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Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Shovels & Rope. Every item links to its public source.
28 items · Last checked

What guitar does Shovels & Rope play?

Shovels & Rope use a Gretsch Black Falcon and a Gibson J-45 with an LR Baggs pickup, a tweed Fender Blues Junior with a Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box, and two Korg microKORG synths for bass, triggered by a Roland PK-5 foot controller.

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AllTop 5GuitarsAmpGuitar pedalboardSynthsThing 1 synth board (drum station)Thing 2 synth board
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What guitars Shovels & Rope uses: a sourced gear guide

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

Guitars

8 items

Amp

2 items

Guitar pedalboard

10 items

Synths

1 item

Thing 1 synth board (drum station)

4 items

Thing 2 synth board

3 items
Questions

About Shovels & Rope's gear.

What guitar does Michael Trent play?

In 2025 he uses a Gretsch Black Falcon, the band's only electric, strung with .013s, and a heavily worn Gibson J-45 with an LR Baggs pickup that runs straight to front of house.

What amp does Shovels & Rope use?

A tweed Fender Blues Junior, with a Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box on hand to tame the volume on some stages.

What synth does Shovels & Rope use?

Two Korg microKORGs, nicknamed Thing 1 and Thing 2, handle bass notes and more. Thing 2 is played by foot through a Roland PK-5 MIDI controller.

What pedals does Shovels & Rope use?

The guitar board holds an MXR Blue Box, Electro-Harmonix Nano Big Muff, EarthQuaker Devices Hummingbird and Boss OC-5, plus Walrus Canvas Tuners, a Radial J48, a Livewire ABY1 and a Mesa/Boogie Stowaway buffer.

What picks does Michael Trent use?

Premier Guitar reported Dunlop Max-Grip .88 mm picks, with Martin heavy or medium strings on the J-45.

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Shovels & Rope
About this guide · Last checked

Shovels & Rope are the Charleston, South Carolina, husband-and-wife duo of Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst, who trade guitar, percussion and synth duties onstage. This guide covers the shared rig Trent walked through in Premier Guitar's 2025 Rig Rundown.

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

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truerecs 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. Shovels & Rope isn't paid for them. Report an error or ask for removal. Full disclosure.