Pete Townshend

He is mostly using the Eric Clapton Fender Signature model with the original Lace Sensor pickups which were present on all the first made Eric Clapton signature Stratocasters.

After using the SG special, Pete moved on to the Les Paul Deluxe. He has a few of them with one modified with a full-sized hum bucker in the middle position.

The earliest appearance of Pete’s use of the Gibson SG Special (other than one he borrowed in 1966 from a support group the Tages) is July 1968, likely purchased at Manny’s Music, New York, though regular use wouldn’t come until late 1968. Throughout his use of this guitar from 1968–1971, he usually used 1966–1970 models, which feature the full black wraparound pickguard. He did, however, occasionally use pre-1966 models, which feature the small pickguard, especially in 1971 as the available supply began to dry up. In all, Pete likely went through dozens of these guitars between 1969 and 1971.

Pete usually began switching to another guitar for smashing, often the very rugged Fender Telecaster or the very inexpensive Danelectro guitars, including the Guitarlin Longhorn 4123 model and the Standard Shorthorn.

In this photo, we can see Townshend with Fender Jazzmaster. Jazzmaster was used during 1967 and 1968. After a Grand Marquee gig, this guitar was stolen. However, in this photo from Virginia Dome concert, we can see that Townshend had more Jazzmasters.

In this photo, we can see Townshend playing Fender Telecaster.

In this photo from a concert in Flint, Michigan, 23.8.1967, Pete is playing his custom EDS-1275. According to this article from Gibson "Townshend was using a black EDS-1275 6/12 to play 'Substitute' live. He even maimed that guitar – there are photos of Townshend in 1967 at London’s Saville Theatre with the 6/12 guitar, obviously rebuilt, as the necks are at splayed angles and a there’s clearly visible repair in the body between the necks."

In this photo, we can see Townshend with Fender Electric XII. Judging by the headphones, Pete might recorded...something with that guitar.

"Sometime in 1975 or earlier, Joe Walsh (who had also given Pete his Gretsch Chet Atkins, Fender Bandmaster and Edwards volume pedal) gifted a 1958 Gibson Flying V guitar to Pete. This guitar was used on The Who By Numbers, as can be heard in his blistering leads on songs like In a Hand or Face and Dreaming From The Waist, as well as 1980 for Empty Glass and in 1982 for All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, on at least Slit Skirts.

On the cover of Chinese Eyes, Pete appears with this guitar held upside down. (He is also photographed in Psychoderelict photo sessions — and repeated in the Coolwalking liner — with a Flying V, but this is a borrowed white-pickguard model.)"

"I find I can get the sound I want from any guitar. At the moment I’m using Gretsches with double-pole pick-ups. In the studio I use a Chet Atkins-type Gretsch. On stage I use the ‘Les Paul’ Gretsch. It’s the same shape as a Les Paul, but it sounds like a Gretsch. Those pick-ups have a fantastic sound. I think it’s mainly the set-up, you know. I’ve got amps specially made for me by Hi-Watt. They don’t make it any more for the open market, but they do especially for me. They’re incredibly robust, very loud, distorted in the right way, and clean when I want them to be clean. It’s the only common denominator about my sound. I swap guitars around. I use Gretsches, Gibsons and sometimes Fenders, for their strength. I know people like Ronnie Wood had their guitars especially made for them, custom made. Never been moved that way myself. I can get away with anything because the amps are so good." - Townshend about his Gretsch Duo Jet.

in this youtube video at 3:00 and throughout the entire concert you can see him using a schecter PT. Roger Daltrey also uses them.

"Pete usually began switching to another guitar for smashing, often the very rugged Fender Telecaster or the very inexpensive Danelectro guitars, including the Guitarlin Longhorn 4123 model and the Standard Shorthorn."

12 November 1966, promotional appearance at the Duke of York’s Barracks, Kings Road, Chelsea. 1965 or 1966 360/12 Mapleglo (New Style). A Rose, Morris Co., LTD, 1998 lies in wait. Amps are Marshall JTM45 100 100w Tremolo head (top), and 1967 Marshall Major (“Pig”) 200w head (bottom), with Marshall 8x12 cabinet.

Pete Townshend: a Gibson J45 acoustic guitar, 1956, inside of body stamped S8770-9, spruce top with sunburst finish, bound body, fingerboard with dot markers, in hard case, accompanied by a statement signed by Pete Townshend Note a piè di pagina This guitar was given by Pete to John 'Rabbit' Bundrick in 1979, after Rabbit had joined the Who's line-up as keyboard player. It was subsequently passed to the vendor.?

"Pete Townshend’s occasional use of a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty” guitar. Notably seen on “Relay” as mimed on the Russell Harty Show television program, 3 Jan. 1973. The Black Beauty featured one black P-90 pickup in the bridge position and one Alnico V pickup in neck position."

"Pete used this cherry sunburst 1973 Les Paul Custom guitar for perhaps only one show: Newcastle Odeon on 7 November 1973. However, it is immortalized in the promotional poster for The Kids Are Alright film soundtrack."

Music Radar talks about this guitar in this article saying "Townshend used the hollow-body on many of his post-Tommy Who recordings - Who’s Next and Quadrophenia are two stunning examples - and, after the instrument was repaired (only the neck was broken), he continued to employ it on both band and solo albums."

Pete used this guitar in 1970, it is seen in his Twickenham studio.

"Pete Townshend used Gibson ES-335 thinline semi-hollow archtop guitars during U.S. shows in 1967 and 1968."

Pete Townshend used a three-pickup Grimshaw Short Scale semi-hollow guitar from December 1965 to January 1966 similary to this.

This was Pete's acoustic guitar from about 1968 through the '70s and again almost exclusively since 1996 on stage and in the studio.

Classic Guitar, 1990:

There are actually a couple of instruments that I would miss, and in fact a weird thing happened to the J-200 that I've had for a long time. Half way through Iron Man it got wet here in the studio and exploded, and it was almost like the guitar getting back at me - the only guitar I really cared about dying on me!

In this photo Pete Townshend is holding his 1964 Rickenbacker Rose Morris 1998 (345). According to this article, "this guitar was the first (of many) to turn to smithereens, when its neck snapped off against the ceiling of the Railway Hotel, Harrow and Wealdstone, in September 1964 (according to Eyewitness The Who, 8 September)."

According to Collings' website, Townshend uses Collings OM3.

This guitar was used briefly during July 2002 for "Baba O' Riley" and "I Can't Explain".

"For one song in each of two consecutive shows in July 2002 (Baba O’Riley at Tweeter Center For the Performing Arts, Mansfield, Massachusetts, 26 July, 2002; and I Can’t Explain at Tweeter Center at the Waterfront, Camden, N.J., 27 July, 2002), Pete Townshend used a black Fender Stratocaster guitar equipped with two P-90-style pickups, rather than the usual Gold Lace Sensor pickups found in the Eric Clapton model guitars. This guitar was also customised with the Fishman Powerbridge and additional blend control knob, although the traditional controls consisted of only two knobs (presumably volume and tone), rather than the traditional three, and a traditional Fender-style “blade” pickup selector."

"Pete Townshend has used a Guild F-512-NT 12-string guitar on most solo and Who recordings beginning with 1971’s Who’s Next. He purchased this guitar from Manny’s in New York. Prior to 1971, he had used a Harmony Sovereign H1270 12-string. He continues to use this guitar for stage performances today. (It is unknown whether Pete owns more than one of these guitars.)"

Original '70s construction techniques bring to life this '76 Les Paul Deluxe Goldtop, based on a guitar originally played by Pete Townshend on stage and now displayed in London's Victoria & Albert Museum. Pete's beloved DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker joins two Mini-Humbuckers for modded tone. Limited to 150 units only!

In this user-uploaded photo from Thewho, Pete Townshend is pictured restringing his Fireglo Rickenbacker 335, highlighting his use of this iconic semi-hollowbody electric guitar.

“I smashed up two guitars at the end of the show, because one I was using had recently been repaired and broke as I came on stage, so I played another one I use for recording. At the end, I though, ‘What the hell,’ and smashed them both. The Gibson Stereo cost £200 and the amps, which were borrowed, will cost about £20 each to repair. I can’t put it down to tax because when I say I use 70 guitars a year, they don’t believe me.” - Pete Townshend about Gibson ES-345 he smashed.

"Pete Townshend used Gibson ES-355 thinline semi-hollow guitars during U.S. shows in 1968 and in rehearsals and promotional appearances in 1969."

Pete Townshend’s Harmony Sovereign H1260 6-string jumbo acoustic guitar, as used in the studio and demo recording ’60s. The Harmony 6-string featured a double-bound jumbo body in natural finish and dot inlays. In 1968 Pete purchased a new 1968 Gibson J-200 acoustic from Manny’s in New York and stopped using the Harmony guitar.