truerecs
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Yes.Are you Yes? Claim this page
y
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Yes. Every item links to its public source.
79 items · Last checked

What gear does Yes use?

Steve Howe has said he loves his 1964 Gibson ES-175D and plays his Martin MC-38 signature acoustic. Chris Squire called his 1964 Rickenbacker a brilliant guitar, Rick Wakeman has called the Minimoog his soloing keyboard, and Trevor Rabin played a Strat through Boss pedals and an old Marshall.

In stores now

Shop Yes's setup.

Top 5

Where to start with Yes's gear.

01
02
03
04
05

What gear Yes uses: a sourced gear guide

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

Steve Howe: guitar

17 items

Jon Anderson: vocals (former)

1 item

Chris Squire: bass (former)

13 items

Rick Wakeman: keyboards (former)

8 items

Bill Bruford: drums (former)

9 items

Alan White: drums (former)

1 item

Geoff Downes: keyboards

7 items

Billy Sherwood: bass

6 items

Trevor Rabin: guitar (former)

9 items

Tony Kaye: keyboards (former)

4 items
Questions

About Yes's gear.

What guitar does Steve Howe play?

His 1964 Gibson ES-175D, which he no longer takes out of the country, and a Gibson Steve Howe signature ES-175. He has said his Martin MC-38 signature is mainly what he plays acoustically, and he plays a Steinberger or Rickenbacker 12-string for Awaken.

What bass did Chris Squire play?

A 1964 Rickenbacker 4001, technically an RM1999 import, which he called a brilliant guitar that plays itself. Guitar World says he used Rotosound Swing Bass strings and a Marshall Super Bass, plus Dutron and later Moog Taurus bass pedals.

What keyboards did Rick Wakeman use?

In 1999 Rick Wakeman said the Minimoog was his soloing keyboard, followed by a Roland JD-800 he MIDIs to other instruments, with a real Steinway grand on the album. His studio list included Korg Trinity, Prophecy and 01/W and Kurzweil K2000 and K2500.

What guitar did Trevor Rabin use on Owner of a Lonely Heart?

Trevor Rabin has said he played his Strat through a Boss distortion into an old Marshall, and for the solo ran one amp clean and another with just the fifth harmony from an MXR Pitch Transposer.

What keyboards does Geoff Downes play?

Geoff Downes has said Yes hired a vintage Hammond B3 for The Quest and that he still cherishes his Minimoog. He had the first Sequential Prophet-10 in the UK, used a Fairlight, Moog Taurus pedals and Solina Strings, and live he runs Apple MainStage on Mac laptops.

Y
Yes
About this guide · Last checked

Yes are the English prog band of Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Billy Sherwood, Jon Davison and Jay Schellen, with Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, Bill Bruford, Alan White, Trevor Rabin and Tony Kaye in earlier line-ups, behind Roundabout, Close to the Edge and Owner of a Lonely Heart. This guide covers the whole band's documented gear: Howe's ES-175, Squire's Rickenbacker 4001, Wakeman's Minimoog and more.

truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Yes 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.

Are you Yes?

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
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. Yes isn't paid for them. Report an error or ask for removal. Full disclosure.