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Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Steely Dan. Every item links to its public source.
51 items · Last checked

What gear does Steely Dan use?

Donald Fagen has said he plays acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer. Walter Becker played his Sadowsky signature guitar, Larry Carlton has said he cut Kid Charlemagne on his 1969 Gibson ES-335, and Denny Dias played a Coral electric sitar on Do It Again.

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Top 5

Where to start with Steely Dan's gear.

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ARP Odyssey
Top 5Has said they use

“I recall that my first synthesizer was an ARP Odyssey, which I used on the early Steely Dan records.”

Said in Donald Fagen, August 2006
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Digital Keyboards Synergy
Top 5Has said they use
Digital Keyboards
Synergy
Said in Donald Fagen, August 2006
No store page for this one.
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What gear Steely Dan uses: a sourced gear guide

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

Donald Fagen: keyboards and vocals

8 items
ARP Odyssey
Has said they use

“I recall that my first synthesizer was an ARP Odyssey, which I used on the early Steely Dan records.”

Said in Donald Fagen, August 2006
Digital Keyboards Synergy
Has said they use
Digital Keyboards
Synergy
Said in Donald Fagen, August 2006
No store page for this one.

Walter Becker: guitar and bass

20 items

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter: guitar (former)

6 items

Denny Dias: guitar (former)

1 item

Larry Carlton: session guitar

4 items

Jon Herington: touring guitar

7 items

Keith Carlock: drums

5 items
Questions

About Steely Dan's gear.

What keyboards does Donald Fagen play?

Donald Fagen has said he mostly plays tuneable instruments like acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer, with a Korg Triton and Kurzweil K2500 for special effects. His first synth was an ARP Odyssey on the early Steely Dan records, and he used a Synergy on The Nightfly.

What guitar did Walter Becker play?

His Sadowsky Walter Becker signature model with Lollar P-90s, which he said play and sound great and stay in tune. Premier Guitar's 2011 Rig Rundown showed it with a '70s Marshall 2204, a Suhr Badger 18 and a Bogner Ecstasy, and he also played Hahn Strat- and Tele-style guitars.

What guitar was used on Kid Charlemagne?

Larry Carlton has said Walter Becker had him try a Strat, then told him to go back to his own guitar, his 1969 Gibson ES-335, played through a Fender Princeton Reverb.

What guitar is on Do It Again?

Denny Dias has said the Do It Again solo was played on a rented Coral electric sitar, basically a Danelectro guitar with a special bridge that made it buzz like a sitar.

What drums does Keith Carlock play with Steely Dan?

Keith Carlock has said his usual kit since the first Steely Dan tour in 2003 was a Yamaha Oak Custom, with Zildjian K Constantinople rides, dark K crashes and A Custom crashes. On the 2014 tour he played a six-piece Gretsch kit.

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Steely Dan
About this guide · Last checked

Steely Dan are the band of Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker, behind Aja, Reelin' in the Years and Do It Again, built around elite session players. This guide covers the band's documented gear: Fagen's Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer, Becker's Sadowsky signature guitars, Skunk Baxter's and Denny Dias' guitars, Larry Carlton's Kid Charlemagne ES-335, Jon Herington's touring rig and Keith Carlock's drums.

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

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