Top 5Seen using
s
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Sonic Youth. Every item links to its public source.
17 items · Last checked What guitar does Sonic Youth play?
Thurston Moore played modded Jazzmasters through a Peavey Roadmaster and Pro Co Turbo RAT. Lee Ranaldo has said he played his Fender Jazzblasters through an Ampeg Jet and Fender Deluxe, and Kim Gordon was seen with a Fender Jazzmaster, a Framus acoustic-electric and ZVEX Lo-Fi Loop Junky pedals.
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Top 5
Where to start with Sonic Youth's gear.
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02
Top 5Seen using
03
Top 5Has said they use
Pro Co
Turbo RAT“I always used RATs and then I graduated to Turbo RATs, which are rugged and dependable.”
Said in Thurston Moore: Free Noise, August 2017
04
Fender
Lee Ranaldo Signature Jazzmaster
Top 5Seen using
Seen in Fearlessly Forward: Lee Ranaldo, March 2012
No store page for this one.
05
Fender
Jazzblaster (Jazzmaster with Wide Range humbuckers)
Top 5Has said they use
“I played a lot of my “Jazzblasters”
Said in Fearlessly Forward: Lee Ranaldo, March 2012
No store page for this one.
What gear Sonic Youth uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Lee Ranaldo: guitar and vocals
Fender
Lee Ranaldo Signature Jazzmaster
Seen using
Seen in Fearlessly Forward: Lee Ranaldo, March 2012
No store page for this one.
Fender
Jazzblaster (Jazzmaster with Wide Range humbuckers)
Has said they use
“I played a lot of my “Jazzblasters”
Said in Fearlessly Forward: Lee Ranaldo, March 2012
No store page for this one.
Jarrell
JZH-1x
Has said they use
Jarrell
JZH-1x“I played one new guitar— a Jarrell JZH-1x, which is pretty cool.”
Said in Fearlessly Forward: Lee Ranaldo, March 2012
No store page for this one.
Ampeg
Jet
Has said they use
Ampeg
Jet“I’m playing out of an Ampeg Jet”
Said in Fearlessly Forward: Lee Ranaldo, March 2012
No store page for this one.
Fender
Deluxe
Has said they use
Fender
Deluxe“I’ve used a Fender Deluxe.”
Said in Fearlessly Forward: Lee Ranaldo, March 2012
No store page for this one.
Ibanez
AD-80 analog delay
Has said they use
Ibanez
AD-80 analog delay“I used an Ibanez AD-80 delay and a few distortion pedals”
Said in Fearlessly Forward: Lee Ranaldo, March 2012
Kim Gordon: bass, guitar and vocals
Fender
Blacktop Jazzmaster
Seen using
Framus
Acoustic-electric (old)
Has said they love
Framus
Acoustic-electric (old)“An old acoustic-electric Framus that has this amazing sound to it.”
Said in Kim Gordon: Kool Thing, October 2019
No store page for this one.
Seen using
ZVEX Effects
Lo-Fi Loop Junky
Has said they use
ZVEX Effects
Lo-Fi Loop Junky“I used these [ZVEX Effects] Lo-Fi Loop Junky pedals.”
Said in Kim Gordon: Kool Thing, October 2019
No store page for this one.
Dunlop
Jimi Hendrix Octavio Fuzz
Seen using
Seen in Kim Gordon: Kool Thing, October 2019
No store page for this one.
Seen using
Thurston Moore: guitar and vocals
Seen in Thurston Moore: Free Noise, August 2017
No store page for this one.
Seen in Thurston Moore: Free Noise, August 2017
No store page for this one.
Peavey
Roadmaster head
Seen using
Has said they use
Pro Co
Turbo RAT“I always used RATs and then I graduated to Turbo RATs, which are rugged and dependable.”
Said in Thurston Moore: Free Noise, August 2017
Sovtek
Big Muff
Seen using
Questions
About Sonic Youth's gear.
What guitars do Sonic Youth play?
Fender Jazzmasters above all. Moore plays a modded 1964 Jazzmaster and his signature model, Ranaldo his signature Jazzmaster and Jazzblasters with Wide Range humbuckers, and Gordon a Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster.
What amp does Lee Ranaldo use?
Smaller amps: an Ampeg Jet and a Fender Deluxe, plus a Fender Super Reverb and a ZT Lunchbox in his 2012 rig, with an Ibanez AD-80 analog delay, a BJF Honey Bee and a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive.
What gear does Kim Gordon use?
In 2019, a Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster and an old Framus acoustic-electric through a Fender Hot Rod DeVille, with ZVEX Lo-Fi Loop Junky, Dunlop Octavio and EHX Deluxe Memory Man pedals. She said she hadn't played bass in about 10 years.
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Sonic Youth
About this guide · Last checked
Sonic Youth were the New York band of Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley, behind Daydream Nation and Goo. This guide covers the band's documented gear as a whole: Moore's modded Jazzmasters and Peavey Roadmaster, Ranaldo's Jazzblasters and small Fender amps, and Gordon's Jazzmaster, Framus acoustic-electric and pedals.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Sonic Youth didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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