Kim Gordon

Sonic Youth's website states, about this Ibanez Talman used by Kim Gordon:

"Used by Kim/Thurston: 1999-2009 1999 -- F#F#GGAA (probably -- THURSTON) & DADGGB (Lightnin' - KIM) 2000 -- DADGGB (Lightnin' - KIM) 2001 -- DADGGB (Lightnin' - KIM) 2002 -- EBEGGB (Plastic Sun - KIM) 2003 -- EBEGGB (Plastic Sun - KIM) 2004 -- EBEGGB (Plastic Sun - KIM) 2009 -- CDGADG (Malibu Gas Station - KIM) NOTES:

Purchased immediately after the gear theft in July 1999, this was originally played by Thurston during the remainder of the July gigs, then used by Kim for "Lightnin". She seemed to favour it during her solo SYR5 gigs, too. Resurrected for an oddball tuning (yes, "ADG" are all tuned up!) on 'Malibu Gas Station' in 2009, Bigsby now removed. Gold finish 2 soapbars Rosewood fretboard Tortoise pickguard 2 knobs 1 slider Bigsby style tremolo (added) Gauges for CDGADG = .052 .042 .026 .017 .014 .012 Listed as "IBANZ" on 2000 set lists. Listed as "ibanez" on 2002 set lists."

In this picture from Sonic Youth's website we can see this picture of Kim's pedalboard.

Bottom right of Kim's pedalboard you can see an Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer Effects Pedal. Source.

On Sonic Youth's website it says:

"Used by Kim/Jim: 1992-2006 1992 -- DEGDBB (Swimsuit Issue) 2001 -- EEBBF#F# (Sympathy for the Strawberry) 2002 -- EEBBF#F# (Sympathy for the Strawberry - KIM) (Eric's Trip, Shadow of a Doubt - JIM) 2003 -- EEBBF#F# (Sympathy for the Strawberry - KIM) (Eric's Trip, Shadow of a Doubt - JIM) 2004 -- GGDDD#D# (Pattern Recognition, Dude Ranch Nurse, Mariah Carey... - KIM) 2005 -- GGDDD#D# (Pattern Recognition, Dude Ranch Nurse - KIM) 2006 -- GGDDD#D# (Pattern Recognition - KIM) NOTES:

I had no idea, but apparently Kim was using this guitar way back in 1992! Definitely seen at November and December 1992 gigs, instead of the 'Snoopy' Les Paul for "Swimsuit Issue". Shared by Kim and Jim on the Murray Street tour. Tuning altered to GDD# for Nurse tunes, Kim's first use of SY's oldest remaining tuning! "Mariah" may have been in EEBBF#F#. Sunburst finish 1 pickup Rosewood fretboard 1 toggle switch 2 knobs Peace sign sticker Listed on 2002 sets as "peace jr". Listed on 2004 sets as "lp jr"."

In this live image of Sonic Youth, you can see Kim using an Mu-Tron Wah.

An Boss PH-2 Super Phaser Guitar Effects Pedal can be seen in this image from Sonic Youth's site.

used it live here - inbetween a ehx bass microsynth and keeley red-dirt od

In this picture from Sonic Youth's website we can see that this Whirlwind Selector A/B Box was used by Kim, we can even see that her name is written on it.

In this image you can see Kim's Boss DD-3 Digital Delay Pedal. Source.

This image, taken on July 14th, 2006 @ the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA shows that Kim used an Ibanez AD9 Analog Delay. Source.

Kim used a Radial Engineering ProDI Passive Direct Box around 2009 per Sonic Youth's official site.

This appears to be a vintage version of Sitori Sonics' Brownies and Cream Effects Pedal. Source.

i was there and saw her use it live. in between a medical pedal co. fake news and a deluxe vintage memory man.

During a live performance with Body/Head at IMMA, Dublin, Kim Gordon used the Electro-Harmonix Bass Micro Synth XO in her pedal chain, positioned between an EarthQuaker Devices Hummingbird and a Medical Pedal Co. Fake News. This setup is visible in the YouTube video by Alex Oliveira.

Used from 1998 to 1999 on songs like "Anagrama" and "Wildflower", as specified on Sonic Youth's official website's equipment page for Gordon.

1998

• Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes
• Proco Rat
• tc electronics Phase Shifter
• MXR Blue Box
• Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz *Arion Stage Tuner
• D.I. box
• Dyna Soar homemade distortion (see "other")

Thanks to the now defunct original SY supersite evol.org, I can provide you with some photographs of SY's effects gear from the '98 "A Thousand Leaves" tour, specifically the 5/21/98 Portland, OR gig. Many thanks to Michael McCullough for taking these.

• Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes
• Blue Box, tc electronics Phaser, Dyna Soar, Hendrix Octave Fuzz, Turbo Rat
• Dyna Soar & Hendrix Octave Fuzz
• Turbo Rat
• Hot Tubes, DI Box, Arion Stage Tuner
• Blue Box, tc electronics Phaser

1999

• Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes
• MXR Blue Box
• MXR Phase 90
• Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz
• ProCo Turbo Rat
• Electro Harmonix Micro Synth (re-issue)
• Dyna Soar Distortion Pedal (see "other")

(...) Dyna Soar distortion pedal -- this small homemade fuzzbox was reportedly loud enough to blow up an amplifier, so Kim began using it as a slide on songs like "Anagrama" and "Wildflower".

Here you can see Kim's Moog MF-103 Moogerfooger 12 Stage Phaser. Source.

You can see from this image that Kim uses an Ernie Ball Volume pedal. Source.

Used by Kim: 1992-2001

1992 -- DEGDBB (Swimsuit Issue, Wish Fulfillment, On The Strip, Creme Brulee) 1993 -- DEGDBB (Swimsuit Issue, Wish Fulfillment, On The Strip, Creme Brulee) 1995 -- BEGDBB (Becuz, Junkie's Promise, Saucer-Like, Washing Machine, Unwind, No Queen Blues, Bone) 1996 -- BEGDBB (Becuz, Junkie's Promise, Saucer-Like, Washing Machine, Unwind, No Queen Blues, Bone) 1997 -- CGGDDD (Anagrama, Ineffable Me, Wildflower, Stil, Heather Angel, Hoarfrost, French Tickler) 1998 -- CGGDDD (Anagrama, Ineffable Me, Wildflower, Stil, Heather Angel, Hoarfrost, French Tickler) 1999 -- CGGDDD (Anagrama, Ineffable Me, Wildflower, Stil, Heather Angel, Hoarfrost, French Tickler)

NOTES:

Kim began using this mid-70s Gibson Les Paul Special in 1992, and it was her main live guitar from then until its theft in July 1999. Gauges: .052 .048 .042 .026 .020 .020 (DEGDBB) Tobacco sunburst finish 2 pickups Rosewood fretboard 1 toggle (taped up) 4 knobs Black pickguard "Snoopy" sticker Serial # -- 503202 Listed as "SNOOPY" on '98/'99 set lists.

In a live performance at IMMA, Dublin, Kim Gordon used the Radial Twin-City Active ABY Amp Switch, as seen in a video by Alex Oliveira on YouTube.

also used here, along with the minifooger mf-trem

Sonic Youth lists on their official site that Kim uses a TU-2 tuner.

used here live, along with the minifooger MF-delay

In this Instagram post, Kim shows an unboxing of an Echo Master pedal with the caption of "Psyched to try this !"

This website covers Sonic Youth's September, 1986 interview appearence in Guitar Player Magazine, the article mentions Gordon's use of a .96mm Gibson triangle pick, heavily worn over the corse of one of Sonic Youth's 45-minute live sets:

NOTES

This is a very nice Daydream Nation era piece with several extensive sidebars dedicated to the band's gear, tunings, and even some tablature. The three guitar players are also interviewed together after a show. The article opens with Thurston recording some screams into his Sony walkman to play during the gig while they change guitars. The band discuss their influences, cyberpunk, improvisation and their songwriting process in general.

GEAR MENTIONED

The article mentions many of the guitars used by the band, though often doesn't specify who used them. Thurston is pegged as the bigger supporter of the Jazzmaster, having recently purchased a reissue.

• Fender Jazzmasters (1) (2) (3) (4)

• Fender Jaguar

• Fender Mustangs (1) (2) (3)

• "a pair of identical Telecaster Deluxes" (1) (2)

• Fender Duo-Sonic

• "a Mustang/Telecaster hybrid" (??)

• Strat-style Fernandes

• Univox Plexiglas Dan Armstrong copy

• Quest refitted with Ibanez pickups

• Ovation Viper

• Drifter

• '76 Gibson Thunderbird bass

• Rickenbacker bass

• Ovation bass

LEE: "One thing we hate is locking tremolos. We'd never buy a guitar with that. The Jaguar and Jazzmaster never go out of tune, and the Mustangs are pretty reliable, too. The Jazzmaster pick-ups sound a little thin to my ear, but Thurston somehow manages to get a lot of meat out of them." (Indeed, Lee shied away from the Jazzmaster until he first started putting Tele Deluxe pickups in them in the mid-90s.)

The Drifter, pictured in a promo shot with Daydream Nation under its strings along with the drumstick, is showcased as the "sickest" guitar, explaining that Lee pulled out the frets years ago as a microtonality experiment, and it's now fitted with 4 bass strings and Thurston uses it as his drumstick guitar.

• Peavey Roadmaster Amplifier w/ 4x12 cab (THURSTON)

• Peavey Roadmaster Amplifier w/ 6x10 cab (LEE)

• Fender Super Reverb (blackface) as extension cab (LEE)

• Peavey Encore 65 (THURSTON, to play his Sony Walkman thru onstage)

• Marshall Jubilee Bass Series head w/ Dietz 2x15 cab (KIM)

LEE: "Most Peaveys are horrible but they made that one great series of top-of-the-line six-tube killer-watt amps."

LEE's PEDALS:

• Pro-Co Rat distortion box

• Boss Compressor/Sustainer

• Morley volume pedal

• Fender DGC1 delay (should be DGL-1 digital delay)

THURSTON's PEDALS:

• DeArmond volume pedal

• MXR Blue Box ("just as a goofy thing")

KIM's PEDALS:

• Aria MP-5 Metal Pedal

• Dunlop Cry-Baby wah wah

As in the earlier issue, the band discusses their dislike towards relying on effects, though you can see they're starting to adopt them.

THURSTON: "They just get in the way. I'm more interested in the organic side of sound, like tuning. Pedals are a deviation. If you use them, then you're listening to the effect and not the guitar; they become the dominant factor in the sound."

Both guitarists use medium gauge Jim Dunlop picks (Thurston .60 mm, Lee .88 mm), while Kim uses a Gibson heavy gauge (featured as a gnarled stub in the issue's fold-out poster of famous picks).

Kim Gordon is confirmed to use Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105 strings, as she is listed as a Rotosound artist on their website's "Players" page. This is further supported by images showing the distinctive red silk of Rotosound strings.

During Kim Gordon's live performance at Le Guess Who?, she is observed using a Beyerdynamic M88 as her main microphone, as documented in the YouTube video by Le Guess Who?.