Jerry Cantrell

Jerry Cantrell’s main guitar of choice is the G&L Rampage. “They’ve always felt really right to me,” Cantrell says at (2:35). “You know, it’s based off of a, kind of a Eddie Van Halen model almost, you know, kind of a wider flatter neck with, you know, with a single pickup and single volume knob and a tremolo system.”

For his tribute model, G&L made some modifications. According to Cantrell, at (3:41), the guitar “is based off of the original design with a couple of things that I modded. One was putting a Floyd Rose nut at the locking nut because the mechanism they used back in the mid-80s was just terrible. I mean it just broke, and it was weak. It never really held… We changed the pickup out...It was a Jeff Beck. This is actually a motor city, I think, pickup right now, and the tremolo systems were also flattened down and on top of the body, but when you took the tremolo down, you know, the E would pop out of the saddle quite a bit, so what I do was kind of sync and countersync it, and give it a little bit more attention on that nut to keep that string in the saddle.”

He continues at (4:05), saying “] So they’re in the process of putting that out, and I think they’ve done a really good job of that, and I know it’s been reviewed a couple times, and I think people are really digging it, you know. It’s not a super high-end guitar and it’s just kind of a meat and potato solid guitar. It’s made out of a hard rock, rock maple and neck. It’s got an ebony fretboard and the body I believe is maple as well.”

In addition to the G&L guitars, Cantrell plays a Gibson Les Paul Custom. “You know, pretty much within key to my sound all along,” he says at (3:09). “I play them both, depending on the song.”

You can also see Jerry using this Les Paul live here

Jerry Cantrell plays a Guild JF-55 on his band’s live album, Alice in Chains "MTV Unplugged,” performed on July 30, 1996.

In a live performance of "Would?" on Jools Holland in 1993, Jerry Cantrell is seen using an Ernie Ball Music Man Axis. Cantrell received two Ernie Ball Music Man EVH guitars from Eddie Van Halen—one blue and one Gold Top. Unfortunately, the Gold Top was later stolen. For more details, Cantrell discusses these guitars in an interview with Total Guitar.

Jerry Cantrell talks about his signature "Blue Dress" guitar, featuring the artwork of Alain Aslan, from G&L in this video.

Jerry Cantrell is seen with a 1992 Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite in Translucent Black, featuring a mahogany top and back with a Chromyte insert, as evidenced by a user-uploaded photo.

Jerry Cantrell began experimenting with the Gibson SG Standard a couple of years ago, as noted in Groundguitar's overview of his gear.

Jerry Cantrell is using the PRS SC 245 in the video

Jerry Cantrell has been known to use a 1966 Fender Telecaster in white, as evidenced by various images available through a Google search. While the specific guitar in the picture isn't a Fender, Cantrell is recognized for his use of Telecasters.

In a photo from Glidemagazine, Jerry Cantrell is seen performing with a Gibson Flying V 2018 in Aged Cherry at KAABOO Del Mar.

Alice in Chains guitarist-songwriter Jerry Cantrell graces the cover of Guitar World’s October issue, along with his G6131MY-CS Custom Shop Malcolm Young “Salute” Jet™.

Inside the issue is a lengthy interview with Cantrell as he discusses the band’s approach to writing recently released sixth album Rainier Fog.

“I throw a ton of shit up against the wall, and then I pick out the best pieces and string them together,” said Cantrell of his writing style. “I’m actually much more of a writer than I am a free-form-solo guy.”

The recording process for Rainier Fog planted Alice in Chains in familiar soil. The majority of the album was recorded at Studio X in Seattle, the same studio that produced the band’s 1995 self-titled album.

“It’s nice being home,” shared Cantrell. “We are good wherever we record, but Studio X is a part of our story. It’s the hometown [studio].”

Cantrell also found a match with his new Malcolm Young Salute Jet.

“My buddy Mike Tempesta (Artist Relations) got me one of those Gretsch Malcolm Young tribute replicas; I use that on ‘Maybe,’ and I think on ‘Fly’ and one or two other songs,” said Cantrell. “That guitar has great fucking tone.”

Visit newsstands to pick up your issue or subscribe online here, and check here for tour dates.

The G&L Tribute Rampage is Jerry Cantrell's signature model guitar. It can be seen in this ad.

In the YouTube video titled "Alice in Chains - Sea of Sorrow (Original version) HD" by NERO, Jerry Cantrell is seen playing an ESP M-II FR electric guitar. This rare footage from the 1990s showcases Cantrell's exceptional talent, highlighting his preference for ESP guitars. While I couldn't find an image of the specific ESP M-II model with a white finish and rosewood fingerboard featured in the video, I am including a current model for reference. As a fan of ESP-LTD and Jerry Cantrell's work, this discovery is particularly exciting.

Jerry Cantrell can be seen holding his signature model Rampage guitar from G&L in this ad.

Here is the product description from G&L's website. "Rampage shares the originals Soft Maple body, sleek Hard Rock Maple neck with Ebony fingerboard and Kahler 2320 vibrato. While the early Rampage had locking nut designed by Leo Fender, Jerry modded his necks to fit a beefier Floyd Rose locking nut. The Rampage Jerry Cantrell has the shelf for the Floyd Rose nut engineered in for greater stability and sustain. What's more, the Kahler vibrato is slightly recessed into the body, allowing lower action than those early Rampages. Then there's the pickup. Early Rampages came equipped with a Schaller humbucker, but the Rampage Jerry Cantrell model has one of Jerry's favorite humbuckers, a Seymour Duncan JB which pairs spectacularly with the Soft Maple body."

This guitar was most likely one of his first electric guitars, built by Jerry himself sometime in the early 80s. According to an interview he gave to GuitarWorld Magazine in 2014, Jerry worked at the Boogie Bodies shop and was offered to pick out one of the Boogie necks that the owner (Lynn Ellsworth) prepared to send to Eddie Van Halen.

Rest of the guitar Jerry allegedly built himself using instructions given to him by Lynn. He built the body in his high-school wood shop class,which included drilling all the holes and adding contours to the body. The hardware that he used is unfortunately a mystery, but it based of the pictures he used a single humbucker placed in the bridge pickup cavity, a Kahler tremolo system, and a locking nut.

According the June 1998 Guitar World interview "Jerry Cantrell Unchained" by Marc Weingarten, Cantrell dubbed the guitar "EMBO" and used for "Cut You In":

GW: There are some really interesting departures for you on this record. 'Cut You In', for example, is almost like a samba, but it has that bizarre, inverted riff.

Cantrell: I was pretty hammered when I wrote that tune – I just started humming this thing I had in my head, and I grabbed this guitar I made in high school – it's a white Strat that I call EMBO, which stands for Eat My Butt Out. Anyway, I grabbed the guitar and wrote it in about 20 to 30 minutes.

In the Guitar World video titled "The Ultimate Alice in Chains Guitar Lesson," Jerry Cantrell discusses his G&L Rampage "No War," highlighting its significance as his second Rampage guitar.

In an Instagram post, Jerry Cantrell shared his experience performing at Rock Im Park, where he used his Gibson Explorer Electric Guitar.

****** i only noticed after the fact of entering this that there was already another one including the same picture so apologies!******

I just wanted to update this as i saw members had posted a generic white Strat photo.

Here is what is stated on the website www.groundguitar.com:

https://www.groundguitar.com/jerry-cantrell-gear/

This guitar was most likely one of his first electric guitars, built by Jerry himself sometime in the early 80s. According to an interview he gave to GuitarWorld Magazine in 2014, Jerry worked at the Boogie Bodies shop and was offered to pick out one of the Boogie necks that the owner (Lynn Ellsworth) prepared to send to Eddie Van Halen. Rest of the guitar Jerry allegedly built himself using instructions given to him by Lynn. He built the body in his high-school wood shop class,which included drilling all the holes and adding contours to the body. The hardware that he used is unfortunately a mystery, but it based of the pictures he used a single humbucker placed in the bridge pickup cavity, a Kahler tremolo system, and a locking nut.

The guitar was most famously used in the Them Bones video. Jerry still has it, although he never used/uses it live at least according to what we’ve were able to learn.

can be seen at the 8-9 second mark.

During the credits of this interview with Gibson, Jerry Cantrell can be seen playing a Gibson Hummingbird.

I was at an Alice in Chains/KoRn show at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA on August 9, 2019. Jerry Cantrell brought this guitar out for songs like 'Check My Brain' as seen in the video link.

In this interview from Gibson, Jerry Cantrell talks about his cousin Kyle’s guitar as the first electric he had.

This guitar was so beat up, it had like two strings on it. Like the action, strings were like this far off the fretboard. I think it was called a Victoria. A Victoria guitar, and it looked like a bastardized kind of mustang or whatever, with kind of a weird headstock.

Appears only in the " What the Hell Have I " Music video

Jerry Cantrell frequently uses the Dean Michael Schenker Retro guitar, as evidenced by images found through Google.

In this video interview with Gibson, Jerry Cantrell discusses how he traded in his first guitar to buy a Hamer V.

... my first real guitar, which was like a Hamer V, or something like that. A brown Hamer V.

In 2021, Jerry Cantrell got his signature model from Gibson Custom Shop, which is based on his Les Paul Custom he calls "Wino":

As passionate as Cantrell is about his musical craft, his fondness for guitars must be a close second. He takes time to talk shop and discuss his recent collaboration with the Gibson Custom Shop: The Jerry Cantrell ‘Wino’ Les Paul Custom. Made to replicate Cantrell’s iconic Les Paul Custom, all 100 of these Wine Red, handmade and hand-signed guitars sold out in a single day. “The first guitar I ever wanted was a Les Paul and I didn’t get it, but now I do!”, Cantrell says, recalling Christmas in eighth grade when his request for one went unanswered.

At 2:52 of the linked video, Jerry uses the G&L ASAT HH Cherryburst tele model albeit with a maple fretboard.

Jerry often uses this guitar for No Excuses. For example he also used it on his solo tour in 2022.

Used on every Alice in Chains record up to at least 2009, as stated in this June 1998 Guitar World interview and in this December 2009 Guitar World interview.

Guitar World, June 1998, "Jerry Cantrell Unchained" by Mac Weingarten

GW: Tell me about the gear you used to record the album.

Cantrell: A lot of it was the same stuff I used with Alice. The Peavey 5150 head that Eddie Van Halen gave to me, a lot of Marshalls, some Fenders, Soldanos – a bunch of different amps. We just switched it up based on what the song called for. We used a lot of old Rat pedals, and an Electro-Harmonix distortion on 'Jesus Hands'. We also used some vintage crappy mikes on a bunch of stuff. [Producer] Toby Wright used this mic he bought for $20 at a pawn shop on 'Keep The Light On'.

GW: How about guitars?

Cantrell: Pretty much the same guitars I used on the Alice records: the G&L Rampage, the '52 Goldtop Les Paul, some old Strats and Teles. I bought Nancy Wilson's Les Paul Jr. and used that a lot on the record. I've got a new Fifties-era Les Paul that Gibson sent me that I really like a lot. On certain songs, I mixed up the guitars. Like on Dickeye, I had the Goldtop on the left channel, and the white Les Paul reissue on the right.

Guitar World, December 2009, "Jerry Cantrell: Facelift)" by Andy Aledort (published online on January 5, 2010)

G&L Rampage guitars have shaped the sound of every Alice in Chains record. Now the once-discontinued model returns as a Jerry Cantrell signature guitar, complete with a spruced-up feature set.

As the creator of such crushing grunge rock masterpieces as “Man in the Box,” “We Die Young,” “Would?” and “Them Bones,” Alice in Chains guitarist/singer/songwriter Jerry Cantrell is well-known for his distinctive sound and playing style. Part of that signature tone originates from his unique choice of ax: his 1985 G&L Rampage. But the journey that led Cantrell to this particular guitar was circuitous.

[...]

Cantrell discovered a burgeoning hard rock/metal scene in Dallas and, especially, in Houston, where his favorite club, Cardy’s, featured early incarnations of Pantera. The guitarist soon landed a job at Arnold & Morgan Music, a store in Dallas. “We could just smoke pot and play guitars all day long,” Cantrell says. “It was a really great job for a 19-year-old kid.”

One of his buddies at the shop had a Rampage, and Cantrell fell in love with it right away. “From the very first time I picked it up and played it, it just felt right to me,” he says. “It was designed to blend the playability and high-end sound of a Strat with the darkness and full-bodied sound of a Les Paul.” Though some Rampage guitars were built with bodies of ash or poplar, “my Rampage is an all-maple guitar,” Cantrell says. “The neck is hard rock maple, and the body is maple, too. Also, it has one pickup with one volume knob. I’ve never had the need for a lot of knobs or switches, so the design has suited my needs perfectly.”

Cantrell’s primary Rampage is tuned to what he calls “standard Alice in Chains tuning”: standard tuning one half step down (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb). A second Rampage that he purchased shortly after he acquired the first is in drop D tuning down one half step (Db Ab Db Gb Bb Eb).

On the new AIC album, Black Gives Way to Blue, Jerry combines the Rampages with his other main ax: the infamous white Les Paul with burn marks all over the front. “I had a lot of fun with a torch for a couple of days,” Jerry says with a laugh, “burning a design into the face of that white Les Paul. For just about all of the Alice in Chains records, my guitar sound has been a combination of that Les Paul with the G&L.”

[...]

Cantrell fans will be happy to learn that the guitarist has teamed with G&L to create a Jerry Cantrell Signature Rampage. Cantrell says, “The signature model will feature a few tweaks I came up with simply because some elements of the original design were weak. The locking mechanism at the nut was basically just a couple of plates that clamped down, but they would snap off every time you put pressure on them. So I replaced the nut with a Floyd Rose, which is a lot sturdier and more stable.”

He also modified the pickup, replacing the original Schaller pickup with a Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck model. “In addition,” Cantrell says, “the guitar came stock with a Kahler tremolo system, and the low E string would fall out of the saddle when you pushed the tremolo bar all the way down. The solution was to countersink the tremolo, which put more tension on the strings and kept the E string sitting securely in the saddle.” While many guitar players have shown a preference for Floyd Rose trems, “that never really worked for me because I’m a very heavy-handed rhythm player,” Cantrell says. “Whenever I’d mute with a Floyd, I’d always push down too hard and inadvertently raise the pitch of the strings. That doesn’t happen with the Kahler.”

One of the most striking elements of Cantrell’s Rampage guitars is his custom artwork, which includes two stickers bearing the word “rock.” Cantrell says, “Some of the Cantrell Signature guitars will be released looking like mine did when I first bought it, and a limited run will be weathered to look as close as possible to the way mine look now.”

As you can probably guess, Cantrell remains as dedicated as ever to his original Rampage guitars. “I’ve bought plenty of other Rampages over the years, but the original two are still my favorites,” he says. “They are heard on every record that I’ve ever done, and they are the guitars that I play the most.”

In the music video for "Would?," Jerry Cantrell is seen playing a Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite, as evidenced by an image from the video.

During the performance of "My Song" at The Moore Theatre, Jerry Cantrell is clearly seen playing his Epiphone Jerry Cantrell Les Paul Custom Prophecy Electric Guitar - Bone White. This is documented in the video titled "Jerry Cantrell’s Hometown Show at The Moore Theatre – Full Concert in 4K" by Nigelpoll on YouTube, at the timestamp of 50:05.

In a video titled "Grind - alice in chains - august 13 2022" by Ivan Stevenson on YouTube, Jerry Cantrell is clearly seen using a Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s Gold Top.