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Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by John 5. Every item links to its public source.
19 items · Last checked

What guitar does John 5 play?

John 5 uses Fender Telecasters: his Custom Shop Phantom with Motley Crue and his Ghost Telecaster on solo tours, with DiMarzio D Activator and Super Distortion pickups. On the road he plays an EVH 5150 III S EL34 head and an all-Boss board with two SD-1s, an NS-2, RV-6, CE-5 and DM-2W.

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What gear John 5 uses: a sourced gear guide

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

Motley Crue rig

6 items

Solo tour rig (2026)

9 items

Earlier rigs

4 items
Questions

About John 5's gear.

What guitar does John 5 play?

John 5 uses the Fender Custom Shop John 5 Phantom Telecaster (musicradar.com, October 2026). John 5 uses the Fender John 5 Ghost Telecaster (premierguitar.com, January 2026). John 5 has been seen using the Gibson Chet Atkins SST (musicradar.com, January 2023).

What guitar does John 5 play in Motley Crue?

His Fender Custom Shop Phantom Telecaster, black with a Floyd Rose. He told MusicRadar it is the guitar he has been using the whole time on the Motley Crue tour and his favorite guitar.

What is the John 5 Ghost Telecaster?

An Arctic White signature Tele that started as a 2023 limited edition. He told Guitar World it is his Number 1 and that he named his 2025 album Ghost after it.

What amp does John 5 use?

Premier Guitar's 2026 Rig Rundown shows an EVH 5150 III S EL34 with a matching cab. For his first Crue tour in 2023 he ran three Marshall JVM 100-watt heads, and in 2013 he used Marshall JCM900 Dual Reverbs and JVM heads.

What pedals does John 5 use?

His 2026 board is all Boss: two SD-1s, an NS-2, RV-6, CE-5 and DM-2W. His 2023 Crue board had an SD-1, OC-5, CH-1, NS-2 and DD-8 fed by a Radial SGI-44.

What pickups are in John 5's Telecasters?

His Ghost Telecaster has a DiMarzio D Activator in the neck and a Super Distortion in the bridge, per Premier Guitar. The 2026 signature collection uses a pair of D Activators.

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John 5
About this guide · Last checked

John 5 is the Telecaster player behind his own solo records, including 2025's Ghost, and Motley Crue's guitarist since 2022, after earlier runs with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. This guide covers his Fender signature Teles, EVH and Marshall amps and his all-Boss pedalboards, from Premier Guitar Rig Rundowns, MusicRadar 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. John 5 didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.

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