Top 5Has said they use
Photo: Festival Eurockéennes (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 2.0
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Ben Harper. Every item links to its public source.
8 items · Last checked What guitar does Ben Harper play?
Ben Harper has said he played a Monteleone Radio City Special Deluxe lap-style archtop and a long-scale Weissenborn, and he is known for his signature Asher electric lap steel. He has named D'Addario EJ16 strings, a Scheerhorn tone bar, a Fender Deluxe Reverb and a Dumble amp.
Top 5
Where to start with Ben Harper's gear.
01
02
Monteleone
Radio City Special Deluxe lap-style archtop
Top 5Has said they use
“I had never found one that spoke both languages until the Monteleone.”
Said in Ben Harper Reveals Intimate Details About His Solo Lap-Style Affair, Winter Is for Lovers (Guitar Player), June 2021
No store page for this one.
03
Weissenborn
Long-scale Weissenborn
Top 5Has said they use
Weissenborn
Long-scale Weissenborn“The Weissenborn is one of my all-time favorite acoustic guitar sounds, but the quest is never over.”
Said in Ben Harper Reveals Intimate Details About His Solo Lap-Style Affair, Winter Is for Lovers (Guitar Player), June 2021
No store page for this one.
04
Asher Guitars
Ben Harper Signature Model electric lap steel
Top 5SponsoredSeen using
05
Scheerhorn
Nickel-plated brass tone bar (medium)
Top 5Has said they use
Scheerhorn
Nickel-plated brass tone bar (medium)Said in Ben Harper Reveals Intimate Details About His Solo Lap-Style Affair, Winter Is for Lovers (Guitar Player), June 2021
No store page for this one.
What lap steels Ben Harper uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Lap steels
Monteleone
Radio City Special Deluxe lap-style archtop
Has said they use
“I had never found one that spoke both languages until the Monteleone.”
Said in Ben Harper Reveals Intimate Details About His Solo Lap-Style Affair, Winter Is for Lovers (Guitar Player), June 2021
No store page for this one.
Weissenborn
Long-scale Weissenborn
Has said they use
Weissenborn
Long-scale Weissenborn“The Weissenborn is one of my all-time favorite acoustic guitar sounds, but the quest is never over.”
Said in Ben Harper Reveals Intimate Details About His Solo Lap-Style Affair, Winter Is for Lovers (Guitar Player), June 2021
No store page for this one.
Slide bars
Scheerhorn
Nickel-plated brass tone bar (medium)
Has said they use
Scheerhorn
Nickel-plated brass tone bar (medium)Said in Ben Harper Reveals Intimate Details About His Solo Lap-Style Affair, Winter Is for Lovers (Guitar Player), June 2021
No store page for this one.
Strings
D'Addario
EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Light strings
Has said they use
D'Addario
EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Light strings“I find just the right touch with light D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze strings.”
Said in Ben Harper Reveals Intimate Details About His Solo Lap-Style Affair, Winter Is for Lovers (Guitar Player), June 2021
No store page for this one.
Amps
Has said they use
Dumble
Tube amp (found at a yard sale)
Has said they use
“I had the first crack at it and it's the first Dumble I've ever owned.”
Said in Ben Harper's Dumble was found at a yard sale (Guitar World), June 2025
No store page for this one.
Picks
Fender
Medium pick
Has said they use
Fender
Medium pick“I played "London" using a Fender medium pick.”
Said in Ben Harper Reveals Intimate Details About His Solo Lap-Style Affair, Winter Is for Lovers (Guitar Player), June 2021
No store page for this one.
Questions
About Ben Harper's gear.
What lap steel does Ben Harper play?
He is known for a Weissenborn acoustic and his signature Asher electric lap steel. For Winter Is for Lovers he said he played a Monteleone Radio City Special Deluxe lap-style archtop.
What strings does Ben Harper use on lap steel?
In a 2021 Guitar Player interview he said he played light D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze strings in open D.
What slide bar does Ben Harper use?
He said he sticks with one nickel-plated brass Scheerhorn bar in medium thickness until it wears out.
What amp does Ben Harper use?
He said Winter Is for Lovers was recorded with a mic on a Fender Deluxe Reverb, and in 2025 he told the story of the Dumble amp a friend found at a yard sale.
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BH
Ben Harper
About this guide · Last checked
Ben Harper is the California singer, songwriter and lap steel player known for Weissenborn-style slide playing. This guide covers the lap steels, strings, bars and amps he has named in Guitar Player and Guitar World.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Ben Harper didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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