3 Facts You May Not Know About The Strokes’ Signature Guitar Sound

For many, myself included, The Strokes made rock music exciting again. And quite a few well-known artists were excited too. You can hear The Strokes’ influence on The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, and even Harry Styles.

Rock music peaked culturally in the late 90s, with electronic, dance, and hip-hop becoming dominant. Guitars had taken a back seat to samplers, keyboards, drum machines, and eventually laptops. Still, The Strokes’ guitar-centered garage rock inspired a new generation of guitarists. And the band did it with modest gear.

Cheap Guitars

Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi developed their signature guitar styles using affordable instruments. Hammond’s primary instrument is a 1985 Japanese-made reissue of a 1972 Fender Stratocaster. And Valensi’s main guitar is a 1995 Epiphone Riviera, which he borrowed—and never returned—from Hammond when The Strokes formed in the late 90s. Hammond, reportedly, purchased both guitars from a seller in a New York apartment for only $300.

A Few Pedals

If you’re a guitarist and you spend any time on the internet, then you have likely burned far too many hours watching Rig Rundown videos. The pedal-obsessed culture (guilty) has reached a comical state with clips of guitarists standing in front of ever-expanding rigs. But before you go broke thinking you need 20 pedals at your feet, The Strokes offer a valuable lesson in restraint. Hammond and Valensi, at least on the early records, each relied on two core pedals: an MXR Micro Amp and a Jekyll & Hyde overdrive.

And a Basic Amp

The final, crucial piece of equipment in the band’s guitar rigs is the Fender Hot Rod Deville amplifier. Remember, when The Strokes emerged from New York City with Is This It in 2001, many claimed Julian Casablancas and his childhood friends were saving rock and roll. (“That’s f***ing ridiculous,” Casablancas said at the time.) But these unkempt saviors didn’t arrive with vintage or expensive boutique gear. And you can still find these amps all day long on the used market for less than $500. What’s much harder to achieve? The one-two shredding punch of Hammond and Valensi.

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