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David Bowie, Photo: Elmar J. Lordemann (Wikimedia Commons)

Photo: Elmar J. Lordemann (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 2.0 de

Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by David Bowie. Every item links to its public source.
43 items · Last checked

What guitar does David Bowie play?

David Bowie was seen using Harptone 12-string acoustics on the Ziggy Stardust tour, a Stylophone on Space Oddity, an EMS Synthi AKS with Brian Eno on Low and Heroes, a sunburst Fender Stratocaster on Lazarus, Supro Dual Tones on the Reality tour and Steinberger headless guitars with Tin Machine.

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What guitars David Bowie uses: a sourced gear guide

Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.

Guitars

11 items

Keys and synths

3 items

Stage

1 item

First instruments

1 item

Recording

1 item

Stage costumes

8 items

Suits

4 items

Records that shaped me

9 items

On the bookshelf

5 items
Questions

About David Bowie's gear.

What guitar did David Bowie play?

The V&A archive says his Harptone Pioneer and Harptone Lark 12-strings were his most used guitars on the 1972 to 1973 Ziggy Stardust tour. He also played a Guild F512 12-string, a sunburst Fender Stratocaster, Supro Dual Tones and Steinberger headless guitars.

What instrument did David Bowie use on Space Oddity?

A Dubreq Stylophone. The V&A archive holds the 1968 Stylophone used on Space Oddity, along with the Harptone Lark 12-string he played in the 1972 Space Oddity promo video.

What synth did David Bowie use on Low and Heroes?

The V&A records an EMS Synthi AKS used by Brian Eno and David Bowie on Low, Heroes and Lodger. The archive also notes he used a Korg Trinity while writing Heathen.

What guitar did David Bowie play on Lazarus?

The early 1960s sunburst Fender Stratocaster that Marc Bolan gave him. The V&A says Bowie used it for the power chords at the end of Lazarus on Blackstar.

Who designed David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust costumes?

Kansai Yamamoto designed jumpsuits like Space Samurai and Tokyo Pop, and Freddie Burretti made the two-piece zip-up suits. Alexander McQueen made his Earthling tour frockcoat.

What albums did David Bowie love?

In a 2003 Vanity Fair piece he wrote himself, his picks included The Velvet Underground and Nico, Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians, Toots and the Maytals' Funky Kingston and Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs.

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David Bowie
About this guide · Last checked

David Bowie (1947 to 2016) made Space Oddity, Ziggy Stardust, the Berlin albums, Let's Dance and Blackstar. This legacy guide covers the guitars, synths and stage costumes held in the V&A David Bowie Archive, plus records and books he wrote and talked about.

truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. David Bowie didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.

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