King Crimson Members, Gear & Sound

Genre

Rock Jazz New Wave Art rock Progressive rock Symphonic rock Psychedelic rock Experimental rock Avant-garde music Jazz fusion Metal Hard rock Instrumental rock Classic rock Free improvisation Jazz rock Symphonic prog album rock zolo

Members

Select a King Crimson band member to check out the music gear they use live and in the studio.

Robert Fripp

Roles:

Guitarist Keyboardist

Groups:

David Bowie (band) The G3 Jam Fripp & Eno Giles, Giles & Fripp Robert Fripp & Jeffrey Fayman & Yoav Goren Robert Fripp & Toyah Wilcox The Robert Fripp String Quintet Andy Summers & Robert Fripp Robert Fripp & Thomas Fehlmann The League of Gentlemen ProjeKct Two David Sylvian & Robert Fripp Discipline ProjeKct One ProjeKct Three ProjeKct Four ProjeKct Six Slow Music Sunday All Over the World Fripp Fripp

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Adrian Belew

Roles:

Singer Guitarist Composer

Groups:

Nine Inch Nails Talking Heads David Bowie (band) Tom Tom Club ProjeKct Two Adrian Belew Power Trio Discipline ProjeKct Six The Crimson ProjeKCt Gizmodrome BEAT

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Tony Levin

Roles:

Bassist

Groups:

Liquid Tension Experiment Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe Bozzio Levin Stevens HoBoLeMa Stick Men Discipline ProjeKct One ProjeKct Four The Crimson ProjeKCt Bruford Levin Upper Extremities BEAT

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Greg Lake

Roles:

Singer Guitarist Bassist Composer

Groups:

Emerson, Lake & Palmer Asia Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band Emerson, Lake & Powell The RD Crusaders

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John Wetton

Roles:

Singer Guitarist Bassist Composer

Groups:

Wishbone Ash Asia Roxy Music Uriah Heep U.K. Family Qango Mogul Thrash

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Gavin Harrison

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Porcupine Tree Incognito The Pineapple Thief Blackfield OSI Renaissance

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Bill Rieflin

Roles:

Drummer Keyboardist

Groups:

Swans R.E.M. Ministry KMFDM Pigface Revolting Cocks Lard The Minus 5 Jakalope The Petty Tyrants 'Snots Dark Load Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 Pailhead Sweet 75 Filthy Friends Acid Horse Land Seattle Guitar Circle Slow Music 1000 Homo DJs The Humans Blackouts The Bells The Angels of Light

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Bill Bruford

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Yes Gong Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe National Health U.K. Project One Bruford Bruford-Borstlap The New Percussion Group of Amsterdam Bruford Levin Upper Extremities ProjeKct One Discipline Absolute Elsewhere Bill Bruford’s Earthworks World Drummers Ensemble Gordian Knot

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Trey Gunn

Roles:

Guitarist Bassist

Groups:

The Robert Fripp String Quintet UKZ KTU ProjeKct Two Gordian Knot ProjeKct One ProjeKct Three ProjeKct Four TU TU-NER The Trey Gunn Band Sunday All Over the World Security Project Rhythm Buddies

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Boz Burrell

Roles:

Singer Bassist

Groups:

Bad Company Snape

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Jakko Jakszyk

Roles:

Singer Guitarist

Groups:

Level 42 21st Century Schizoid Band The Lodge

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Pat Mastelotto

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

XTC Mr. Mister O.R.k. Stick Men

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Ian McDonald

Roles:

Singer Guitarist Keyboardist Composer

Groups:

Foreigner Giles, Giles & Fripp McDonald and Giles 21st Century Schizoid Band Centipede

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Jeremy Stacey

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds The Lemon Trees

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Michael Giles

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Giles, Giles & Fripp McDonald and Giles 21st Century Schizoid Band Jackson Heights

Needs more gear

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Jamie Muir

Roles:

Drummer

Needs more gear

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Mel Collins

Roles:

Keyboardist Saxophonist

Groups:

Dire Straits Tears for Fears Camel Bad Company The Alan Parsons Project The Secret Police Snape The Bleeding Heart Band 21st Century Schizoid Band Dire Straits Legacy Kokomo Climax Blues

Needs more gear

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Peter Giles

Roles:

Bassist

Groups:

Giles, Giles & Fripp 21st Century Schizoid Band

Needs more gear

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David Cross

Roles:

Keyboardist Composer Violinist

Groups:

North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative

Needs more gear

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Gordon Haskell

Roles:

Singer Guitarist Bassist

Groups:

The Flower Pot Men Les Fleur De Lys Cupid's Inspiration

Needs more gear

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Pete Sinfield

Roles:

Guitarist Drummer Keyboardist Composer DJ

Needs more gear

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Lee Patrick Mastelotto

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Mr. Mister KTU HoBoLeMa ProjeKct Three ProjeKct Four TU Tunisia TU-NER The Crimson ProjeKCt Rhythm Buddies

No gear added

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Chris Gibson

Roles:

Composer

No gear added

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Peter Sinfield

Roles:

Singer Music Producer

No gear added

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Keith Tippett

Roles:

Keyboardist Composer

Groups:

Young Marble Giants Soft Machine The Keith Tippett Group Keith Tippett Septet Keith Tippett Tapestry Orchestra Hugh Hopper & Elton Dean & Keith Tippett & Joe Gallivan Keith and Julie Tippett Centipede Delivery Marsupilami In Cahoots The Blue Notes Mujician

No gear added

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Ian Wallace

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Badfinger Neverending Tour Band Snape 21st Century Schizoid Band The Crimson Jazz Trio Jackson Heights

No gear added

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Andrew McCulloch

Roles:

Drummer

Groups:

Fields

No gear added

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About

King Crimson is a pioneering English rock band formed in London in 1968, known for their innovative approach to progressive rock and their influence across a wide range of genres. The band has undergone numerous lineup changes, but its core has been guided by the visionary Robert Fripp (guitar, Mellotron). Other notable members include Greg Lake (vocals, bass), Bill Bruford (drums), and Adrian Belew (guitar, vocals). King Crimson's music defies easy categorization, weaving together elements of rock, jazz, classical, avant-garde, and metal, resulting in a sound that is both complex and exploratory.

How to Sound Like King Crimson

King Crimson's sound is characterized by its dynamic contrasts and intricate arrangements, creating a tapestry that is both chaotic and meticulously structured. The band often employs a blend of heavy, distorted guitar tones and lush Mellotron textures, producing a sound that is both aggressive and symphonic. Robert Fripp's guitar work is central to their music, utilizing sustain and fuzz effects like the Electro-Harmonix EH-3003 "Triangle" Big Muff Pi V1 to achieve a rich, layered distortion. The use of the Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus amp adds a crisp, clean edge to their sound, further enhancing the band’s ability to transition seamlessly between melodic passages and intense, driving riffs. King Crimson's music thrives on polyrhythms and improvisational elements, making their sound both unpredictable and deeply engaging.

Discography

In The Court Of The Crimson King (Expanded & Remastered Original Album Mix)

1969

In The Wake Of Poseidon

1970

Lizard

1970

Islands

1971

Earthbound (Live)

1972

Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Expanded & Remastered Original Album Mix)

1973

Starless And Bible Black

1974

Red (Expanded & Remastered Original Album Mix)

1974

USA (Live)

1975

Discipline

1981

Beat

1982

Three of a Perfect Pair

1984

The Great Deceiver (Pt, II.)

1992

The Great Deceiver (Pt. I)

1992

THRAK

1995

Epitaph (Live, 1969)

1997

The Night Watch (Live at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Nov. 23, 1973)

1997

Absent Lovers (Live in Montreal, 1984)

1998

The ConstruKction of Light

2000

Heavy ConstruKction (Live in Europe, 2000)

2000

VROOOM VROOOM (Live, 1995/96)

2001

Ladies of the Road (Live 1971/72)

2002

The Power To Believe

2003

Live At The Orpheum

2015

Live in Toronto

2016

Radical Action To Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind (Live)

2017

Live In Chicago, 28 June 2017 (Collector's Club Special Edition)

2017

Live in Vienna (1 December 2016)

2018

Meltdown (Live in Mexico, 2017)

2018

USA (Live - 2013 Mix)

2020

Music Is Our Friend (Live in Washington and Albany, 2021)

2021

Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With / Level Five / Elektrik

2021

LARKS' TONGUES IN ASPIC (2023 Elemental Mixes)

2023

SHELTERING SKIES (Live in Fréjus, August 27th 1982)

2024

Red (2024 Elemental Mixes)

2024

Lizard (2025 David Singleton Elemental Mix)

2025

Get the King Crimson Sound

Want to sound like King Crimson? This gear comes straight from the setups of the band's members, based on proven sources. Dive into each artist's page for more detail and inspiration.