Pete Townshend's guitar strings: The Who rhythm-and-windmill rig, sourced

Q: What guitar does Townshend currently play?

On The Who's 2025 farewell tour, Townshend's primary touring guitar was a heavily modified Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster, with the Clapton headstock stamp scraped off, body and neck swapped roughly ten times across the years, larger frets fitted, Fender Noiseless pickups, a piezo bridge with separate volume, and a stereo output blending piezo with magnetic signals. The Schecter Pete Townshend Signature Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul Deluxe instruments remain in his historical rotation, but the modified Strat is the No. 1 stage guitar.

Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Pete Townshend uses with The Who. Light-to-medium gauge strings + Schecter signature Telecaster + various Gibson and Fender catalog instruments. With citations.

The Who / Solo · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-05-01

Pete Townshend uses light-to-medium-gauge electric strings (specific gauges and brands documented variably across his career) on his Schecter Pete Townshend Signature Telecaster and various Gibson Les Paul Deluxe / Les Paul Custom instruments. Standard E tuning across The Who catalog. The defining power-chord-and-windmill rhythm-guitar voice of British rock from *My Generation* (1965) through *Quadrophenia* (1973) and onward. Townshend's stage destruction of his Rickenbacker and SG instruments across 1960s Who shows is one of the most-iconic rock-stage images of the era.

At a glance

Role

Guitarist

Active

1962–present

Based

London, England

Genres

Affiliations

The Who (founding guitarist + primary songwriter, 1962–present)
Solo career (1972–present)
Schecter Guitar Research (Pete Townshend Signature Telecaster)

Notable credits

The Who, My Generation (1965)
The Who Sell Out (1967)
Tommy (1969, rock opera)
Who's Next (1971)
Quadrophenia (1973, rock opera)
Who Are You (1978)
Empty Glass (1980, solo)

Official media

Sourcing4 citations · reviewed 2026-05-01· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Who Pete Townshend is

Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend (born May 19, 1945, London) is the founding guitarist + primary songwriter of The Who, the London-formed rock band whose 1965-1980s catalog includes some of the most-cited rock records of the era: My Generation (1965), The Who Sell Out (1967), Tommy (1969), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), and onward. The two rock operas (Tommy and Quadrophenia) are foundational to the rock-opera form, and Townshend's writing and arranging across them defined what rock could do as a long-form narrative format.

His stage destruction of guitars across the 1960s Who shows is one of the most-iconic rock-stage images of the era. The windmill strum technique (full-circle right-arm spin with the back-of-the-hand strum) is the signature stage move that defined his physical performance.

What he plays

The Schecter Pete Townshend Signature Telecaster is his contemporary signature instrument. Across his career he's played Rickenbacker 6-strings and 12-strings (early Who era, the My Generation and The Who Sell Out sessions), Gibson SG Special (mid-1960s Who, the famously-destroyed-on-stage instrument), Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (1970s Who, the Quadrophenia and Who Are You era), and various Fender Telecaster modifications.

For strings, light-to-medium gauge nickel-wound electric, .010-.046 territory. Standard E tuning. His signal chain into Hiwatt 100-watt tube amps drives the canonical Who-era saturation. The Hiwatt brand became Townshend's signature amplifier across the 1970s; Hiwatt produced a specific model voiced for his preference.

Why this fits the rig

The power-chord rhythm-guitar voice that defines The Who depends on saturated tube amplification at high volume (the early Who's volumes were among the loudest documented stage volumes of the 1960s; the band held the Guinness World Record for loudest concert in 1976). Light-to-medium gauge strings into the Hiwatt-tube saturation produce the harmonic-rich, slightly compressed rhythm tone that's the foundation of tracks like 'Won't Get Fooled Again' (1971), 'Baba O'Riley' (1971), and 'Who Are You' (1978).

The Telecaster's bridge pickup voicing (bright, articulate, slightly compressed under saturation) suits the windmill-strum-into-Hiwatt configuration. The Les Paul Deluxe of his 1970s era produced a warmer alternative; Townshend rotated between Tele and Les Paul depending on the song's tonal needs.

If you want this rig

The Schecter Pete Townshend Signature Telecaster is in current production. Light-to-medium gauge .010-.046 nickel-wound strings into a Hiwatt or Hiwatt-style tube amp at high saturation gets you in the territory.

Frequently asked questions

What strings does Pete Townshend use?

Light-to-medium gauge nickel-wound electric, .010-.046 territory. Specific brand and gauge documented variably across his career; he's used GHS and various other catalog sets. Standard E tuning across The Who catalog.

What's the windmill technique?

Townshend's signature stage move: spinning his right arm in a full circle (windmilling) to strum the guitar with the back of his hand on the way down. The technique developed in early Who shows in the mid-1960s and became one of the most-iconic rock-stage moves. The down-strum with the back of the hand produces a different attack than a conventional pick-down stroke, slightly more force and a percussive thwack rather than a clean strum, which suits the power-chord rhythm vocabulary of the early Who material.

Why did Townshend destroy guitars on stage?

The instrument-destruction stage move started accidentally in September 1964 at a London show, when Townshend's Rickenbacker hit the venue's low ceiling and broke the headstock. He decided to commit to the move rather than apologize, and instrument destruction became part of The Who's stage performance through the late 1960s. Multiple Rickenbackers, Gibson SGs, and Fender Stratocasters were destroyed across that era; few of those instruments survive intact.

What guitar does Townshend currently play?

Heavily modified Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster. Per stage rig coverage of The Who's 2025 farewell tour, Townshend's No. 1 touring guitar is a Clapton Signature Strat with the headstock stamp scraped off. Body and neck have been swapped roughly ten times across the years, larger frets installed, Fender Noiseless pickups fitted, plus a piezo bridge with a separate volume control and a stereo socket output that blends piezo with the magnetic pickups.

Historical guitars still in rotation. The Schecter Telecaster-style guitars Townshend used heavily from 1979 through 1988, including the contemporary Schecter Pete Townshend Signature Telecaster, remain part of his vintage rotation alongside the Gibson Les Paul Deluxe instruments associated with the 1970s Who era recordings.

Amps and effects. Fender Vibro-Kings since the 1990s, refurbished with new caps, speakers, pots, and tubes, plus an Alessandro built Fender Bandmaster replica in a 2x12 configuration. Pedalboard is a custom Pete Cornish build with a T-Rex Replica delay, a Boss OD-1, and a Demeter Compulator.

This answer is auto-refreshed monthly. Last verified: 2026-05-01. Sources: Stomp Box Steals stage report on The Who's farewell tour, Whotabs Schecter history.

Guitar rig auto-refreshed monthly via the cys-monthly-activity-refresh scheduled task. See docs/CYS_AGENTIC_REFRESH.md for the workflow.

Is Townshend formally endorsed by Schecter?

Yes. The Schecter Pete Townshend Signature Telecaster is a documented signature instrument developed in collaboration. Per FTC framing, the relationship is endorsed.