Chris Isaak
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Group
Credits
Chris Isaak's Gear
In this picture Isaak can be seen playing his main guitar when it gets electric: a white ES-345 Stereo.
In this interview Isaak says: "There’s a reason I’m playing a Gibson through a Fender blackface Twin. It’s like driving a Chevy – you can get parts anywhere, and it always starts."
- The Blackface Fender amplifiers were produced between 1964 and 1967
Isaak revealed in a 2002 interview with Acoustic Guitar that he uses a one-of-a-kind Gibson: "For my electric, I've got a one-off Gibson version of a Gretsch 6120, a sort of Chet Atkins thing. They made one of these things and gave it to me to see if I liked it, and I liked it so much I've been playing it ever since. People told me they thought it was a White Falcon, but it's not. It's just a white Gibson. I don't think they ever manufactured any of the things. They strung up this one prototype, scratched their heads, and said, 'Huh. Give it to Isaak.'"
"For years, the J-200 has been Chris Isaak’s main guitar for songwriting. Not surprisingly, when he recorded last year’s Sun Records tribute album, Beyond the Sun, he turned to his trusty J-200 to capture that distinctive “Sun” sound. “I’m playing that guitar on about 89 percent of the record,” he told Guitar World, adding that he’s owned his distinctive J-200 since the late ‘80s. 'It’s a great guitar and I play it a lot.'" (http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/10-Great-Players-Who-Chose-J-200s.aspx)
In the video for Blue Hotel, Chris Isaak can be seen playing a Silverstone 1446.
"Epiphone has a couple of guitars that I play in the studio too — the Joe Pass are amazingly nice sounding, but Gibsons are really the ones that hold up." - Isaak to Gibson.com
In this article Isaak talks about his Gibson Super 400: "I played a little show once – I think it was for iTunes – where they said, “Bring a guitar.” I thought, “I’ll bring an electric.” So I brought a funky little Silvertone amp and a little echo box, with my blond ’56 Super 400 (laughs)! Talk about overkill! People are looking at me like, “Uh huh… That’s a nice guitar.” I go, “Yes, it is. You have no idea!” Some people think you shouldn’t play that sort of stuff outside the house. But you know, I’m never going to sell this stuff. And it only comes out boots first!"
"The J-200 I play onstage has my name across the top in mother of toilet seat (pearloid), and I wanted the little guitar to have the same thing – they look like father and son!" - Chris Isaak on vintageguitar.com
According to Shure's artist page, Chris Isaak uses Shure's Beta 98A microphone for his toms.
In the MTV Unplugged performance of "Wicked Game," Chris Isaak uses a Shure Beta 87A microphone.
According to Shure's artist page, Chris Isaak uses Shure's SM57 microphone for his snare, guitar cabinet, and leslie cabinet top.
Chris Isaak seems to be using this microphone at this live version of Wicked Game.
In a photo taken at a concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 15, 2025, Chris Isaak is playing a Gibson Trini Lopez ES-335, distinguished by its sparkly appearance.
This is a community-built gear list for Chris Isaak.
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Discography
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