Billy Strings

In this instragram post, Billy shows his double pick guard 1948 Martin D-28 as he purchases it from Bryan Sutton.

Well, my grandpa literally built it in prison. He was incarcerated from 1960 to 1962 at the Michigan State Penitentiary. He was a nonviolent offender, so he had access to the woodshop and he came out of there with this electric guitar he’d built. He made it out of a cedar table [laughs]. The tabletop became the body and a leg became the neck with a Gibson acoustic fretboard. It might’ve been a functional guitar at some point, but it didn’t have a truss rod, so when he put steel strings on it, the neck bowed and that was it. I first saw it when I was five or six, snooping around my grandma’s closet. A few years ago I remembered it, so I called my mom and she told me my uncle Bill had the guitar. It was in pieces, so we had to do a complete restoration. Dave Johnson, who works at Carter Vintage and has his own brand, Scale Model Guitars, did the work. (Read about the restoration process done by Dave Johnson who now owns and operates Scale Model Guitars in Nashville.)

At 1:45 in this video, Billy talks about how he amplifies his acoustic on stage. "There's a K&K pickup here, which I blend with this microphone. (...) There's three little transducers under there, I think, kinda just glued to the bridgeplate."

According to Premier Guitar's 2019 interview with Strings, he uses the D'Addario EJ17 Phosphor Bronze Guitar Strings.

Before becoming an endorser of Preston Thompson Guitars, Billy played a 2009 Roy Noble Dreadnought with mahogany back and sides. This guitar features in many of his earliest videos online, including the video linked here.

Use in his instagram post from 11/11/25

In this video, Billy can be seen with his mahogany Preston Thompson dreadnaught. The following article from Bluegrass Today details how he acquired the guitar as part of an endoresment deal: https://bluegrasstoday.com/billy-strings-endorses-thompson-guitars/

At 4:15 in the video, Billy talks about his strings and setup. "D'Addario EXP Phosphor Bronze Mediums. They're 13 through 56, yeah medium guage. They're good for the bluegrass because I play so hard."

In this video Billy talks about locating (and eventually re-purchasing) the Martin D-93 that his dad, Terry Barber, owned during Billy's childhood but was forced to sell during tough financial times.

Billy does not currenlty tour or record with this guitar, as he gave it back to his dad after purchasing it. Terry can be seen playing it alongside Billy in several videos (check out here and here).

The origional For Sale thread on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum can be found here; you can even see Billy's replies to the listing and discussion with the guitar's seller. This guitar is also discussed by Strings in his Premier Guitar interview.

When I was 10 or 11, money got really tough for the family. We lost our power and hot water, and paying bills was a real struggle, and the only thing left in the house worth anything was that D-93. So, my dad decided to take the guitar back to Elderly so we could eat and turn the utilities back on. I wanted the guitar to stay in the family longer than he or I would be around. The day he sold it was a tragedy at our home. Years went by and even though I had no cash, I started looking around on the internet for an acoustic to pick with my dad again. I was window-shopping on this unofficial Martin forum and I saw my dad’s guitar! My jaw hit the floor. It had my dad’s wear down by the pickguard, the exact wear on the fretboard—I knew those markings like a roadmap of my childhood. I sent its current owners, Joe and Marla Singleton—bless their hearts—a really long email. As I was writing it, I was crying on the keyboard. I pleaded to Joe not to sell the guitar to anybody but me because it was my dad’s guitar, and we sold it out of hardship seven or eight years ago. He responded that he had three interested buyers on eBay, and he was skeptical that I wasn’t just some punk 17-year-old talking shit on the internet. Thankfully, his wife Marla stepped in and said, “If this kid is telling the truth, you gotta give him a shot.” He relented and we agreed on $700 for three consecutive months. I was living in Michigan, so I was taking back beer cans and pop bottles for 10 cents. I was selling weed, I was cutting grass—I did anything I could to make money. I took the original case to my parents’ house and set it on the table. My dad thought it was a prank—he told me “to get that fucking thing out of the house.” He eventually worked up the nerve to pull the guitar out and he started playing “John Deere Tractor” by Larry Sparks. His mom loved that song. My mom, my brother, and I all cried our eyes out while he played it. It was really special—that was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.

In this video, Billy can be seen playing his Brazilian Rosewood dreadnaught from Preston Thompson Guitars. At 0:43 you can see that his guitar has heringbone inlays around the body (as opposed to abalone, which would be found on the Delux Rosewood model). Billy's guitar sports an upgraded sunburst finish and headstock inlay from the base model.

In another video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghx9UqKYI18) you can see Billy picking up his guitar from the Preston Thompson shop in Sisters, Oregon. At about 4:15 you can see Billy point out the customization that was done for the guitar's headstock inlay.

At 9:14 in the video, the shot of Billy's pedalboard shows his Chase Bliss Wombtone phaser. "I would say that the thing that I really love, and probably use the most during our crazy pyschadelic parts of the show is the Wombtone."

Premier Guitar interview

I like to make things real weird and stay away from subtle, so I’d say my Chase Bliss Wombtone phaser. Its tone sounds like a Leslie being played right outside a womb [laughs]. With its DIP switches, I can manipulate the rate, or any parameter, with an expression pedal. That lets me slowly ramp things up or down as I go in and out of solos. Plus, I really enjoy playing my acoustic through a tube amp for some distortion. It can get gnarly!

At 9:14 in the video, the shot of Billy's pedalboard shows his Strymon Lex. More info: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/29250-rig-rundown-billy-strings

This pedal is mentioned in 2019 Premier Guitar interview.

At 9:14 in the video, the shot of Billy's pedalboard shows his Grace DI pedal.

"I should tell ya, my Grace DI has been modded. I had them make... So I have an input, and there's a DI out. There's also a 1/4 inch out... Usually what would happen, if I press this mute button it would mute the 1/4 inch out as well. I had Grace make this one special so it bypasses the mute, so that it's for my tuner. So whenever I'm muted, my tuner's still on. And then I come out of the tuner into this volume pedal, then it goes out of the volume pedal into a Brothers stage. Then I have an EQ and then that goes into the Fender amp."

More info: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/29250-rig-rundown-billy-strings

This pedal is mentioned in 2019 Premier Guitar interview.

For specific songs/effects Billy uses a silverface Delux Reverb. This amplifier is mentioned in 2019 Premier Guitar interview.

In a facebook live stream, Billy answers a question in the chat by telling us what pick he uses, and holding it up to the camera: Blue Chip TP 48. This is also the pick used by Bryan Sutton (no coincidence).

According to Premier Guitar's 2019 interview with Strings, he uses the Digitech Polara Reverb.

Onstage, I like using the EHX Micro POG to create an atmospheric bed—a single drone that’s held by the Freeze—and then I’ll riff over that as I lead into or out of a song. I look at pedals not as crutches, but creative, inspiring tools.

In this video, Billy strings is seen playing a Fender American Acoustasonic Stratocaster.

I have three channels for the guitar in the live mix. I have an Audio-Technica 350 lavalier mic taped on the lip of the soundhole that sends a pure signal to my in-ear monitors.

In this video, Billy Strings can be seen at the Preston Thompson guitar shop discussing and playing his signature model guitar.

At 9:14 in the video, the shot of Billy's pedalboard shows his Eventide H9. Describing his love for versatile pedals, Billy says, "The Eventide, that thing is just a workstation."

More info: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/29250-rig-rundown-billy-strings

This pedal is mentioned in 2019 Premier Guitar interview.

According to Premier Guitar's 2019 interview with Strings, he uses the BlueChip TD55.

I’m going to be checking out the new Fender Smolder acoustic overdrive pedal. It’s specifically designed for acoustic overdrive. Fender called me, saying, “We know you do that.” Right now, when I have the overdrive engaged, the guitar will simply feed back if I take my hands off. I’ve gotten used to dealing with it, but I’m very interested in that acoustic overdrive.

At 9:14 in the video, the shot of Billy's pedalboard shows his EHX Pitchfork. "The other expression pedal I have here is used for the Pitchfork."

More info: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/29250-rig-rundown-billy-strings

This pedal is mentioned in 2019 Premier Guitar interview.

In this video with Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings plays the Acoustasonic Telecaster from Fender.

At 9:14 in the video, the shot of Billy's pedalboard shows his Planet Waves tuner pedal. More info: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/29250-rig-rundown-billy-strings

This pedal is mentioned in 2019 Premier Guitar interview.

At 9:14 in the video, the shot of Billy's pedalboard shows his Source Audio Nemesis delay. "I love the Nemesis Delay by Source Audio. That thing's just got so many options." More info: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/29250-rig-rundown-billy-strings

This pedal is mentioned in 2019 Premier Guitar interview.

According to Premier Guitar's 2019 interview with Strings, he uses the Boss GE-7 EQ pedal.

According to Premier Guitar's 2019 interview with Strings, he uses the Whirlwind Micmute PT.

According to Premier Guitar's 2019 interview with Strings, he uses the Dunlop DVP3 Pedal.