As he prepares to go on tour to support Working on a Dream, I thought it would be good to check out what equipment he may play or has played during the course of his career. I found it interesting.
Guitars
Note: Bruce Springsteen has played a ton of different guitars. We’ll try to give you a good feel for what he’s played here, but aren’t going to show them all.
Fender Stratocasters (cherry red, white, natural, silver) (I have only seen him play a strat on very rare occasions, but he must have played them at sometime or maybe in the studio or at home)
Fender Jazzmaster (natural) Who Knew?
Fender Mustang (natural) Another of the Who Knew?
Fender Telecasters: OK, now we’re talking Bruce Springsteen Guitars!
- ’52 Fender Telecaster Esquire (natural)
- ’52 Re-Issue Fender Telecaster butterscotch blonde (this is one of Springsteen’s best known guitars)
- ’53 Fender Esquire/Telecaster (natural)
- Fender Telecaster with a Bigsby tremolo (2-color sunburst)
- ’53 Re-Issue Fender Telecaster (2-color-sunburst)
- ’63 Re-Issue Fender Telecaster (black)
- Fender Telecaster 12 string (brown-sunburst) I haven’t ever seen him use the 12 string tele.
Gibson guitars: I know he uses them in the studio, you can see one in the “Working on the Dream” and “My Lucky Day” Videos
- Gibson ES-335
- Gibson J-45 _I think he plays one in the “Working on the Dream” and “My Lucky Day” Videos
- 1958 Gibson J-200 (3-color-sunburst) I haven’t seen him play this one, though I do remember learning that he owns one.
- Gibson J-40 (natural)
- 1967 Gibson Les Paul (cream) He hasn’t played one in public since he bought the Esquire/Tele. A les paul was his main axe before that guitar.
Gretsch Country Gentleman-I know he has a White Falcon he played on the Devils & Dust Tour.
Never saw any of the below three guitars. He may own them or played them at one time or another during his career.
Rickenbacker 330-12 1967 (natural)
Rickenbacker 330-12 (black)
Danelectro 56-U2 (maltshop creme)
Acoustics: He plays them on tour…
Takamine EF341C guitar (black)
Takamine EF350SMCSB guitar (3-color-sunburst)
Takamine EF381C guitar
All i know is that he plays through two marshall 4 x 10 cabs. Not sure what heads he plays them through.
Amplifers and Cabinets
- Fender Twin Reverb amps (Springsteen has many of these amps in his rig)
- Marshall Cabinets 4×12″
- Mesa Boogie Mark 3 amps
- Fender Bassman-Used to play through four of them through 1988 on tour. Seems he likes the 10″ speakers
- Rivera Chubster amp
- VOX AC30 amplifier
Effects and pedals
- BOSS BF-3 Flanger
- BOSS CS-3 compressor
- BOSS SD-1 Super Overdrive
- Boss digital delay DD-3
- BOSS OD-3 Turbo Overdrive
- BOSS PSM-5 (power supply and masterswitch)
- Lexicon LXP-15 Delay
- Boogie Mark 2
- MXR distortion box
- Petillo Dist / Boost / Treble Boost
- Rockman Chorus
- Hohner Marine Band Harmonicas
Microphones
- Audix OM-3
- Shure SM57
Strings and picks
- D’Addario Strings (used on Springsteen’s acoustic guitars. Not sure what gauges.)
- Dean Markley Strings (used on his electrics) Gauges: .010, .013, .016, .030,.038, .048
- Fender Heavy Guitar Picks (white)
