Beck
alt rock, multi‐instrumentalist Beck Hansen
Beck's Gear
In this screenshot from a transcript of a Guitar Player article from May 2000, Twisted Roots. (musician Beck discusses the recording of Midnight Vultures), Beck talks about owning a 1938 Martin D-28:
Many of Beck's electric guitars are no-name, but he also owns various Schecters (including a Hellcat he recently broke onstage in a fit of rock-star abandon), a Silvertone, a Harmony, a Danelectro, and an early-'60s Carvin. His one luxury is a 1938 Martin D-28 acoustic.
"I've got piles of acoustic guitars that are just hanging by a thread," he admits. "But I always liked Martins, and when I made a little bread, the first thing I did was go out and buy my D-28. Once you put a guitar through pedals and all these different contraptions, the sound isn't really precious to me anymore. But the sound of my '38 D-28 is all-time--it's the rich tone of all the great folk records. You just put any mic on that guitar and it sounds unbelievable."
From photos and videos, it appears Beck plays several Silvertone 1448 Guitars. One instance is a Silvertone 1448 with some stickers and capo as seen in this video of him performing "Black Tambourine" in 2005, and another one is used in the same session in this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzPsbOTdCvY (no sticker, different strap, and Drop D tuning).
In the source photo, Beck can be seen using a Danelectro Dano Pro electric guitar.
At 1:22 It Says That Beck Uses An OP-1.
From GuitarPlayer magazine, May 2000 issue:
Stompboxes are about the only things in Becks arsenal that are shiny and new. A mainstay in his live and studio rigs is a Boss GT-5. While recording Midnite Vultures, Beck programmed sounds into the multi-effects pedal to make it easier to reproduce the album's tones onstage.
The D-16BH shows Beck's appreciation for a true working musician's instrument: the emphasis is on tone, playability and understated decoration. The "Beck" signature is inlaid in abalone between the 19th and 20th frets. Every D-16BH Beck Signature Edition guitar comes equipped with Martin Gold+Plus Natural II sound reinforcement electronics.
Each D-16BH Beck Signature Edition guitar bears an interior label signed by Beck Hansen and CEO, C.F. Martin IV. A portion of the proceeds from each guitar will be donated to The World Literacy Campaign, which addresses global problems of poverty, ignorance, disease and substance abuse through literacy programs.
From GuitarPlayer magazine, May 2000 issue:
"For amps, it's back to the thrift store. Other than ... an Ampeg Jet, Beck's collection is all about 'old crusty amps' (...)."
Beck used this guitar during the Odelay and Mutations Tours, from 1997 to 1998.
The Sears Silvertone 1484 Twin-Twelve amp can be seen in the video very clear at 0:24. It's mentioned here as well: http://www.silvertoneworld.net/amplifiers/1484/1484.html
This was Beck's main guitar during the Midnite Vultures tour. He also used on the Mutations tour. It was supposedly smashed around 2001, according to this article. http://beck.diskobox.net/articles/2000/guitarplayer_05-00.html
Beck used a Fender Telecaster as his main guitar during the Mellow Gold tour. According to the photo from Asset-cache, he replaced the original neck with an unnamed rosewood neck, possibly due to damage.
Visible in a couple of photos featured on Kit Rae's Big Muff Pi Page. The other one, a still from Beck's From The Basement performance, can be seen here.
Shown above, left to right: Flea's (Red Hot Chili Peppers) pedal board with V9 Muff, Mudhoney's Big Muff, and two shots of Beck's Big Muff .
You can see a shot of Beck's pedalboard 0:05 into this video. The Boss DM-2 is on the bottom row, the second pedal from the left.
The MXR M-133 Micro Amp Pedal can be seen on the top row of Beck's pedalboard, as seen in this photo from Beck's performance at The Echo in Los Angeles, on Mar 22, 2007.
Beck can be seen in this picture play- uh... I mean... Dueling with a Roland G-707 Synth Guitar. Other members in his band can sometimes be seen using this guitar as well.
Beck used a sonic blue Mustang in open E tuning during the Mellow Gold tour, for songs like Thunder Peel and Pink Noise (Rock Me Amadeus).
Beck's pedalboard can be seen 0:05 into this video. The Digitech Whammy 4 is the first pedal on the right in the bottom row. The design and layout of the pedal is consistent with the 4th generation of the Digitech Whammy.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Beck discusses using the Danelectro U1 guitar.
In the mid-1990s, Beck used Jerry Jones copies of the Danelectro DC 59M NOS during his performances, notably from 1995 to 1996. He reportedly had two versions: one with two pickups and another with three. A photo from Lollapalooza 1995 captures him with one of these guitars.
The Boss LS-2 Line Selector/Power Supply is next to the Holy Grail in this photo of Beck's pedalboard. The source photo is from Beck's performance at The Echo in Los Angeles on Mar 22, 2007.
While this guitar with Beck looks to be a Stratotone Newport, it would be most correctly identified as a Silvertone Newport H42, also made by Harmony, although seemingly more rare. via vintagesilvertones.com
"A mainstay in [Beck's] live and studio rigs is a Boss GT-5." - taken from Guitar Player Magazine, May 2000.
The Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb Guitar Effects Pedal can be seen in this photo of Beck's pedalboard. It is in the bottom row, third pedal from the right (Beck's right, that is). The source photo is from Beck's performance at The Echo in Los Angeles on Mar 22, 2007.
Specified on the official ZVex artist page.
Beck: SHO
Photos on Kit Rae's Big Muff Pi Page show Beck using the Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner. The images include a still from Beck's "From The Basement" performance, highlighting his pedal setup alongside other artists like Flea and Mudhoney.
In this pic of his pedalboard a Superfuzz is visible
In this pic you can spot the MXR live delay (M206) next to the Boss DD
In the photo, Beck's Boss DD-5 Digital Delay pedal is visible. Although both the DD-3 and DD-5 models have two inputs, the DD-5 is identifiable by its stereo output, which is shown here.
Used on vocals for Morning Phase, as stated in this May 4, 2014 Audio Technology interview with mix engineer Tom Elmhirst.
On lead vocals, Elmhirst used a Neve 1081 with a high pass at 82Hz and a little cut at 15kHz, an Altec A322C tube compressor and Pultec EQP-1A3.
Used on vocals for Morning Phase, as stated in this May 4, 2014 Audio Technology interview with mix engineer Tom Elmhirst.
On lead vocals, Elmhirst used a Neve 1081 with a high pass at 82Hz and a little cut at 15kHz, an Altec A322C tube compressor and Pultec EQP-1A3.
This is a community-built gear list for Beck.
- Find relevant music gear like Microphones, Guitars, Amplifiers, Effects Pedals, Software Plugins and VSTs, Keyboards and Synthesizers, Instruments, and other instruments and add it to Beck.
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Discography
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