Written by Bobby Kittleberger54 Comments
Updated by Bobby
Updated on September 15th, 2022
Added diagrams for Blur's Graham Coxon, Dave Muarry of Iron Maiden, Kerry King, and more. Updated rig for Ian MacKaye of Fugazi.
We're cobbling together the old Guitar Geek guitar rig diagrams, in an effort to make this resource available because of how useful it once was.
There are a few rig diagrams I've picked up (mostly on Pinterest) that weren't labeled and that I didn't recognize. If anyone knows the artist responsible for those rigs, feel free to leave a note in the comments section. Other corrections, suggestions, and especially notice of rigs that I haven't included are welcome there too.
Disclaimer: These diagrams were and - to the best of our knowledge - still are the property of GuitarGeek.com and Adam Cooper, their original designer. Our goal is to pull them together so they are once again available in one spot and hopefully continue to be expanded.
Right click and open image to view larger version.
Artist Rigs
Tomo Milicevic of 30 Seconds to Mars: 2011
Guitars
- Gibson Les Paul Axcess, Black
- 1964 Fender Jazzmaster, Red
- 1973 Gibson Les Paul Custom, Black
Pedals
- Keeley Two-Knob Compressor
- Ernie Ball VP JR Volume Pedal
- Digitech WH-4 Whammy
- Devi Ever Soda Meiser Fuzz
- Boss DC-2 Dimension C
- Boss BF-3 Flanger
- Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter
- Boss PS-5 Super Shifter
- Boss SL-20 Slicer (MIDI Sync'd)
- Boss DD-20 Giga Delay
- Boss RC-20 Loop Station
- Electro-Harmonix Tube Zipper
- MXR Classic 108 Fuzz
- Oohlala Quicksilver Delay
- Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
- Whirlwind A/B/Y Selector
- Lehle P-Split
- Mesa/Boogie Bigfoot Switcher
Amps
- Mesa Triple Rectifier Amp Head
- Mesa 4x12 Standard Cab
- Budda Super Drive 30 2 x 12 Combo Amp
- Budda Super Drive 45 2 x 12 Combo Amp
Tom Morello - Rage Against the Machine - 1998 Guitar Rig
Guitars
- Ibanez Artstar
- 1962 Fender Telecaster (made in Mexico)
- St. George Goya Rangemaster Copy
- "Arm The Homeless" Custom Performance USA Guitar
- Gibson ES-1275 Double-Neck
- "Soul Power" Customized Fender Stratocaster
Effects/Processors
- Jim Dunlop Cry Baby
- DigiTech WH-1 Whammy
- Boss DD-2 Digital Delay
- DOD FX40B Equalizer
- Ibanez DFL Flanger
- Custom Power Supply
Amps/Cabs
- Marshall JCM800 Lead Series Amp Head
- Peavey 4 x 12 Straight-Front Cabinet
Adam Jones of Tool: 2019 (fear Inoculum Era)
Guitars
- Gibson Les Paul Custom (Silverburst)
- Gibson Les Paul Custom (Black)
Effects/Processors
- Boss PSM-5 Power Supply and Switcher
- MXR Micro Amp
- Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
- Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Wah (535Q)
- Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
- Old DOD Equalizer (FX40B)
- Peterson Strobe Stomp Tuner
- Boss BF-3/BF-3 Flanger
- Korg Rack Tuner
- Systematic Sound Splitter GBX-95
Amps/Cabs
- Diezel VH4 Amp Heads (100 watt versions)
- 1976 Marshall Super Bass Modified Head (100 watt version)
- Marshall 4 x 12 speaker cab
- 2 Mesa 4 x 12 speaker cabs
Tom Morello - Audioslave - 2004
GUITARS
- Gibson Les Paul Custom
- "Soul Power" Customized Fender Stratocaster (black)
- 1982 Fender Telecaster (made in Mexico)
- "Arm the Homeless" Custom Performance USA Guitar
- Ibanez Roadster II Backup for "Arm the Homeless"
PEDALS
- Custom Power Supply
- MXR Phase 90
- DOD FX40B Equalizer
- Boss DD-2 Digital Delay
- DigiTech WH-1 Whammy
- Dunlop Cry Baby
- Boss TR-2 Tremolo
AMPS
- Marshall JCM800 2205
- Peavey 4 x 12 Cabinet
Tosin Abasi - Animals as Leaders: 2011
Zakk Wylde - Ozzy Osbourne: 1988
GUITARS
- Gibson Les Paul Zakk Wylde Signature
PEDALS
AMPS
Tony MacAlpine: 2011
The Edge (David Evans) - U2: 1983
GUITARS
- 1973 Fender Stratocaster
- 1976 Gibson Explorer
PEDALS
- Electro-Harmonix Memory Man Deluxe
- MXR Dyna Comp Compressor
- Guyatone PS-102 Zoom Box Distortion
AMPS
John Nolan - Taking Back Sunday
Stephen Patman - Chapterhouse: 1992
The Edge (David Evans) - U2: 1981
Stephen Carpenter - Deftones - 2011
Stevie Ray Vaughan: 1985
GUITARS
- 1962 Fender Stratocaster "Number One" (SRV signature)
- Custom Hamiltone "Main"
- Custom Charley Wirz Strat "Charley"
- 1962 Fender Stratocaster "Red"
PEDALS
- MXR Loop Selector
- Sixties Vox Wah
- Fender Vibrato/Reverb Switch
- Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer
AMPS
- Marshall Major
- Fender Vibrolux
- Fender Super Reverb
Steve Stevens - Billy Idol: 2012
Jim Matheos: 2012
Johnny Hilland: 2012
Dave NAvarro: 2012
Tom Linton - Jimmy Eat World: 2012
GUITARS
PEDALS
- Line 6 DM4 Distortion Modeler
- Line 6 MM4 Modulation Modeler
- Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
- Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
- Boss RE-20 Roland Space Echo
- Orange Channel Switcher
AMPS
- Orange AD140 Head
- Orange 4 x 12 Speaker Cab
Jimi Hendrix: 1969
Johnny Greenwood - Radiohead: 1997
Kurt Cobain - Nirvana: 1994
John Frusciante - Red Hot Chili Peppers: 2001
Hershel Yatovitz - Chris Isaac and Silvertone: 2014
Julie Day - Daltonians: 2014
David Pearce - Flying Saucer Attack: 1995
Emma Anderson - Lush: 1994
Brian "Robbo" Robertson - Thin Lizzy: 1974
Chuck Schuldiner - Death: 1993
Eric Clapton - Cream: 1967
Eric Clapton – John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers: 1966
Eric Clapton - The Yardbirds: 1964
Simone Rowe - Chapterhouse: 1992
Andrew SherrifF - Chapterhouse: 1992
Lawrence Chandler - Bowery Electric: 1994
Joey Santiago - the Pixies: 2014
Herman Li – DragonForce: 2012
Jimmy Bower – Superjoint Ritual: 2004
Kevin Bond – Superjoint Ritual: 2004
Ola Englund – Feared and The Haunted – 2014
Duane Denison – The Jesus Lizard: 1990-1994
Duane Denison – The Jesus Lizard: 1989
Johnny Ramone – The Ramones – 1990
Mitch Mitchell – Guided By Voices – 2011
Dick Dale – 2000
Brian “Head” Welch – Korn – 2002
GUITARS
- Ibanez K-7 Signature 7-String
- X Wire Wireless Transmitter
- X Wire XR 905 Digital Wireless Unit
PEDALS
- DigitTech XP-100 Whammy/Wah (program 24)
- DigiTech XP-100 Whammy/Wah (program 13)
- Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
- Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay
- Prescription Electronics Depth Charge
- Whirlwind A/B/Y Selector (clean/dirty switching)
AMPS
- Diezel VH4 Four-Channel Head (dirty)
- Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (dirty)
- Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (clean)
James “Munky” Shaffer – Korn – 2002
GUITARS
- Ibanez K-7 Signature 7-String (custom)
- Ibanez K-14 Signature 14-String (custom)
- X Wire Wireless Transmitter
- X Wire XR 905 Digital Wireless Unit
PEDALS
- Ibanez DE7 Delay/Echo
- Whirlwind Selector A/B/Y Box (used as splitter)
- Remote Switch for Whirlwind Selector A/B Box
- DigiTech XP-100 Whammy/Wah Painted Silver (programs 13, 18, 21)
- DigiTech XP-100 Whammy/Wah Painted Dark Grey (program 4)
- Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser (fast rate)
- Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser (slow rate)
- DigiTech Metal Master Heavy Metal Distortion
- Prescription Electronics Outbox Fuzz/Buss Box
- Ibanez LF-7 Lo-Fi
- Dunlop Univibe
- Boss PS-5 Super Shifter
- Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay
- Ibanez BC-9 Bi-Mode Chorus
- Whirlwind Selector A/B Box (used for clean and dirty amp switching)
- Chrome-Plated Custom-Built Dunlop HT-1 Heil Talk Box
AMPS
- Diezel VH4 Four-Channel Head (dirty)
- Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (dirty)
- Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (clean)
- Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (for Dunlop Talk Box)
Lee Malia – Bring Me The Horizon – 2011
GUITARS
- Gibson Les Paul Standard (sunburst)
- Gibson Les Paul Traditional (desert sunburst)
PEDALS & PROCESSORS
- Furman PL-Plus DMC Power Conditioner
- Sennheiser True Diversity EW 100 G3 Units
- Voodoo Lab GCX Guitar Audio Switcher
- Electro-Harmonix POG2
- Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
- Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb
- Boss DD-7 Digital Delay
- Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer
- TC Electronic Polytune
- Boss FS-5U (for Boss DD-7 Tap Tempo)
- Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai
- Voodoo Lab Pedal Power
- Voodoo Lab GCX Ground Control Pro
AMPS
- Orange Thunderverb 200 (backup)
- Orange Rockerverb 100
- Four Custom Orange 4 x 12 Cabs
Zach Myers – Shinedown – 2011
Kenny Wayne Shepherd – 2010
Ace Frehley – 2010
Greg Bradley – Art of Dying – 2011
Kerry King of Slayer - 2002
Adam Franklin of Swervedriver
Miki Berenyi of Lush - 1994
Graham Coxon of Blur - 1993
Neil Halstead of Slowdive
Dimebag Darrell
Christian Savill - SlowDive - 1993
Ian MacKaye of Fugazi
James Williamson of the Stooges (2011)
Dave Mustaine Megadeath rig from 2004
GUITARS
- ESP DV8 Silver to Black (backup guitar)
- ESP DV8 Main Guitar
- ESP DV8 Main Guitar "Blackmail the universe"
PEDALS & PROCESSORS
- Rocktron All Access MIDI Foot Controller
- Two Shure SLX4 Wireless Units
- Whirlwind Multi-Selector (four channel)
AMPS
- Four modified Marshall 1960BV 4 x 12 speaker cabs
- Four additional modified Marshall 1960BV 4 x 12 speaker cabs
- Rocktron Prophesy Preamp & Multi-Effects
- Marshall EL34 100/100 Dual Monobloc power amp
Vivian Campbell - Def Leppard -2011
GUITARS
- 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom (silver sparkle)
- 1998 Gibson Les Paul Standard '70s Reissue (purple sparkle)
- Gibson Les Paul Goldtop '58 Reissue
- 1997 Gibson Les Paul Standard '58 Reissue
PEDALS & PROCESSORS
- Dunlop DCR-1FC Wah Foot Controllers (three total)
- Boss TU-12 Tuner
- Peterson Stroborack
- CAE RS-10 MIDI Foot Controller
- Furman PL-PRO D Series II Power Conditioner
- Two Shure UR4D Plus Dual Wireless Units
- Whirlwind Multi-Selector
- Rockman Acoustic Guitar Pedal
- Dunlop DCR-1SR Rack Wah
- Rocktron Hush Guitar Silencer
- Eventide Omnipressor Compressor
- TC Electronic G-Major
- TC Electronic 2290
- Rocktron Intellifex
- Yamaha D1500 Digital Delay
- CAE Dual Stereo Line Mixer
- Palmer PDI-05 Stereo Speaker Simulator
AMPS
- Engl MIDI Tube Preamp 580
- Two Marshall JMP-1 MIDI Preamps (one is a backup)
- Two Engl 850/100 Tube Power amps
- Four Engl 4 x 12 speaker cabs
David Dederer - The Presidents - 1993
Robin Finck of Nine Inch Nails - 2014
Laura Jane Grace of Against Me - 2011
Guy Picciotto - Fugazi - 1999
David Reiss of Gliss - 2013
Jeff Hanneman - Slayer - 2002
Jeff Beck - 2003
Dave Murray - Iron Maiden - 2006
DAVE MURRAY - IRON MAIDEN - 2003
Rachel Goswell - Slowdive - 1993
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top - 2003
this seems to be intact:
https://archive.org/download/guitargeek-archives/
This is great. Perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Here are the rigs of Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, and a Eddie Vedder rig
https://www.quora.com/What-effect-pedals-does-Pearl-Jam-use
I still have the graphic GuitarGeek created for Ryan Lum of Love Spirals Downwards at the time of his 1998 album, Flux.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10150344661613230&set=a.10150343586808230
That was GuitarGeek? It looks…different.
This was posted on 2/12/2000 when the site was still very new. You can still see it listed on the “new additions” area via internet archive.com but when you click the link the image isn’t cached. Good thing I downloaded it for posterity!
https://web.archive.org/web/20000511200315if_/http://www.guitargeek.com:80/
Whoa. I’ve never seen the site in that form before.
bonjour,
est ce que vous avez prévu de faire les “the white stripes”?
merci pour votre site extrêmement utiles
cordialement
I am 21 years old guy i don’t learn finger style practice guitar much but still practicing guitar for years now I want to become a fingerstyle guitarist, Improviser, composer, learn great songs .can you give me tips.
Hey Alan – start here for lesson help: https://www.guitarchalk.com/online-guitar-lessons/
A buddy of mine has Dimebag Darrell’s white custom Dean Flying V. Apparently Dimebag was a family member and the guitar ended up with my buddy who gave it to his son to learn how to play. I’ve played it. It’s pretty sweet.
I love these diagrams and the art. I’m a technical artist. I would love to take a shot at Dimebag’s 2004 rig.
That’s awesome! You said you’re a technical artist: Do you have the chops/abilities to create stuff like this?
I would say likely. Being a technical artist, I’m decent and digital illustration. Although I’ve never tried, making relatively flat, 2d images of guitars and amps are likely in the wheelhouse. I made a 3D Boss DS-1 in Maya once. That was pretty cool. Check it out https://youtu.be/eVyZK6SP61E
My guess is that Adam was just using photographs of the gear and then running it through some kind of a de-pixelation filter that made it look like it does on those diagrams. I got close with pixelation filters in GIMP, but it’s just not quite the same as what he was doing. If you or somebody could figure that out, we could have a hay-day creating new rigs and updating some of what he did.
I could try to do my rig in a similar style….
No, all created without de-pixelation filters. Good old fashion Illustrator skills
Are you the Adam??
Yes. I’m decent at digital illustration. Although I’ve never tried, making relatively flat, 2d images of guitars and amps are likely in the wheelhouse. I made a 3D Boss DS-1 in Maya once. That was pretty cool. Check it out https://youtu.be/eVyZK6SP61E
Quite a ways ago when I worked at the GC in downtown Chicago, Adam Cooper was a regular customer of mine. He was a great guy and pretty unassuming. He went directly to the guitar techs of those players. Now I’m starting my own store and wishing I had all of these as a reference.
Did he ever happen to mention what software he used for these?
This was before 2005, so it was probably Illustrator or Flash, but he never said. I just saw an open source Android App that does it.
I’ve been thinking I’d like to do the same, which is why I sought these out. I’ve also started doing wiring diagrams in kind of this style, using Inkscape, and I’m pretty fast at it. Once elements are created, it’s even faster. If you’d like, hit me up at the website, moregainmusic.com, or moregainmusicstore at gmail and maybe we can work on some stuff together.
Ok – sounds good. What’s the Android app?
Illustrator – rendered in Photoshop.
Would love to know the ins and outs of this and keep the work going.
Hi Bobby, I think it would be awesome if us guitar players had an app or a site where we could make our own diagrams in the same format. I’d love to have a picture of me hanging in my study. It’d be so satisfying.
Hey Cal – I’ve tried to do some of these in InkScape (see the Adam Jones rig) but it’s really difficult. Do you (or anyone else) have an idea of what kind of software Adam used to create these?
Oh, too bad you’re not gonna post the old-style rigs… I was gonna say I have all the low-res rigs from the old guitargeek website in .mhtml format, I saved it way back in 2006… because I actually prefer those than the newer (way more complicated) version…
There’s just a charm in the old one for me, or maybe it’s just childhood nostalgia.
Like the ones with the graphic of the actual guitar player?
Nope the ones which you said were low-res and you wouldn’t include, like the dirk lance one (https://web.archive.org/web/20100105081647/http://guitargeek.com/rigview/360), I have these in complete.
But as I said, it’s just my childhood nostalgia of poring thru all of them back in the early 2000’s, that’s why I prefer those even if they’re low res…
Oh wow, those are pretty old. Some of the earliest, I think.
Ikr, I was still a teenager when I started looking them up and saving them, in 2002… wow that was 20 years ago..
But your website gives me an idea, maybe I should screenshot all of them (they’re like more than 100), and post them all on a blogspot or tumblr or wordpress. 🙂
Yep – I’d say go for it. That’s pretty much all I’ve done here.
Yes, please do!
Adam Granduciel of War On Drugs please!!
Thanks, Grayson – looks pretty complex but it would be a fun one to try and do: https://www.premierguitar.com/gear/rig-rundown-the-war-on-drugs
Right on! Complex indeed. I love how up front he is about his effects chain, considering how coveted his tone is for people in the know. Keep up the good work, these illustrations are killer!
These are awesome ! Who does the artwork?
Hey Billy – they were put together by Adam Cooper from Guitar Geek.
The remaining ‘Unknown’ up there is Mitch Mitchell of Guided By Voices.
https://guitar.com/rig-diagrams/rig-diagram-mitch-mitchell-guided-by-voices-2011/
Thanks, Simon. It was the same one twice. Just forgot to remove the double. There should only be one unknown now.
Great. OK: I think the only one left showing as an Unknown is a duplicate of Tom Linton (Jimmy Eat World).
Awesome – Thank you! I went ahead and removed the duplicate/unknown. Should be mostly square now.
The “1970 GIBSON SG & MARSHALL” rig belongs to Ian MacKaye of Fugazi.
Thanks, Derek. Updated.
God bless you, I’ve missed these.
Me too! Glad to help bring ’em back.
This is very interesting! How about some bass rigs?
I don’t think they ever did any bass rigs, but I’d like to get around to it. It would be tricky because I’d have to build them myself (the Adam Jones rig took awhile). Any particular artists you’d suggest starting with?
Mike Dirnt, Mark Hoppus, Cone Sum 41, Tim Commerford, Flea, P-Nut, Bootsy Collins, Dirk Lance (old guitargeek.com), Ben Kenney, Duncan Coutts, etc.
Were these all on GuitarGeek originally? Or are these suggestions for new ones?
Hi Bob, I saw Dirk Lance rig on old guitargeek.com or you can google, but the rest are optional for new rig projects.
No luck on the Dirk Lance rig. Doesn’t seem to be turning up on any of the usual places I look for these.
There’s a Dirk Lance bass rig at https://web.archive.org/web/20100105081647/http://guitargeek.com/rigview/360
but it’s the older style, less realistic, clipartish look. There are quite a few of the older-style ones out there if you’re prepared to dig through WBM.
Yeah I probably won’t include those because they are such low res. I wish they were nicer/more updated. Might be something I could throw together if I had time. I’m trying to get closer to being able to make these myself. I still don’t quite have the editing process down.