Tone library / Mac DeMarco / Back to the old house

Back to the old house amp settings — Fender Blues Junior IV

The Mac DeMarco guitar tone for “Back to the old house”, dialed in for a Fender Blues Junior IV with a Fender Player Stratocaster. Mac DeMarco cover version, live/Rock and Roll Night Club era style

Original rig

Fender Twin Reverb or Vibro Champ, 1970s Fender Stratocaster (neck pickup), Boss CE-5 Chorus, Electro Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb, Alesis Microverb 4

Warm, jangly clean with wobbly chorus modulation and spring reverb wash
Amp settings — Fender Blues Junior IV
BRIGHToff
GAIN 3 BASS 4 MID 6 TREBLE 7 REVERB 5 MASTER 4
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain3
Bass4
Mid6
Treble7
Reverb5
Master4
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Guitar
PICKUPneck TONE5 VOLUME8
Signal chain

01Chorus (Boss CE-5 or similar)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for Mac's warbly, dreamy texture. Any analog-voiced chorus works.

Rate 4 · Depth 5 · Level 7
Why these settings

Your Blues Junior is darker and more midrange-focused than Mac's Twin Reverb, so treble is pushed to 7 to recover the jangle. Bass stays low at 4 to avoid mud. Rolling your tone knob to 5 mimics Mac's habit of softening the top end for that mellow, vintage feel. Without a chorus pedal, you lose the signature wobble — the built-in reverb at 5 gets you partway there.

PRO TIPPick closer to the bridge while using the neck pickup — this gives you the warm body of the neck position but adds articulation and string definition that defines Mac's jangly attack.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender Blues Junior IV. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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