Get this tone on your rig
Tuned to the exact gear you own
The recording
The track opens with a funky, slightly overdriven guitar riff that was recorded during the Swedish studio sessions with producers Mattman & Robin. A Rolling Stone interview notes that the riff had been sitting on a demo for years before being used for the song, providing the rhythmic hook that drives the verses.
Signal chain
Reported gear
Fender Stratocaster
Guitar
JinJoo Lee is listed on Equipboard as using a Fender Stratocaster for DNCE recordings; her live rig shows the same model, making it a likely candidate for the bright, rhythmic tone on “Cake by the Ocean.”
Vox AC30
Amp
Lee’s Equipboard profile lists a Vox AC30 combo amp, which delivers the chimey, slightly overdriven clean tone heard on the track and aligns with her typical rig during the era.
Alternatives
Squier by Fender Standard Stratocaster
Budget alternative · for the Fender Stratocaster
Vox AC15
Budget alternative · for the Vox AC30
Practical playing approach
Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.
- 1.Select the bridge pickup for a bright, cutting tone.
- 2.Add a touch of overdrive to give the riff a subtle bite without losing clarity.
- 3.Play the rhythm part with tight, staccato picking to accent the funk groove.
- 4.Leave a slight amount of palm‑muting on the down‑strokes for added percussiveness.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What gear was used for the Cake by the Ocean guitar tone?
The available research points to Fender Stratocaster into Vox AC30. The full reported signal chain and evidence links are listed on this page.
Are the original Cake by the Ocean amp settings documented?
Exact historical knob positions are not reliably documented for most recordings. ToneTwin does not publish generated values as studio fact; it creates playable settings only for the amp and pedals a player selects.
How do I recreate the Cake by the Ocean tone on my own gear?
Use the reported pickup, gain character, effects and signal-chain order as the target, then translate that target to your equipment. The matcher models controls for your selected rig rather than copying undocumented studio numbers.
Researched and reviewed by the ToneTwin Research Team.
