Top 5Seen using
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown: Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, September 2014
Photo: Janet Spinas Dancer · CC BY 2.0
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Tommy Emmanuel. Every item links to its public source.
18 items · Last checked What guitar does Tommy Emmanuel play?
Tommy Emmanuel uses a one-off Maton T.E. Personal cutaway strung with Martin MA540FX Tommy's Choice strings, an AER Pocket Tools Dual Mix 2 and an Udo Roesner Da Capo 75 amp. He has been seen using Maton EBG808 and EBG808TE signature guitars with the AP5-Pro pickup and an AER Compact 60.
Top 5
Where to start with Tommy Emmanuel's gear.
01
02
Top 5Has said they use
Fender
Deluxe amp“there’s a Fender Deluxe amp sitting there and three Telecasters on stands right there.”
Said in Australian Musician: Tommy Emmanuel pre Bluesfest Byron Bay 2024 interview, December 2023
03
Maton
T.E. Personal cutaway (one-off 'An Australian')
Top 5SponsoredUses
“I can get a slightly bigger sound with the cutaway.”
04
Said in Guitar Player: Tommy Emmanuel reveals his custom Maton electro-acoustic and gives two good reasons to bring three guitars to a gig, March 2025
No store page for this one.
05
“I've had it for 12 years and its sounds great for altered tunings.”
Said in Guitar Player: Tommy Emmanuel reveals his custom Maton electro-acoustic and gives two good reasons to bring three guitars to a gig, March 2025
No store page for this one.
What guitars Tommy Emmanuel uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Guitars
Maton
T.E. Personal cutaway (one-off 'An Australian')
SponsoredUses
“I can get a slightly bigger sound with the cutaway.”
Said in Guitar Player: Tommy Emmanuel reveals his custom Maton electro-acoustic and gives two good reasons to bring three guitars to a gig, March 2025
No store page for this one.
“I've had it for 12 years and its sounds great for altered tunings.”
Said in Guitar Player: Tommy Emmanuel reveals his custom Maton electro-acoustic and gives two good reasons to bring three guitars to a gig, March 2025
No store page for this one.
Maton
T.E. Personal prototype (Queensland maple, thinner body)
SponsoredSeen using
“This one is called the TE Personal; in other words it was personally made for me.”
Seen in MusicRadar: Me and my guitar: Tommy Emmanuel, November 2018
No store page for this one.
Maton
EBG808TE Tommy Emmanuel Signature
SponsoredSeen using
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown: Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, September 2014
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown: Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, September 2014
No store page for this one.
“When you hear me play, you don’t really hear the pickup so much, you hear the guitar.”
Seen in MusicRadar: Me and my guitar: Tommy Emmanuel, November 2018
No store page for this one.
Ultra Acoustic
Feedback Buster soundhole coversSeen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown: Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, September 2014
No store page for this one.
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown: Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, September 2014
No store page for this one.
Dunlop
Medium thumbpicks
Seen using
Dunlop
Medium thumbpicksSeen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown: Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, September 2014
No store page for this one.
Stage
Said in Guitar Player: Tommy Emmanuel reveals his custom Maton electro-acoustic and gives two good reasons to bring three guitars to a gig, March 2025
No store page for this one.
Udo Roesner
Da Capo 75 acoustic amp (onstage monitor)Said in Guitar Player: Tommy Emmanuel reveals his custom Maton electro-acoustic and gives two good reasons to bring three guitars to a gig, March 2025
No store page for this one.
AER
Compact 60 acoustic amp
Seen using
Seen in Reverb: Reverb Soundcheck: Tommy Emmanuel, May 2016
No store page for this one.
AER
Pocket Tools Colourizer preamp
Seen using
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown: Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, September 2014
No store page for this one.
Seen using
Seen in Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown: Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, September 2014
At home
Has said they use
Fender
Deluxe amp“there’s a Fender Deluxe amp sitting there and three Telecasters on stands right there.”
Said in Australian Musician: Tommy Emmanuel pre Bluesfest Byron Bay 2024 interview, December 2023
Fender
Telecaster (three at home)
Has said they use
Said in Australian Musician: Tommy Emmanuel pre Bluesfest Byron Bay 2024 interview, December 2023
No store page for this one.
Questions
About Tommy Emmanuel's gear.
What guitar does Tommy Emmanuel play?
Tommy Emmanuel uses a one-off Maton T.E. Personal with a cutaway, hand-built in Maton's custom shop, plus a Maton jumbo tuned a whole step down and a deeper-bodied Maton for altered tunings, per his 2025 Guitar Player interview.
What strings does Tommy Emmanuel use?
Tommy Emmanuel uses Martin MA540FX Authentic Acoustic Flexible Core Tommy's Choice strings, gauges .012 to .054, on his main Maton, as he told Guitar Player in 2025.
What amp does Tommy Emmanuel use?
Tommy Emmanuel uses an Udo Roesner Da Capo 75 as his onstage amp, with an AER Pocket Tools Dual Mix 2 feeding the house. He has been seen using an AER Compact 60 for years, and has said he keeps a Fender Deluxe at home.
What pickup does Tommy Emmanuel use?
He has been seen using Maton's AP5-Pro system, which pairs an under-saddle piezo with an internal microphone on a movable arm.
What picks does Tommy Emmanuel use?
Premier Guitar's rig rundown shows extra heavy Dawg picks given to him by David Grisman, and Dunlop medium thumbpicks.
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Named in this guide
TE
Tommy Emmanuel
About this guide · Last checked
Tommy Emmanuel is the Australian-born fingerstyle guitarist, a Certified Guitar Player named by Chet Atkins, now based in Nashville. This guide covers the hand-built Maton acoustics, strings and acoustic amps he has shown and described in interviews and rig rundowns.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Tommy Emmanuel didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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