Tom DeLonge plays his Fender Tom DeLonge Starcaster with a Seymour Duncan SH-5 Duncan Custom pickup. On blink-182's recent tours he uses a Fractal Axe-Fx III with FC-12 and FC-6 controllers and a Rupert Neve Designs 5211 preamp instead of tube amps. Earlier he moved from Mesa/Boogie and Marshall amps to Vox AC30s and Fender Twin Reverbs.
“This Fender Tom DeLonge Starcaster, like the others in DeLonge's arsenal, was built by Brian Thrasher for Blink's 2023 tour, and it's been in service ever since.”
“It's got a single Seymour Duncan SH-5 Duncan Custom pickup and a lone volume knob.”
“I have one in the studio.”
“it's an amazing pickup and guitar to use for simpler stuff.”
“DeLonge has left the Mesas, Marshalls, and Voxes behind for now and uses a Fractal Axe-FX III unit on the road.”
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
“This Fender Tom DeLonge Starcaster, like the others in DeLonge's arsenal, was built by Brian Thrasher for Blink's 2023 tour, and it's been in service ever since.”
“It's got a single Seymour Duncan SH-5 Duncan Custom pickup and a lone volume knob.”
“I have one in the studio.”
“it's an amazing pickup and guitar to use for simpler stuff.”
“DeLonge has left the Mesas, Marshalls, and Voxes behind for now and uses a Fractal Axe-FX III unit on the road.”
“Changes are handled by a Fractal FC-12 backstage, and a FC-6 for DeLonge onstage.”
“A Rupert Neve Designs 5211 preamp helps bring the tones to life.”
“I went to Voxes [AC30H2] and Fender '65 Twin Reverbs together. That changed everything for me.”
“It was the first punk band that were really good at their instruments”
“It was my first favourite band when I was in 5th grade”
“I listened to that record over and over again”
“It's a pretty awesome record.”
“Depeche Mode are a huge, huge influence on me.”
On recent blink-182 tours he plays his Fender Tom DeLonge Starcaster, a semi-hollow with one Seymour Duncan SH-5. He told Guitar World in 2021 that he keeps a Tom DeLonge Stratocaster with a Seymour Duncan Invader in the studio and recorded Lifeforms with his Gibson ES-333.
Live he now uses a Fractal Axe-Fx III, with a jumpered Marshall plexi and Soldano models for drive and a Custom Audio 3+ and Fender Deluxe Reverb blend for cleans, per Premier Guitar's 2026 Rig Rundown.
He said he used Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifiers early on, moved to Marshall JCM900s around Dude Ranch, and later changed everything by switching to Vox AC30H2s and Fender '65 Twin Reverbs.
His Starcaster has a Seymour Duncan SH-5 Duncan Custom. His signature Stratocaster has a Seymour Duncan Invader, which he called an amazing pickup for simpler punk playing.
He told Clash that the Descendents' Liveage, Fugazi's 13 Songs, U2's October, Stiff Little Fingers' Go For It and The Cure's The Head on the Door were foundational records. He has also called Depeche Mode a huge influence.
Tom DeLonge is the singer and guitarist of blink-182 and the founder of Angels & Airwaves. This guide covers his Fender signature Starcaster and Stratocaster, Seymour Duncan pickups and the Fractal rig from Premier Guitar's 2026 blink-182 Rig Rundown and his own interviews, plus the punk, post-punk and new wave records he has named as foundations.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Tom DeLonge didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
Report an error or ask for removal. We fix or remove within 72 hours. You don't need to sign up.
Claim this page to make it yours: verify with your Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, keep what's right, drop what isn't, and add your own.
Claim this page