Page Hamilton

This is Page's main guitar since Helmet's inception in 1989. He has retired it in the 2000's and is now touring with an ESP Custom Shop replica of his 1989 Horizon. Originally tuned to Drop D. Now in Drop C.

"Hamilton plugs into one loud and proud 100-watt Pittbull Ultra-Lead…" reads this rig rundown.

In the video "Helmet - Unsung Live @ Reading ('The Beat' in 1994)," Page Hamilton is seen using a vintage 1970s Orange OR Series head alongside a Marshall head. While the exact model is uncertain, it appears to be either an OR80 or OR120.

In the earlier days of Helmet, Page played a 1986 Marshall JCM800 2204S. A 2204S is just a smaller version of a standard Marshall 2204 JCM800. It seemed to be his main amp from 1990-1995. You can see a good shot of it on 1:26 or 1:39 in this video in 1994.

Page Hamilton uses this guitar on Biscuits for Smut live.

In the photo I provided you can see Page using a PRS Custom 24, I haven’t seen him using them very often but I’ve seen a couple pictures.

"Hamilton runs all of his pedals in front of the amp and controls the rig with a Custom Audio Electronics RS-5 MIDI Foot Controller designed by Bob Bradshaw. The signal starts with a Hello Kitty-modified Fryette Valvulator before going into an MXR Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Overdrive…" states this rig rundown.

We’ve crammed a metric ton of gain into this box… but Page’s workload demands his gear be flexible. So we aimed at covering a wide spectrum of rock to modern metal tones. In order to deliver that flexibility we knew it had to clean up well. Bottom line- the Page Hamilton Signature Distortion is no 1 trick pony. Sweeping through the gain control you’ll come across all shades of vintage and modern distortions, some thick ballsy blues crunch and some good ole fashioned rock and roll overdrive. In addition to the hyper flexible amp-like 3 band EQ the Page Hamilton Distortion features a High Cut toggle switch which gives you the option to select a more modern tone that cuts through the mix or 2 thicker low-end heavy vintage tones.

Gain, Treble, Mids, Bass, and Volume controls High Cut 3 way toggle switch to further customize your tone Operates on a standard 9-18 volt negative tip BOSS style adapter Power draw: 25mA True Hardwire Bypass for noise free operation Stomp switch built to withstand years of hard stomping shows Durable 3.7?x4.7? aluminum housing Proudly built by hand in the USA

In this show in 1992, Page uses a Gibson Les Paul Custom for the song "Sinatra" tuned to Drop C. (They usually tuned to Drop D) Skip to 52:47

At 2:30, Page talks about his second ESP signature model, which is a copy of his original magenta Horizon Custom from 1989.

At 1:30, Page says he uses 10-52 NYXL strings in drop C tuning.

His signature model has Fast Track 1 in the neck position and Air Zone in bridge.

"Hamilton runs all of his pedals in front of the amp and controls the rig with a Custom Audio Electronics RS-5 MIDI Foot Controller designed by Bob Bradshaw. The signal starts with a Hello Kitty-modified Fryette Valvulator before going into an MXR Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Overdrive. From there the signal hits a Real McCoy Custom wah, Eventide TimeFactor, MXR Bass Octave…" states this article.

This rig rundown states that "Hamilton runs all of his pedals in front of the amp and controls the rig with a Custom Audio Electronics RS-5 MIDI Foot Controller designed by Bob Bradshaw. The signal starts with a Hello Kitty-modified Fryette Valvulator before going into an MXR Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Overdrive. From there the signal hits a Real McCoy Custom wah, Eventide TimeFactor, MXR Bass Octave, Boss PS-5 Super Shifter, Boss NS-2 Noise Gate…"

Page Hamilton uses the KHDK No.1 Overdrive pedal, as noted on KHDK Electronics' website.

Page Hamilton uses this guitar in this video.

"Hamilton runs all of his pedals in front of the amp and controls the rig with a Custom Audio Electronics RS-5 MIDI Foot Controller designed by Bob Bradshaw. The signal starts with a Hello Kitty-modified Fryette Valvulator before going into an MXR Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Overdrive. From there the signal hits a Real McCoy Custom wah, Eventide TimeFactor, MXR Bass Octave, Boss PS-5 Super Shifter…"

"Hamilton has been associated with ESP guitars for decades. The love of the ESP Horizon Custom eventually morphed into his own signature model. The current trio of axes on the road are streamlined to a single volume knob, a lone DiMarzio Air Zone (Hamilton removes the neck pickup himself), and either a Wilkinson or Floyd Rose trem."

"Hamilton runs all of his pedals in front of the amp and controls the rig with a Custom Audio Electronics RS-5 MIDI Foot Controller designed by Bob Bradshaw. The signal starts with a Hello Kitty-modified Fryette Valvulator before going into an MXR Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Overdrive. From there the signal hits a Real McCoy Custom wah, Eventide TimeFactor…" states this rig rundown.

ESP released this model for Page in 2006. It features a Wilkinson bridge, Sperzel locking tuners, and DiMarzio Air Zone and Fast Track pickups.

Used by Hamilton around 1994 according to this GuitarGeek diagram.

Page Hamilton of Helmet used the Pro Co RAT 2 distortion pedal in the late '90s, as noted on Angelfire.

Hamilton used this pedal in the late 90's.

In an interview from Premier Guitar's "Rig Rundown" series, Page Hamilton, the guitarist of Helmet, discusses his gear. At the 27:10 mark, the pedalboard is shown in a close-up shot where all the pedals can be seen. Page discusses several of them in greater detail, one of which is the Boss ES-5 Effects Switching System.

In an interview from Premier Guitar's "Rig Rundown" series, Page Hamilton, the guitarist of Helmet, discusses his gear. At the 27:10 mark, the pedalboard is shown in a close-up shot where all the pedals can be seen. Page discusses several of them in greater detail, one of which is the Eventide H9 Max, seen at the top left of the board.

In an interview from Premier Guitar's "Rig Rundown" series, Page Hamilton, guitarist of Helmet, discusses his gear. At the 27:10 mark, his pedalboard is shown in a close-up shot where all the pedals can be seen. Page discusses several of them in greater detail, including the Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion.

According to this rig rundown, "Hamilton runs all of his pedals in front of the amp and controls the rig with a Custom Audio Electronics RS-5 MIDI Foot Controller designed by Bob Bradshaw. The signal starts with a Hello Kitty-modified Fryette Valvulator before going into an MXR Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Overdrive. From there the signal hits a Real McCoy Custom wah, Eventide TimeFactor, MXR Bass Octave, Boss PS-5 Super Shifter, Boss NS-2 Noise Gate, and finally a Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner."

"Hamilton runs all of his pedals in front of the amp and controls the rig with a Custom Audio Electronics RS-5 MIDI Foot Controller…" states this rig rundown.

Used by Hamilton around 1994 according to this GuitarGeek diagram.

Used by Hamilton around 1994 according to this GuitarGeek diagram.