Mick Mars

Mick Mars plays a 1962 Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar in Fiesta Red, white pickguard, and a rosewood fingerboard. He has had it refretted, but otherwise maintains it is in great condition.

"Literally hundreds of instruments passed through his hands in the Eighties alone, from the trusty black 1972 Les Paul Custom that he used to record the band’s early albums to various Kramers, Charvels and Hamers in every imaginable shape." - Guitar World.

Throughout the earlier years of Crüe, specifically through the Girls Girls Girls era, Mars could be seen wielding an assortment of Kramer guitars. Most predominantly a pair of Kramer Tele guitars with tits painted on the back of them and reading Girls Girls Girls across the top. He would also use a version of the Kramer Tele with a mirror plating.

In a December 1987 issue of Guitar for the Practicing Musician, Mars stated:

Kramer sent me a few of the guitars that I've designed. I call it a Strato-Tele-Paul. It's like a Stratocaster contour with a Telecaster body and Les Paul setup with the double pickups and the Les Paul switches. The pickups I believe are Schaller.

Mick used a Gibson Flying V on the Shout at the Devil Tour (photo here). He also appears on Guitar magazine's August 1984 issue with the same guitar model.

In an interview with Vintage Guitar magazine, Mick Mars discusses using the Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head.

In his interview with Vintage Guitar® magazine, Mick Mars discusses using the Marshall JCM800 2203 guitar amplifier head.

"My cabinets are Marshalls with Celestion Vintage 30s. To my ear, I put them against the greenbacks, and the old greenbacks are cool for what they are, but for what I’m doing with my rig, these sound better."

As told in his interview to Vintage Guitar.

Mick Mars uses the Dunlop Heil HT1 Talk Box, as shown in a Guitar Geek graphic from 1995.

Used on his Gibson Custom Les Paul in the early 80's

Mick can be seen in this video using a B.C. Rich warlock with a trem

Mick uses a Dunlop Wah Wah according to this Guitar Geek diagram.

He modded them to distort by winding them more so he wouldn't need a distortion pedal.

"I've taken some of the old Gibson T-Top pickups and re-wound them to be hotter, probably between 14 and 16 ohm output to drive them more so I don't have to have a distortion pedal. It naturally overdrives the amp and I get a nice fat sound. I've put a Floyd Rose on it as well. I wouldn't need a pedal." - Mick Mars

Mick can be seen playing a black Kramer Baretta Special at 2:30 in the Smokin’ in The Boys Room music video and in Kramer guitar magazines from the 1980’s.

One of three types of guitars Mick uses is a PRS CE-22 according to Guitar Geek.

In the studio he blends amps: “I use a Vox AC30, a Hiwatt and a Marshall, and hook them all togtether. This is old-school, using all the tones from each different amp and using them [in] different combinations. Pro Tools plugins don’t sound the same.”

In the Motley Crue Gear Guide by Lee Glynn on Pmtonline, it is noted that Mick Mars uses the Marshall Plexi 1959SLP guitar amplifier head.

"The Soldanos are SLO-100 Super Lead Overdrives. And I use the Rivera Bonehead to bring out low-end. I use the heads with VHT and Crest power amps. My cabinets are Marshalls with Celestion Vintage 30s. To my ear, I put them against the greenbacks, and the old greenbacks are cool for what they are, but for what I’m doing with my rig, these sound better." - Mick Mars Vintage Guitar Magazine - Article by Lisa Sharken

This article originally appeared in VG‘s September 2009 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

"Wishing a very happy birthday to Ernie Baller Mr.Mick Mars! 🎉🎉 Mick has been playing Ernie Ball strings since he was 14 years old. Link in bio to learn more". Ernie Ball

"I always try to think a little bit out of the box. A little to the left. Everyone does 4/4, 4/4." Watch metal guitar legend Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe dive into his early inspirations, his creative process, and how he gets his signature tone with Ernie Ball strings.

In this video Mick Mars' son says that Mick uses the purple pack of Ernie Ball strings

In a gear guide by Lee Glynn on Pmtonline, Mick Mars is noted for using a Kramer Pacer Vintage Electric Guitar in a Tiger-Stripe finish.

A user-uploaded photo shows Mick Mars playing the Hamer USA Mick Mars Explorer in Yellow with Black Streaks.

Mick Mars plays a 1964 Gretsch G6120TM Chet Atkins Signature Hollowbody, as noted in an article by Lisa Sharken in Vintage Guitar® magazine.

In the Motley Crue Gear Guide by Lee Glynn on Pmtonline, it's noted that Mick Mars uses the Marshall MX412B guitar amplifier cabinet.

Mick Mars is noted for using a 1972 Gibson Les Paul Standard, as detailed in Lee Glynn's Motley Crue Gear Guide on Pmtonline.

"These days, Mars may be an avowed Fender player, but he still appreciates classic Gibsons, like the Les Paul Custom he played during Mötley Crüe’s early days. At one time he owned three sunburst Les Paul Standards—two 1959s and a 1960—but he currently owns just one 1960 Les Paul Standard, which was a relatively recent replacement for the ones he was forced to sell." - Guitar World.

The headstocks if some of Micks guitars are shown in a shot from a video he did with Ernie Ball and you can see the distinctive headstock of an Ernie Ball Music Man guitar (which I believe is a cutlass).

In this article by Guitar Player, it reads, "Mick Mars played that solo." […] "He didn’t use an amp, he used Eleven, the Digidesign plug-in."

In the PMT Online article "Motley Crue Gear Guide" by Lee Glynn, it is noted that Mick Mars uses the Celestion Vintage 30 12'' 60-watt speaker.