Jorma Kaukonen

Jorma Kaukonen played a Gibson ES-355 electric guitar, identifiable by its split diamond headstock, during the Altamont Speedway Free Festival on December 6, 1969, as shown in a user-uploaded photo.

In the image provided, Jorma Kaukonen is seen playing a 1964 Gibson ES-330 Cherry at the Monterey International Pop Festival with Jefferson Airplane.

Kaukonen acquired Flammang's J-35 in 2020, after one of his students brought the guitar. In an attached blog post, he mentioned that the guitar has a very similar sound to his 1968 Gibson J-50.

LR Baggs' Lyric pickup is mentioned as a part of gear that Kaukonen uses, according to his webiste.

Grace Design's FELIX preamp was mentioned as a part of Kaukonen's gear, according to his website.

Shure SM58 was mentioned as a part of Kaukonen's gear, according to his website.

Kaukonen used Les Paul Standard in Hot Tuna, according to 2012 Guitar World interview.

When I play electric in Hot Tuna, I use two guitars: a Chet Atkins SST with acoustic strings for finger picking and a Gibson Les Paul Standard for rock and roll. Back in the day, the 345 and then the 335 defined my electric sound, but I stumbled onto this Les Paul and I just fell in love with it. It sounds great and it’s nice and light. I’m getting old, what can I tell you?

Kaukonen mentioned Optogate PB-05 in his gear list on his website.

Kaukonen mentioned Audix OM-11 as a part of gear he uses on his website.

Kaukonen mentioned 1967 50W Marshall Plexi amplifier on his website, which is likely the JMP50. The amp was used for Hot Tuna's Last Waltz tour in 2023, according to 2023 Guitar World interview.

Jorma about the amp, (source:)

Moving right along. When it came to live with me it was covered in decaying white tolex and purported to be a metal face. It required some work by Dr. Amp up in Canton to make it functionk. He did the best he could do, but it was really boogered up. I was trying to make it reliable enough to use it full time on the stage with limited success. George Allessandro the high end amp builder in Philly came to see us play… he’s a buddy of Jacks. Anyway, he was appalled at the condition of the amp. Turns out he’s one of the leading classic Marshall amp guys in the world. He took it back to his shop and under all the junk found it to be a ’67 plexi. He replaced all the tubes, caps and pots with new/old original Marshal parts and recovered the the head with new/old original stuff. It now looks and plays like it did when it left the show room floor in 1967. I’ve got a lot tied up in this old beauty so it is not going gentle into that good night.

Kaukonen mentions the use of 1963 Fender Pro (1x15) on his website. Kaukonen uses it mainly for fingerpicking, and it was a gift from bandmate Jack Casady, according to 2023 Guitar World interview.

Kaukonen mentions Mini Q-Tron on his website.

Kaukonen mentions Hermida Zendrive2 as a pedal used for his Gibson Chet Atkins SST guitars.

Kaukonen mentions Eventide Rose as a pedal used for his Gibson Chet Atkins SST guitars.

Kaukonen mentions Eventide Blackhole as a pedal used for his Gibson Chet Atkins SST guitars.

The pedal was used for Hot Tuna's Last Waltz tour in 2023, according to 2023 Guitar World interview.

I also have an Eventide Blackhole. It’s a really neat reverb pedal. It’s very complex, but it’s got a lot of depth. Sometimes I’ll throw that in the chain, just for texture, because most of the time I don’t need anything at all.

Kaukonen mentions GHS Nickel Rockers (11-52) as his strings of choice.

Mentioned as strings Kaukonen uses on his Gibson Chet Atkins SST guitars, according to Kaukonen's website.

Used on recording Hot Tuna's 2011 album, "Steady as She Goes", according to 2012 Vintage Guitar interview.

I have a Gibson LP-295 I used on the electric stuff where I was fingerpicking, I used a Gibson Chet Atkins SST I’ve had a long time.

Used on Hot Tuna's 2011 album "Steady as She Goes", according to 2012 Vintage Guitar interview.

I have a Gibson LP-295 I used on the electric stuff where I was fingerpicking, I used a Gibson Chet Atkins SST I’ve had a long time.

Mentioned in the 2001 interview with Puremusic.

I'm a Gibson nut. They gave me a factory second Advanced Jumbo a couple of years ago that I really like, and that's all I used for this session. It's a 1936 Advanced Jumbo model, a long scale guitar, which I don't normally play, but this particular guitar I love. This really is unplugged, just microphones, no pickups. Byron had a direct on his upright besides the mics, but that's it. The Gibson guys up in Montana have been talking about the possibility of doing a Jorma model acoustic, which I'm very excited about.

Mentioned in the 2001 interview with Puremusic.

I play the Gibson J-190 acoustic electric fusion guitars on the road. It's a J-185 soft cutaway, arch back, no bracing in the back, a Super 400 neck, but a short scale one. A transducer pickup under the bridge, and a single coil humbucker at the bottom of the neck, with a three way switch. Volume and tone for each pickup, you don't need to read the instructions to play this guitar. It's great for gigging, but we needed an acoustic for this record, of course.

Mentioned in the 2001 interview with Puremusic.

I play the Gibson J-190 acoustic electric fusion guitars on the road. It's a J-185 soft cutaway, arch back, no bracing in the back, a Super 400 neck, but a short scale one. A transducer pickup under the bridge, and a single coil humbucker at the bottom of the neck, with a three way switch. Volume and tone for each pickup, you don't need to read the instructions to play this guitar. It's great for gigging, but we needed an acoustic for this record, of course.

Kaukonen also used this guitar for Homespun's 2010 fingerpicking guitar instruction.

Mentioned in the 2001 interview with Puremusic.

I've been using a Retrospec Tube Direct, unfortunately they went out of business. They still own the patents, and may come back.

Mentioned in the 2001 interview with Puremusic.

I go right into the PA, and I've also been using the Crate Acoustic Amp, the CA112, which I like a lot. G.E.Smith got me hooked on using a little Reverb.

Kaukonen had his signature Epiphone Riviera released in 2002. It was also mentioned in the 2023 Guitar Player interview.

Kaukonen used blue Gibson Starburst Standard on "Embryonic Journey" live at Jefferson Airplane's induction in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

In the comment section of his 2024 blogpost, Kaukonen mentions that he is a user of Dunlop Medium Thumbpicks.

Kaukonen mentioned that he uses Dunlop 025 brass fingerpicks in the comment section of one of his 2024 posts.

Jorma Kaukonen confirms on his official website that he uses the David Flammang J-35 guitar.

On his website, Jorma Kaukonen confirms using the Martin Authentic Lifespan 2.0 Treated Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings Light (12-54) on his acoustic guitars.