Tone library / Mac deMarco / Moonlight on the river

Moonlight on the river amp settings — Black Star ID:CORE V4

The Mac deMarco guitar tone for “Moonlight on the river”, dialed in for a Black Star ID:CORE V4 with a Ibanez GRX40. Studio version, Here Comes the Cowboy (2019)

Original rig

Fender Princeton Reverb / '68 Custom Princeton Reverb, Boss CE-2 Chorus, Mosrite hybrid guitar with single coils, amp tremolo

Warm, warbly, lo-fi clean with thick chorus and slow tremolo - dreamy and submerged

Amp settings — Black Star ID:CORE V4

CHANNELClean (Voice selector far left/Clean position)BOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	5
Mid	6
Treble	4
Presence	3
Reverb	4
Master	5

Don’t have a Black Star ID:CORE V4? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE5 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01ID:CORE Built-in Modulation (Chorus)

This is the heart of Mac's sound - set chorus depth high. Use the ID:CORE's mod knob at 60-70%

Mod Type Chorus · Mod Level 7

02ID:CORE Built-in Modulation (Tremolo)

CRITICAL: ID:CORE only allows one mod effect at a time. CHOOSE CHORUS as primary - it defines Mac's tone more. If your ID:CORE has Architect software, create a patch stacking both. Without software, prioritize chorus.

Mod Type Tremolo · Mod Level 5

Why these settings

Your ID:CORE's Clean voice approximates a Fender platform well - set ISF fully counter-clockwise (American voicing) to match the Princeton's scooped, warm character. Your GRX40 has humbuckers vs Mac's single coils, so I cut treble from 6 to 4 and rolled your tone knob to 5 to tame the thicker output and get closer to that thin, jangly single-coil character. Gain stays very low - Mac's tone is clean amp with effects doing the work.

PRO TIPMac's secret sauce is playing slightly behind the beat with a loose picking hand and letting notes ring into each other - the chorus smears everything together. Pick near the neck pickup for a rounder attack, and don't be afraid to let the strings go slightly out of tune for that wobbly, tape-warped vibe.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Black Star ID:CORE V4. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.