Top 5Has said they use
Gibson
J-50“For the song Willow Mae, it was a 1950 Gibson J-50.”
d
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Dean DeLeo. Every item links to its public source.
15 items · Last checked What gear does Dean DeLeo use?
Dean DeLeo has said his live rig since 1990 pairs a VHT power amp and a Demeter TGP-3 preamp in stereo with a clean Vox AC30 in the middle. His Les Pauls carry Seymour Duncan Jazz bridge pickups, and he has said he sets a Boss CE-2W to emulate a Leslie and a Dunlop Echoplex for slapback.
In stores now
Shop Dean DeLeo's setup.
Top 5
Where to start with Dean DeLeo's gear.
01
02
Top 5Seen using
Seymour Duncan
Jazz Model SH-2“They all have Seymour Duncan Jazz pickups in the bridge”
Seen in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
03
Top 5Has said they use
Demeter
TGP-3 preamp“When we put that VHT and that Demeter together it really allowed me to take up a lot of room for a three-piece.”
Said in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
04
Top 5Has said they use
Vox
AC30“That AC30 is really there to capture that clarity of the chords.”
Said in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
05
Top 5Has said they love
Marshall
1974X 18W combo“They only did those for two years and I have a few of those. Boy, that's a great amp.”
Said in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
What gear Dean DeLeo uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Guitars
Has said they use
Gibson
J-50“For the song Willow Mae, it was a 1950 Gibson J-50.”
Said in Guitar World: Dean DeLeo on One More Satellite and why nothing's quite like a Telecaster, July 2025
Find it on
Has said they use
Martin
0-18“I also have a lovely 1950 J-50 that I used a lot, a '45 0-18, and a '60s Hagstrom acoustic I keep in Nashville tuning.”
Said in Vintage Guitar: Dean DeLeo, July 2025
Pickups and strings
Seen using
Seymour Duncan
Jazz Model SH-2“They all have Seymour Duncan Jazz pickups in the bridge”
Seen in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
Amps and cabinets
Has said they use
Demeter
TGP-3 preamp“When we put that VHT and that Demeter together it really allowed me to take up a lot of room for a three-piece.”
Said in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
Has said they use
Vox
AC30“That AC30 is really there to capture that clarity of the chords.”
Said in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
Has said they love
Marshall
1974X 18W combo“They only did those for two years and I have a few of those. Boy, that's a great amp.”
Said in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
Pedals and effects
Has said they use
BOSS
CE-2W chorus“I'm not using it for a chorus, I'm trying to emulate a Leslie.”
Said in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
Has said they use
“I was using a CE-1, that old Roland thing, forever and ever.”
Said in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
Has said they use
Dunlop
Echoplex Delay EP103“This is a cool slapback, I have it set on a nice tight delay.”
Said in MusicRadar: Rig tour, Stone Temple Pilots, December 2019
Has said they use
Electro-Harmonix
Small Stone“It was mainly Small Stones and Leslie emulators.”
Records that shaped him
Has said they love
U.K.
U.K.“When I first heard that self-titled U.K. album, I couldn't believe what was coming out of the speakers.”
Said in MusicRadar: Dean DeLeo chooses the 10 players who blew his mind, August 2021
No store page for this one.
Has said they love
“There's an experience of listening to Close To The Edge, from top to bottom.”
Said in MusicRadar: Dean DeLeo chooses the 10 players who blew his mind, August 2021
Has said they love
“Same goes for The Yes Album.”
Said in MusicRadar: Dean DeLeo chooses the 10 players who blew his mind, August 2021
Has said they love
Allan Holdsworth
Road Games“What he was doing in U.K., Bruford or on his own releases like Road Games - it all knocks me back every time I listen to it.”
Said in MusicRadar: Dean DeLeo chooses the 10 players who blew his mind, August 2021
No store page for this one.
Has said they love
Bill Evans
From Left to Right“he appeared on Bill Evans' From Left To Right album, which is a beautiful record.”
Said in MusicRadar: Dean DeLeo chooses the 10 players who blew his mind, August 2021
No store page for this one.
Questions
About Dean DeLeo's gear.
What amp does Dean DeLeo use?
He told MusicRadar the VHT runs stereo into a Demeter three-channel preamp and two 4x12s, with a Vox AC30 set clean in the middle for chord clarity. In 2025 he told Guitar World the VHT's maker built him a smaller 50-watt amp for fly dates.
What pickups are in Dean DeLeo's Les Pauls?
His tech Bruce Nelson told MusicRadar that all the Les Pauls in his rig have Seymour Duncan Jazz pickups in the bridge, the closest match to his 1970s Les Pauls.
What pedals does Dean DeLeo use?
MusicRadar's rig tour shows a Boss CE-2W, which he sets to sound like a fast Leslie after years on an original CE-1, and a Dunlop Echoplex for slapback. He told Guitar World One More Satellite was mainly Small Stones and Leslie emulators.
What acoustic guitars does Dean DeLeo play?
He has named a 1950 Gibson J-50, used on Willow Mae, and a '45 Martin 0-18, both heard on Drowning Out The Sun from One More Satellite.
What records influenced Dean DeLeo?
He has named U.K.'s self-titled album, Allan Holdsworth's Road Games, Yes' Close to the Edge and The Yes Album, and Bill Evans' From Left to Right.
Related gear guides
Setups that share gear with Dean DeLeo.
Stone Temple Pilots
Grunge
41 itemsSee Stone Temple Pilots's gear →
Foo Fighters
31 itemsSee Foo Fighters's gear →
Jonny Greenwood
Alternative
38 itemsSee Jonny Greenwood's gear →
John Frusciante
35 itemsSee John Frusciante's gear →
John Petrucci
27 itemsSee John Petrucci's gear →
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Alternative
17 itemsSee Red Hot Chili Peppers's gear →
DD
Dean DeLeo
About this guide · Last checked
Dean DeLeo is the guitarist of Stone Temple Pilots and Trip The Witch, and the writer behind the One More Satellite project. This guide covers the pickups, Demeter preamp, Vox and Marshall amps and pedals from MusicRadar's STP rig tour, the acoustics from his 2025 interviews, and the records he has named.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Dean DeLeo didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
Report an error or ask for removal. We fix or remove within 72 hours. You don't need to sign up.
Are you Dean DeLeo?
Claim this page to make it yours: verify with your Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, keep what's right, drop what isn't, and add your own.
Claim this pagetruerecs gear guides are independent research from public sources, not made or approved by the artist. Store buttons on this page may be affiliate links: truerecs may earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Dean DeLeo isn't paid for them. Report an error or ask for removal. Full disclosure.