Top 5Has said they use
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Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by The Kinks. Every item links to its public source.
34 items · Last checked What gear does The Kinks use?
Dave Davies has said he got the You Really Got Me sound by slashing the speaker of his little Elpico amp, playing a Harmony Meteor. Ray Davies has said he tracked a Martin three times and a Dobro on Lola, and Pete Quaife was seen with a Rickenbacker bass.
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Top 5
Where to start with The Kinks's gear.
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02
Top 5Has said they use
Gibson
Les Paul GoldtopSaid in The Kinks' Dave Davies Talks Reunion, His Kinks-Era Guitars, Meeting Jimi Hendrix and More, December 2015
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03
Top 5Has said they use
Gibson
Nighthawk“The electric is a Gibson Nighthawk and I also use a Gibson acoustic because I do an acoustic set within the rock ’n’ roll set.”
Said in One for the road - Dave Davies, February 2019
04
Top 5Has said they use
05
Top 5Seen using
Martin
D-28Seen in Ray Davies' inventive acoustic style influenced a generation of players, September 2024
What gear The Kinks uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Dave Davies: lead guitar
Elpico
AC55 (slashed speaker)
Has said they use
Elpico
AC55 (slashed speaker)“In a fit of frustration, I just took the screws out of the back of this little Elpico amplifier, not much bigger than a radio, and slashed the speakers up with a razor blade.”
Said in How Dave Davies launched hard rock by slicing his speaker, June 2025
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Harmony
Meteor (DeArmond pickups)
Has said they use
Harmony
Meteor (DeArmond pickups)“The original guitar I used was a semi-acoustic Harmony Meteor with DeArmond pickups.”
Said in Interview: Dave Davies - Pure Spirit, June 2013
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Fender
Telecaster, Lace Sensor pickups
Has said they use
Said in Interview: Dave Davies - Pure Spirit, June 2013
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Peavey
Decade
Has said they use
Gibson
Flying V (korina, 1958)
Has said they use
Gibson
Flying V (korina, 1958)Said in The Kinks' Dave Davies Talks Reunion, His Kinks-Era Guitars, Meeting Jimi Hendrix and More, December 2015
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Gretsch
Black with Bigsby
Has said they use
Gretsch
Black with Bigsby“In 1965, I managed to get a hold of a black Gretsch with a Bigsby tailpiece.”
Said in The Kinks' Dave Davies Talks Reunion, His Kinks-Era Guitars, Meeting Jimi Hendrix and More, December 2015
No store page for this one.
Guild
Starfire
Has said they love
Guild
Starfire“Looking back, I liked my old Guild Starfire. You could get lots of feedback and sustain.”
Said in The Kinks' Dave Davies Talks Reunion, His Kinks-Era Guitars, Meeting Jimi Hendrix and More, December 2015
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Gibson
Les Paul GoldtopSaid in The Kinks' Dave Davies Talks Reunion, His Kinks-Era Guitars, Meeting Jimi Hendrix and More, December 2015
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Gibson
Nighthawk“The electric is a Gibson Nighthawk and I also use a Gibson acoustic because I do an acoustic set within the rock ’n’ roll set.”
Said in One for the road - Dave Davies, February 2019
Find it on
Has said they use
BOSS
DD-2
Has said they use
BOSS
Chorus ('80s)
Has said they use
Fender
Stratocaster (Lola solo)
Has said they use
Fender
Stratocaster (Lola solo)“I used a Fender Strat on the solo.”
Said in Dave Davies discusses the Kinks, Van Halen, and Jeff Beck, November 2025
No store page for this one.
Hiwatt
Amps
Has said they use
Hiwatt
AmpsSaid in Dave Davies discusses the Kinks, Van Halen, and Jeff Beck, November 2025
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Linear
Linear 30 (first amp)
Has said they use
Linear
Linear 30 (first amp)Said in Dave Davies talks guitars, self expression and You Really Got Me, June 2014
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Watkins
Dominator
Has said they use
Watkins
DominatorSaid in Dave Davies talks guitars, self expression and You Really Got Me, June 2014
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Ray Davies: vocals and guitar
Martin
Acoustic (Lola)
Has said they use
Martin
Acoustic (Lola)“I tracked the Martin three times, slightly out of tune, so it resonates”
Said in Lola: the story behind The Kinks' subversive classic, February 2025
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Dobro
Resonator (1938)
Has said they use
Dobro
Resonator (1938)Said in Lola: the story behind The Kinks' subversive classic, February 2025
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Seen using
Martin
D-28Seen in Ray Davies' inventive acoustic style influenced a generation of players, September 2024
Seen using
Gibson
J-160ESeen in Ray Davies' inventive acoustic style influenced a generation of players, September 2024
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Fender
Kingman
Seen using
Fender
KingmanSeen in Ray Davies' inventive acoustic style influenced a generation of players, September 2024
No store page for this one.
Ovation
Bowl-back acoustic
Seen using
Ovation
Bowl-back acousticSeen in Ray Davies' inventive acoustic style influenced a generation of players, September 2024
No store page for this one.
Fender
Malibu
Seen using
Pete Quaife: bass
Rickenbacker
4000-series bass
Seen using
Rickenbacker
4000-series bassSeen in Kinks Co-Founder Quaife Passes, June 2010
No store page for this one.
John Dalton: bass
Fender
Precision Bass
Has said they use
Fender
Precision Bass“So, they had to rush out and get a Fender Precision that I could play.”
Said in The story of early Kinks bassists John Dalton & Jim Rodford, April 2025
Rickenbacker
Bass (Preservation Acts)
Has said they use
Rickenbacker
Bass (Preservation Acts)Said in The story of early Kinks bassists John Dalton & Jim Rodford, April 2025
No store page for this one.
Fender
Precision Bass (early '70s)
Has said they love
Said in The story of early Kinks bassists John Dalton & Jim Rodford, April 2025
No store page for this one.
Rotosound
Wire-wound strings
Has said they use
Rotosound
Wire-wound stringsSaid in The story of early Kinks bassists John Dalton & Jim Rodford, April 2025
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Jim Rodford: bass
Has said they use
Fender
Jazz BassSaid in The story of early Kinks bassists John Dalton & Jim Rodford, April 2025
Fender
Mustang Bass (Come Dancing)
Has said they use
Said in The story of early Kinks bassists John Dalton & Jim Rodford, April 2025
No store page for this one.
Dynacord
Bass combo
Has said they use
Dynacord
Bass comboSaid in The story of early Kinks bassists John Dalton & Jim Rodford, April 2025
No store page for this one.
Status Graphite
Headless graphite bass
Has said they love
Status Graphite
Headless graphite bassSaid in The story of early Kinks bassists John Dalton & Jim Rodford, April 2025
No store page for this one.
GHS Strings
Boomers
Has said they use
GHS Strings
BoomersSaid in The story of early Kinks bassists John Dalton & Jim Rodford, April 2025
No store page for this one.
Questions
About The Kinks's gear.
How did Dave Davies get the You Really Got Me sound?
Dave Davies has said he took the screws out of the back of his little Elpico amplifier, not much bigger than a radio, and slashed the speakers with a razor blade. He used it as a preamp into a bigger amp like a Vox AC30, and his guitar was a Harmony Meteor with DeArmond pickups.
What guitar did Dave Davies play?
Early on a Harmony Meteor, then a Gibson Flying V he bought in 1965 for $200, a black Gretsch with a Bigsby and a Guild Starfire he liked for its feedback and sustain. Later he played a Gibson Nighthawk through a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier with a Boss DD-2.
What guitar is on Lola?
Ray Davies has said he tracked a Martin acoustic three times, slightly out of tune, then got a 1938 Dobro out. Dave Davies has said he played the solo on a Fender Strat.
What bass did The Kinks use?
Vintage Guitar says Pete Quaife played a Rickenbacker 4000-series bass. John Dalton has said the band rushed out to buy him a Fender Precision, and later Jim Rodford played a Fender Jazz Bass, a Mustang on Come Dancing and a headless Status graphite he called his magic wand.
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Named in this guide
TK
The Kinks
About this guide · Last checked
The Kinks are the London band of brothers Ray and Dave Davies, with Pete Quaife and Mick Avory in the original line-up, behind You Really Got Me, Lola and Waterloo Sunset. This guide covers the band's documented gear: Dave's slashed Elpico amp, Harmony Meteor and Flying V, Ray's Martin and Dobro on Lola, Quaife's Rickenbacker, and later bassists John Dalton and Jim Rodford.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. The Kinks didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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