Top 5SponsoredSeen using
Guild
Polara Kim Thayil“I stuck by the Guild because it has a personality and characteristics that work with how I play”
Seen in Guitar.com: Kim Thayil on how the Guild S-100 defined Soundgarden, September 2023
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Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Soundgarden. Every item links to its public source.
24 items · Last checked What gear does Soundgarden use?
On reunion tours Kim Thayil was seen with a Mesa Tremoverb and Guild Polara, Chris Cornell with Divided by 13 and Savage amps and a Telefunken M80 mic, and Ben Shepherd with a Mesa M6 Carbine and Ampeg SVT-VR. Matt Cameron plays Yamaha drums and a Keplinger cast steel snare.
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Top 5
Where to start with Soundgarden's gear.
01
02
Top 5Seen using
Electro-Harmonix
Micro POGSeen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, February 2013
03
Top 5Seen using
Dunlop
CAE Wah MC404Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, February 2013
04
Top 5Seen using
Gibson
ES-335“He also uses a red Gibson ES-335 with Lollar Imperials”
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, February 2013
05
Top 5Seen using
Gretsch
Duo Jet“a couple of '90s Gretsch Duo Jets in black and gold sparkle”
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, February 2013
What gear Soundgarden uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Kim Thayil: guitar
Mesa/Boogie
Tremoverb combo
Seen using
Mesa/Boogie
Electradyne 4x12 cabinet
Seen using
Mesa/Boogie
Electradyne 4x12 cabinetSeen in All Access: Soundgarden, April 2013
No store page for this one.
T. Rex
Tap Tone delay
Seen using
Hughes & Kettner
Rotosphere
Seen using
SponsoredSeen using
Guild
Polara Kim Thayil“I stuck by the Guild because it has a personality and characteristics that work with how I play”
Seen in Guitar.com: Kim Thayil on how the Guild S-100 defined Soundgarden, September 2023
Seen using
Electro-Harmonix
Micro POGSeen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, February 2013
Seen using
Dunlop
CAE Wah MC404Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, February 2013
Chris Cornell: guitar and vocals
Savage
Rohr 15 2x10 combos (pair)
Seen using
Seen in All Access: Soundgarden, April 2013
No store page for this one.
Seen using
Gibson
ES-335“He also uses a red Gibson ES-335 with Lollar Imperials”
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, February 2013
Seen using
Gretsch
Duo Jet“a couple of '90s Gretsch Duo Jets in black and gold sparkle”
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, February 2013
Seen using
“a Gibson 1960 VOS with an aftermarket bridge and Micro Farad .02 capacitors”
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, February 2013
Seen using
Divided by 13
FTR 37“Chris uses a Divided by 13 FTR 37 run at 15 watts”
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, February 2013
Seen using
Telefunken
M80“We're using a Telefunken M80 for Chris' vocal mic”
Seen in Mix: All Access, Soundgarden, April 2013
Ben Shepherd: bass
Mesa/Boogie
M6 Carbine
Seen using
Ampeg
SVT-VR
Seen using
Ampeg
8x10 cabinet
Seen using
Radial Engineering
JX44 AirControl
Seen using
Radial Engineering
JX44 AirControlSeen in All Access: Soundgarden, April 2013
No store page for this one.
Matt Cameron: drums
Said in Gear Breakdown: Building Matt Cameron's Pearl Jam Drum Kit (feat. the Black Hole Sun Snare), April 2025
No store page for this one.
Said in Gear Breakdown: Building Matt Cameron's Pearl Jam Drum Kit (feat. the Black Hole Sun Snare), April 2025
No store page for this one.
Said in Gear Breakdown: Building Matt Cameron's Pearl Jam Drum Kit (feat. the Black Hole Sun Snare), April 2025
No store page for this one.
Zildjian
K Sweet Hi-Hats 14"Said in Gear Breakdown: Building Matt Cameron's Pearl Jam Drum Kit (feat. the Black Hole Sun Snare), April 2025
No store page for this one.
Said in Gear Breakdown: Building Matt Cameron's Pearl Jam Drum Kit (feat. the Black Hole Sun Snare), April 2025
No store page for this one.
Questions
About Soundgarden's gear.
What guitar does Kim Thayil play?
His Guild Polara signature model. On the 2013 tour he played through a Mesa Tremoverb combo and a Mesa Electradyne 4x12, with a T-Rex Tap Tone delay, EHX Micro POG, Hughes and Kettner Rotosphere and Dunlop/CAE wah, boost and distortion.
What gear did Chris Cornell use in Soundgarden?
A Gibson ES-335, Gretsch Duo Jet and Les Paul reissue among his guitars. His 2013 backline was two Savage Rohr 15 combos and a Divided by 13 FTR 37 head, and he sang into a Telefunken M80.
What bass rig does Ben Shepherd use?
Two amps: a Mesa M6 Carbine for a clean signal and an Ampeg SVT-VR for a dirtier sound with all his pedals, into an Ampeg 8x10, all routed through a Radial JX44 AirControl.
What snare did Matt Cameron use on Black Hole Sun?
A Gregg Keplinger custom cast steel 14x7 snare, which he still takes on the road. His road kit is a custom Yamaha hybrid maple kit with Zildjian K Sweet and K Paper Thin cymbals and Remo Emperor heads.
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Soundgarden
About this guide · Last checked
Soundgarden were the Seattle band of Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron, behind Badmotorfinger and Superunknown. This guide covers the band's gear as a whole: Thayil's Guild and Mesa rig, Cornell's guitars, amps and vocal mic, Shepherd's two-amp bass rig and Cameron's Yamaha kit and Superunknown snare.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Soundgarden didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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