precision Bass was the world's first electric bass guitar that produces one of the most iconic bass guitar tones to date. Album: Favourite Worst Nightmare Released in April 2007 Second Album Brianstorm Fluorescent Adolescent The band's second album was released in April 2007 and featured a definite change in tone from their debut album. The tracks have been described by the lead singer as "a bit full-on", and the main singles were "Brianstorm", "Teddy Picker" and "Florescent Adolescent". It reached number one in the UK charts album and sold over 200,000 copies in the first week. The songs are a bit more diverse so required different instruments to pull the sounds off properly. Here's the gear guide. GuitarsBoth Alex and Jamie continued to use mainly Fender guitars in their second album. However, Alex switched to some different Fender models including the Bronco, Mustang and Jazzmaster. Jamie also began using a Gibson ES guitar. Amps The Arctic Monkeys' still continued to use Orange amps during their second album however they also used a Vox AC-30 in some live performances. It's another classic British amp producing a rich old-school tone.Pedals and EffectsOne of the biggest differences in the gear that the Arctic Monkeys used between their first and second albums is the pedals. They added to their modest pedalboard by throwing in an Ibanez Ts-808 Tubesreamer in place of the RAT. They also added a Danelectro Reel Echo and a EHX Deluxe Memory Man. Bass GuitarThere wasn't much of a change in the bass guitar setup, with the Fender Precision Bass still remaining a staple. Album: Humbug Released in August 2009 Third Album Crying Lightning Cornerstone The Arctic Monkeys returned in August 2009 from a brief hiatus with their third album Humbug. It featured their singles "Crying Lightning" and "Cornerstone". It again reflected another change in the band's sound, here's what instruments they used. GuitarsAlex mainly started playing a Fender Jazzmaster in the era of the third album. It's a versatile guitar that suits a wide range of genres. Amps There was not much of an update in terms of amps from the second album. The VOX AC-30 featured again in this era of the band. Pedals and EffectsThere were even more effects added to the Arctic Monkeys' pedalboards with their third album, Humbug. These included a Roland CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, an EXH Holy Grail Plus and a Boss RE-20 Space Echo. Bass Guitar Again, not much of an update here with the bass guitar. Nick was seen using a Fender Precision bass in this period of the band too. Album: Suck It and See Released in June 2011 Fourth Album Suck It and See Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair The band's fourth album "Suck it and See" was recorded in LA in 2010-2011 and was released in mid-2011. It was named after one of the main singles in the album and allowed the band to become only the second in history to debut four albums at Number 1 in the UK charts. Here's a list of instruments that featured in the making of this album. GuitarsFender guitars still featured in this era in the band, however Alex Turner started to use a vintage Les Paul Custom for the heavier songs in the album that the Fender Jazzmaster wasn't equipped enough for. He was also seen using an Oviation Viper. Amps Again, not much of an update with the amps. The Orange brand amps and the VOX amps still remained popular choices. Pedals and EffectsThere were a few more additions to the band's pedalboards including Boss DM-1 Delay which is super-rare. You can replicate the tone with a cheaper alternative the Boss DM-2W if you're looking to sound like the Arctic Monkeys in this era. Bass Guitar Nick can still be seen rocking the Fender Precision bass guitar in this era of the band. Album: AM Released in September 2013 Fifth Album R U Mine Do I Wanna Know The bands fifth album "AM" featured three main singles "R U Mine", "Do I Wanna Know" and "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High". It again debuted at number 1 in the UK charts and sold over 150,000 copies in the first week making the band the first independent label band to have five consecutive UK number 1 albums. Here's how they achieved their sound. GuitarsAlex made the switch from a Fender to a Gibson properly with this album. Alex mainly played a Gibson Les Paul Custom and Jamie used Gibson SG guitars mostly. Amps Not much extra going on here with the amps. The Arctic Monkeys remained faithful to the classic British amp manufacturers to produce their iconic sound. Pedals and EffectsSome more pedals were thrown into the mix following this album including the EHX POG and EHX Hum Debugger which helped to evolve the band's sound. Bass Guitar Nick branched out a bit more with his choice of bass guitars with the release of AM. He used an Epiphone Jack Casady Signature Bass for "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High". He also tried the Fender Jazz in some tracks. Album: Tranquillity Base Hotel and Casino Released in May 2018 Sixth Album Four Out of Five Tranquillity Base Hotel and Casino Following the release of their fifth album, the Arctic Monkeys took their first real hiatus before releasing their sixth album, Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino in May 2018. It became the band's sixth consecutive number one album in the UK charts. GuitarsAlex Turner following the release of the most recent album, mainly uses the Gibson Les Paul Custom and the Fender Jazzmaster. Whilst Jamie Cook now mainly uses a Gibson ES semi-acoustic guitar. Amps Again, the Arctic Monkeys mainly use Vox and Orange amps, however they have also experimented with a Selmer Zodiac Twin 30 amp. Pedals and EffectsThe Arctic Monkeys continued to use their heavily loaded pedalboards following the release of their most recent album. Bass Guitar Nick O'Malley again used the Fender Precision Bass, however, he also used a Burns Sonic Bass from 2018 onwards. So there you go! There's the complete gear guide to the Arctic Monkeys for every album! I hope you've enjoyed reading through this list of Arctic Monkeys instruments.

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