Arctic Monkeys

Alex Turner famously tuned down to drop D for much of the AM album sessions, inspired by the heavier desert-rock sound of bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Josh Homme actually produced the band's Humbug album and heavily influenced their guitar tone going forward.

The iconic riff from "Do I Wanna Know?" was originally played on a bass guitar during early demos before being transferred to a heavily palm-muted electric guitar, which is why it sits so low and feels almost bass-like in the mix.

Jamie Cook is largely self-taught and has said in interviews that he doesn't think of himself as a technically skilled guitarist. His parts are built on instinct and texture, proving that serving the song matters more than sweep-picking arpeggios.

For the AM album, producer James Ford layered multiple guitar tracks with different levels of gain and EQ to create the record's massive, Queens of the Stone Age-inspired wall of fuzz, sometimes four or five guitar tracks sit behind what sounds like a single riff.

Alex Turner wrote "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" when he was just 17, and its rapid-fire alternate-picked riff became one of the defining guitar moments of 2000s British indie rock.

The clean, reverb-drenched guitar tone on "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" was achieved partly by running a Vox amp at low gain with a long spring reverb tail, creating that late-night, noir atmosphere without any complex pedal chains.

Arctic Monkeys recorded much of their debut album live in the studio with minimal overdubs, meaning the guitar parts you hear are essentially what Turner and Cook played standing next to each other, a good reminder that tight live playing beats studio trickery.