Alex Lifeson's documented guitar rig: Dean Markley Blue Steel .010-.052 strings, confirmed in his own words, plus his Gibson Les Paul Axcess, ES-355, and Hughes & Kettner amps. Sourced from Premier Guitar and Guitar One, updated for Rush's 2026 Fifty Something reunion tour.
Artist rigs
What working guitarists actually play, cited from interviews, rig rundowns, and official press. Endorsed relationships and verified use are labeled on each artist's page.
Showing 48 guitarists tagged Rock.
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Angus Young uses with AC/DC on his Gibson SG. Ernie Ball Super Slinky (.009–.042). With citations.
Anna Cara, the Newcastle guitarist covering Nita Strauss's touring slot in Alice Cooper's band, plays Ibanez Xiphos guitars and a S.I.T. Strings .010-.052 gauge.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and brands B.B. King used on Lucille, his Gibson ES-355 series. Gibson signature SEG-BBS (.010-.054 pure nickel) and earlier-era Fender Rock 'n' Roll strings. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Billie Joe Armstrong uses with Green Day on Blue (his '56 Fernandes Strat copy) and his Gibson Les Paul Juniors. Ernie Ball Regular Slinky / Paradigm (.010–.046). With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Billy Gibbons uses with ZZ Top on his 1959 Les Paul 'Pearly Gates'. Dunlop Reverend Willy Extra Light (.007–.038). With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Brian May uses with Queen on his hand-built Red Special guitar. Optima Gold .009–.042 + sixpence pick. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Brittany Howard, Alabama Shakes' singer and guitarist, plays a Gibson SG, an early '80s Custom in Inverness Green is her on-record favorite. Documented gauge: .010 to .046, per her own account in a 2019 Premier Guitar interview.
Documented string gauges and brands Carlos Santana uses on his PRS Santana signature guitars. GHS Santana Big Core, the half-gauge signature set his tech Rene Martinez designed, plus the long-running PRS signature relationship since 1980. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and tunings Chuck Berry used on his Gibson ES-355 / ES-345 / ES-350T archtop electrics. Light-gauge electric strings + standard E tuning + the foundational rock-and-roll lead vocabulary. With citations.
Documented guitars and string gauges Dave Grohl plays with Foo Fighters: a custom-gauge D'Addario EXL115, the 1967 Gibson Trini Lopez, and his Gibson DG-335 signature model. Tech and interview sourced.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented strings David Gilmour uses with Pink Floyd and solo: GHS Boomers signature electric, Ernie Ball Earthwood acoustic. Includes the Black Strat's record 2026 auction sale. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and gear Derek Trucks uses for slide guitar: DR Pure Blues custom hybrid gauge (.011–.046), Gibson Signature SG in open E, Dunlop medicine-bottle glass slide. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Dustin Kensrue uses with Thrice. Featured in Ernie Ball's String Theory series. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Eric Clapton uses on his Fender Stratocaster (Blackie / Brownie / current sigs) and acoustic Martin. With citations.
Eric Johnson
Solo
Documented gear for Eric Johnson: his switch to D'Addario strings in 2016, his 1954 Strat 'Virginia,' Fender Thinline signature Strat, and a four-amp clean, dirty, and lead rig. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented gear Gary Clark Jr plays: D'Addario strings on his Epiphone Casino 'Red' and Gibson SG/ES-355 signatures, Fender Vibro-King amps, and his Dunlop signature wah. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings George Harrison used with The Beatles and across his solo catalog. Gibson catalog flat-tops + open D slide work + Rickenbacker 360/12 12-string electric. With citations.
Ian Gillan has fronted Deep Purple across three stints since 1969: Machine Head, a 1983 run with Black Sabbath, and 2026's SPLAT! The Jesus Christ Superstar story, sourced.
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings J Mascis uses with Dinosaur Jr. Featured in Ernie Ball's String Theory series. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Jason White has been Green Day's touring guitarist since 1999 and a Pinhead Gunpowder mainstay since 1995. Bay Area punk lineage, lead guitar duties on tour, session work on the ¡Uno!/¡Dos!/¡Tré! trilogy.
Documented string gauges and tunings Jeff Beck used on his Fender Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster. Ernie Ball Slinky base in standard E, with thumb-and-fingers right-hand approach. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Jerry Cantrell's documented gear: Ernie Ball Slinky RPS strings, the 1984 G&L Rampage 'Blue Dress', the Gibson 'Wino' Les Paul Custom, and his 2024 Fryette/Bogner rack rig. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and tunings Jerry Garcia used with the Grateful Dead on Wolf, Tiger, and Rosebud, his Doug Irwin custom-built electric guitars. GHS Boomers + standard E tuning + the canonical jam-band lead voice. With citations.
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Jimi Hendrix used with The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys on his Fender Stratocasters. Fender Rock 'n' Roll .010-.038 + Eb standard tuning. With citations.
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Jimmy Page used with Led Zeppelin on his Les Pauls and Telecasters. Ernie Ball Super Slinky (.009–.042). With citations.
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Joe Bonamassa uses on his Les Pauls and vintage Strats. Ernie Ball Burly Slinky (.011–.052). With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and tunings Joe Satriani uses on his Ibanez JS signature electrics. D'Addario nickel-wound .009-.042 / .010-.046 across his solo catalog, Chickenfoot, and G3 tours. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and tunings John Frusciante uses with Red Hot Chili Peppers on his 1962 sunburst Fender Stratocaster. D'Addario nickel-wound + standard E tuning + funk-rock-and-melodic lead vocabulary. With citations.
John Mayer
Solo
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings John Mayer uses on his PRS Silver Sky. Ernie Ball Silver Slinky signature (.0105–.047), between .010 and .011 by design. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and tunings Johnny Marr uses on his Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar signature, his Fender Telecaster collection, and his Rickenbacker 330 with The Smiths and his solo catalog. Ernie Ball nickel-wound + jangle-pop rhythm-and-lead vocabulary. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges, tunings, and the famous five-string open-G setup Keith Richards uses with The Rolling Stones. Ernie Ball Regular Slinky base, custom configurations on his Telecaster Micawber. With citations.
Documented string gauges and guitars Kurt Cobain played in Nirvana: Dean Markley 2504 Light Top/Heavy Bottom (.010–.052), the Fender Mustang and Jaguar, and the Jag-Stang he co-designed. Receipt-sourced.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
The unusually heavy Gibson string gauge Malcolm Young played on 'The Beast,' his 1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird, plus the Marshall amp and stripped-down signal chain behind AC/DC's rhythm tone. Ground Guitar, Guitar Player, and Guitar World sourced.
Documented string gauges and tunings Mark Knopfler uses on his Pensa-Suhr and Fender Stratocasters with Dire Straits and his solo catalog. Light Slinky-class gauges + thumb-and-fingers right-hand approach. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and guitars Mark Tremonti uses with Alter Bridge and Creed. A custom D'Addario hybrid gauge (.010-.049) on his PRS Mark Tremonti Signature, confirmed by his own MusicRadar interview and Premier Guitar's 2023 Alter Bridge Rig Rundown.
Documented string gauge, guitars, and amps Myles Kennedy uses with Alter Bridge. D'Addario Light Top/Heavy Bottom (.010–.052) on his PRS Signature, per Premier Guitar's 2023 Rig Rundown.
Documented strings and gear for guitarist Nita Strauss: D'Addario NYXL .010 to .046, her Ibanez JIVA10 signature, and the rig she runs with Alice Cooper and solo. Sourced.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented strings, guitars, and amps Noel Gallagher plays on Oasis's Live '25 reunion tour. D'Addario NYXL (.010-.046), a 1960 Gibson ES-355, and the new Gibson signature Les Paul, all cited.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
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.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
The guitars and string gauges Prince used: GHS .010–.046 on the Cloud guitars, GHS .011–.050 on the Hohner Mad Cat. Sourced to his guitar tech's own account.
Ronnie Wood's documented rig: the 1955 Stratocaster, the Zemaitis 'Stay With Me' guitar, the black B-Bender Telecaster, and the Ernie Ball strings behind his Rolling Stones tone.
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Saul 'Slash' Hudson uses with Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, and his solo band. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Steve Vai
Solo
Documented strings, gauges, and gear for Steve Vai: Ernie Ball Super Slinky .009 to .042, his Ibanez JEM and PIA signatures, DiMarzio pickups, and the rig he tours. Sourced and corrected.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and tunings Stevie Ray Vaughan used with Double Trouble. GHS Nickel Rockers in a custom heavy set (around .013–.058) on his 1962/63 Stratocaster Number One, tuned to Eb standard. With citations.
Documented string gauges and tunings David 'The Edge' Evans uses with U2 on his Gibson Explorer, Fender Stratocaster, and Rickenbacker 6-strings. D'Addario nickel-wound + standard E + the canonical delay-driven lead-rhythm hybrid voice. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and tunings Tom Morello uses with Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and Prophets of Rage on 'Arm the Homeless,' 'Soul Power,' and the Fender Tom Morello Stratocaster signature. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
Documented string gauges and tunings Yngwie Malmsteen uses on his Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Stratocaster. Fender Yngwie Malmsteen signature .008-.046 set + Eb standard tuning. With citations.
Endorsed · paid relationship documented
