Alex Turner Guitar Rig 2006

Alex Turner of Sheffield's very own Arctic Monkeys was at the forefront of the mid 2000's Indie movement that took the UK by storm and firmly planted the electric guitar in the minds of teenagers around the country.

In 2006, Arctic Monkey's released their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. With hits like I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and When The Sun Goes Down, the album raced up the charts and make the 4 Sheffield boys a force to be reckoned with.

Despite the phenomenal success of the album, the front mans setup was modest. His back line was an Orange AD30 and his guitar of choice was a white Fender Stratocaster. Alex Turner also utilised a very modest pedal set up to craft his biting guitar tones.

Alongside his Boss TU-2 Tuner pedal, the only other pedal in Turner's arsenal at this stage was the Pro-Co Rat 2 Distortion Pedal.

There is not a lot to say about the Boss TU-2. It is the industry standard tuning pedal used by countless touring artists including Alex Turner.

The RAT 2 distortion pedal from Pro Co was Alex Turner's distortion pedal of choice. In the 2006 era of the band he ran a pair of these pedals.. One was set to a crunchy distortion and the other set to a heavy distortion. Alex ran his amps mostly clean or just off clean for that trademark indie jangle. He used the Rat to send his guitar into overdrive in some of the bands rockier moments such as the intro to I Bet You Look Good on The Dancefloor

In 2006, the only guitar Alex Turner was associated with was his article white Fender Stratocaster. This was a Mexican made Stratocaster and was used on the debut album and was seen in many concert and video shoots for the band.

The guitar is no longer owned by Alex Turner. It was sold at an auction in 2010 through Oxfam in order to raise funds for the victims of the Haiti Earthquake. The guitar was sold for £4,600. (1)

In 2006, the only amp Alex Turner was using was the AD30TC from Orange. This 2x12, opened back combo is known for it's almost 3d clean tones and lively top end. This makes it the perfect amp for pushing with a distortion pedal. The amp would have been run clean to maintain that jangly indie guitar tone with all the drive coming from Turner's pair of RAT distortion pedals.

The AC30TC is loaded with a pair of Celestion Vintage 30 speakers which deliver a very crisp and cutting midrange, perfect to accompany the slight mid-scoop of a Stratocaster.

Sources:

(1) telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/7189380/Haiti-earthquake-music-fundraiser-helps-raise-120000-for-relief-efforts.html

Also Referenced:

Mixdown Mag

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This article is brought to you thanks to the support from PMT Music, one of the UK's largest online music stores. You can pick up the upgraded Boss TU-3, being the new industry standard for the Boss TU-2, that Alex Turner used in his 2006 rig direct from the PMT Online Music Store.