Dave Matthews
of Dave Matthews Band
Genre
Credits
Genre
Credits
Dave Matthews' Gear
Dave Matthews worked with Gibson to design a custom guitar that he keeps in a special tuning of his own design, named "High B." According to Matthews' tech, "the string gauges are 16, 11, 15, 18, 30, and a 42, and you can play just your standard chords...but it obviously sounds much different...It's basically like a guitar with a capo at seven, I believe...." he said at (2:10). "There's not another company out there that's that signature. It just looks great, and the sound, more than anything he just loves the way it sounds."
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According to this ad from Dunlop, Dave uses Dunlop Tortex Standard Guitar Picks, 0.60mm.
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Dave Matthews owns a Gryphon 12 string, a soprano guitar made by Joe Veillette of Veillette guitars. "It's a pretty unique sound," Matthews' guitar tech says at (4:30) in this premier guitar interview. "It's a little bit of a mandolin vibe, but you can use standard chords," he said.
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Dave Matthews sometimes plays a Jerry Jones Neptune Baritone guitar, as seen in this Premier Guitar video at (5:30). According to Matthews' guitar tech, the baritone is used on songs like "'So Right...'I Did It,' 'Some Devil,'" and "'Louisiana Bayou.'"
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Dave Matthews plays his guitars through Matchless SC30 guitar amp. The amp has a single 12" speaker, and he places it in an isolation cabinet. "It's a really straightforward tone," Matthews' guitar tech says at (8:45). "It's something we've used a lot of in the studio...a lot of tracks boil down to going back to the Matchless."
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In a Facebook post by Rockbridge Guitars from April 25, 2024, a Rockbridge 12-string in Honey Sunburst with the SJ body shape option is shown on stage at the Royal Albert Hall, prior to a DMB performance. This guitar is one of Dave's stage used instruments by the small, Charlottesville Virginia based builder.
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A January 2012 article for American Songwriter magazine states that, "Matthews’ guitar of choice for live performance and composition is the Taylor, especially the 914 CE, which Taylor’s Dave Matthews Signature Model, sometimes referred to as the “Grux” guitar, is based on."
Craig Baker, Matthews' guitar tech affirms that "He has three 914s made in 1999, but his main 914 he bought so many years ago is a sturdy workhorse, the other Taylors Dave uses are mostly more recent ones and the ‘Grux’ signature model.”
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On this exhibition, Matthews is seen playing this guitar (through a mic).
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One of Dave Matthews' guitars is a Fender Stratocaster, modified with Seymour Duncan mini humbucker pickups. "It sounds good," Matthews' tech says in this video at (0:45). "It's the tone for a lot of the stuff on the record that was electric that Dave played. That and a Matchless...we can go a long way with that."
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As seen in this Premier Guitar interview, at (7:20) Dave Matthews' signal chain includes an MXR Boost/Line Driver pedal.
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One of Dave Matthews' Taylor acoustics is a 12 string walnut guitar. "It sounds really big," Matthews' guitar tech says at (5:10) in this Premier Guitar interview.
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On the right-hand side of the page, DMB Crew members address what gear Dave Matthews uses. In one of the Q&A's, a crew member states that D'Addario EXP17 strings are the primary strings Dave Matthews uses.
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Dave Matthews' pedal board also has an MXR Micro Amp pedal, seen in this video at (7:22).
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Dave Matthews uses two Boss Digital Delay pedals, seen in this Premier Guitar interview at (7:28).
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Dave Matthews also plays a National Resolectric guitar. "We use this on Alligator Pie," Matthew's guitar tech says in this Premier Guitar video at (1:04). "It's a great sound for the song," he said.
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One of the first pieces of gear in Dave Matthews' signal path is a Soundsculpture Switchblade GL. According to Matthews' guitar tech, it's "proven to be something I just can't do without," he said at (6:40).
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In the live performance of "#41" at Farm Aid 2013, Dave Matthews plays a Rockbridge Custom SJ acoustic guitar, showcasing its impressive sound quality.
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A black Celebrity Legend 1767, Dave's main guitar from 1991-1992, was signed and auctioned in 2014.
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Listed on http://rockbridgeguitar.com/artists.html
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Listed on Dave's official Dunlop artist page.
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Listed on Dave's official Dunlop artist page.
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This is a community-built gear list for Dave Matthews.
- Find relevant music gear like Microphones, Guitars, Amplifiers, Effects Pedals, and other instruments and add it to Dave Matthews.
- The best places to look for gear usage are typically on the artist's social media, YouTube, live performance images, and interviews.
- To receive email updates when Dave Matthews is seen with new gear, follow the artist.
Discography
Album Credits
-
Liz Phair · 2010
Producer
