moonlight on the river amp settings — urban v1
The mac demarcol guitar tone for “moonlight on the river”, dialed in for a urban v1 with a Lyon stratocaster. Studio version, This Old Dog (2017) — primarily acoustic on record; adapting Mac's signature electric tone heard in live Pitchfork performance
Fender Jazzmaster or similar offset guitar with DeArmond Gold Foil-style pickups, Fender Vibrolux or similar blackface-style amp, chorus/vibrato modulation, heavy spring reverb
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 2 |
| Bass | 6 |
| Mid | 5 |
| Treble | 4 |
| Presence | 3 |
| Reverb | 8 |
| Master | 5 |
01Chorus (any basic analog-voiced chorus)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for Mac's warbly texture. A Behringer UC200 or TC Electronic Corona clone would work. Set slow rate, moderate depth for that seasick wobble.
The Urban V1 is a small practice amp with limited headroom—keep gain low at 2 to stay clean. Your Lyon Strat's single coils are brighter than Mac's gold foil pickups, so I rolled treble to 4 and tone knob to 6 to warm it up. Reverb is cranked to 8 because this tone lives in the wash. Without a chorus pedal, the tone will be 70% there—reverb does most of the dreamy lifting.
Get this tone on your amp
These settings are for a urban v1. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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