Mick Mars

Mick Mars plays a 1962 Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar in Fiesta Red, white pickguard, and a rosewood fingerboard. He has had it refretted, but otherwise maintains it is in great condition.

Mick Mars owns a 1965 Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar in a black finish, a white pickguard and rosewood fingerboard, complete with tremolo arm installed.

Mick Mars acquired a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar, but has admitted to it not being 100% stock.

Mick Mars owns a 1951 Fender Esquire Electric Guitar, completely stock. Mars' Esquire is a butterscotch (or perhaps natural) finish, with a black pickguard and maple neck.

This Fender Strat was pieced together from 1963, '64, and '65 parts. Mick Mars purchased it in 1987 while Mötley Crüe was on the Girls, Girls, Girls tour. This modified Stratocaster also has J.M. Rolph pickups and a Floyd Rose vibrato.

A 1969 Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar in Olympic White finish is part of Mick Mars' collection. He is of the opinion that Stratocasters with the transition logo and larger headstock tend to sound better (transition logo graphic and explanation courtesy of Mr. Smith).

Mick Mars own a stock 1965 reverse Gibson Firebird III Electric Guitar, standard tobacco sunburst finish.

A 1964 Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar (Shoreline Gold finish, rosewood neck, fully stock) is part of Mick Mars' collection. He has said he began collecting stock Strats after he bought the pieced-together modified Strat in '87.

"Literally hundreds of instruments passed through his hands in the Eighties alone, from the trusty black 1972 Les Paul Custom that he used to record the band’s early albums to various Kramers, Charvels and Hamers in every imaginable shape." - Guitar World.

"These days, Mars may be an avowed Fender player, but he still appreciates classic Gibsons, like the Les Paul Custom he played during Mötley Crüe’s early days. At one time he owned three sunburst Les Paul Standards—two 1959s and a 1960—but he currently owns just one 1960 Les Paul Standard, which was a relatively recent replacement for the ones he was forced to sell." - Guitar World.

One of three types of guitars Mick uses is a PRS CE-22 according to Guitar Geek.

He uses a 1964 version.

Mick can be seen in this video using a B.C. Rich warlock with a trem

Throughout the earlier years of Crue, specifically through the Girls Girls Girls era, Mars could be seen weilding an assortment of Kramer guitars. Most prodominantly a pair of Kramer Tele guitars with tits painted on the back of them and reading Girls Girls Girls across the top. He would also use a version of the Kramer Tele with a mirror plating.

Mick used a Gibson Flying V on the Shout at the Devil Tour (photo here). He also appears on Guitar magazine's August 1984 issue with the same guitar model.

Mick can be seen playing the Kramer is the Smokin’ in The Boys Room music video and in Kramer guitar magazines from the 1980’s

The headstocks if some of Micks guitars are shown in a shot from a video he did with Ernie Ball and you can see the distinctive headstock of an Ernie Ball Music Man guitar (which I believe is a cutlass).

As told in his interview to Premier Guitar.

As told in his interview to VINTAGE Guitar.

As told in his interview to Vintage Guitar.

"My cabinets are Marshalls with Celestion Vintage 30s. To my ear, I put them against the greenbacks, and the old greenbacks are cool for what they are, but for what I’m doing with my rig, these sound better."

As told in his interview to Vintage Guitar.

In the studio he blends amps: “I use a Vox AC30, a Hiwatt and a Marshall, and hook them all togtether. This is old-school, using all the tones from each different amp and using them [in] different combinations. Pro Tools plugins don’t sound the same.”

"The Soldanos are SLO-100 Super Lead Overdrives. And I use the Rivera Bonehead to bring out low-end. I use the heads with VHT and Crest power amps. My cabinets are Marshalls with Celestion Vintage 30s. To my ear, I put them against the greenbacks, and the old greenbacks are cool for what they are, but for what I’m doing with my rig, these sound better." - Mick Mars Vintage Guitar Magazine - Article by Lisa Sharken

This article originally appeared in VG‘s September 2009 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Mick uses a Dunlop Wah Wah according to this Guitar Geek diagram.

Mick uses this talk box according to Guitar Geek.

He modded them to distort by winding them more so he wouldn't need a distortion pedal.

"I've taken some of the old Gibson T-Top pickups and re-wound them to be hotter, probably between 14 and 16 ohm output to drive them more so I don't have to have a distortion pedal. It naturally overdrives the amp and I get a nice fat sound. I've put a Floyd Rose on it as well. I wouldn't need a pedal." - Mick Mars