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

What guitar does Whitesnake play?

Whitesnake's Joel Hoekstra has said a Gibson Custom R7 Goldtop Les Paul was his main guitar in the band, and Reb Beach has said he played Suhr signature models. Bernie Marsden recorded every Whitesnake part on his 1959 Les Paul 'The Beast', and Steve Vai cut Slip of the Tongue on an Ibanez Universe 7-string prototype.

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AllTop 5Joel Hoekstra: guitarsReb Beach: guitarsBernie Marsden: guitarsSteve Vai: guitarsDoug Aldrich: guitars
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What guitars Whitesnake uses: a sourced gear guide

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

Joel Hoekstra: guitars

2 items

Reb Beach: guitars

5 items

Bernie Marsden: guitars

2 items

Steve Vai: guitars

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Doug Aldrich: guitars

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Questions

About Whitesnake's gear.

What guitar does Joel Hoekstra play in Whitesnake?

Goldtop Les Pauls. He told Guitar World in 2026 that his main one is a Gibson Custom R7 1957 reissue that has gone around the world with him. In 2016 he showed MusicRadar the Taylor nylon-string he played on Soldier Of Fortune.

What guitars does Reb Beach play?

Suhr. In MusicRadar's 2016 rig tour he showed black and white Suhr signature models, a solid koa Reb Beach Standard modeled on his 1986 Pensa-Suhr, and a sunburst maple-top Suhr with EMG gold pickups.

What guitar did Bernie Marsden play in Whitesnake?

His 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard known as 'The Beast', bought in 1979. Guitar World reports he used it to record every one of his Whitesnake parts, including Here I Go Again.

What guitar did Steve Vai use on Slip of the Tongue?

Guitar World reports he used his prototype Ibanez Universe 7-string on every track of the 1989 album.

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Whitesnake
About this guide · Last checked

Whitesnake is the hard rock band David Coverdale formed in 1978, which played its last shows in 2022. This guide covers the guitars of its players by member: Joel Hoekstra's Les Paul and Taylor, Reb Beach's Suhrs, Bernie Marsden's 'The Beast', Steve Vai's 7-string and Doug Aldrich's Les Paul.

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

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truerecs gear guides are independent research from public sources, not made or approved by the artist. Store buttons on this page may be affiliate links: truerecs may earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Whitesnake isn't paid for them. Report an error or ask for removal. Full disclosure.