Ray Benson’s big body Texas Telecaster from the Fender Nashville Custom Shop features an ebony fretboard and a push-push coil tap for neck pickup in the tone control. The volume control is a stacked control with a 500k pot in the neck humbucker and a 250k pot for Tele pickup. About this Tele one-off, famed Fender guru Tim Shaw says: “To accommodate Ray’s wish for a larger guitar without totally changing the Tele’s geometry, Josh Hurst drew up a body that’s the same in the neck joint/cutaway area but is larger in the lower bout. The body is ash, and it’s not chambered. This body shape was the basis for the Acoustasonic Tele. “Ray wanted an ebony fingerboard, so we had our colleagues in the Corona R&D model shop make him a custom neck,” Shaw continues. “He also wanted a neck humbucking pickup but didn’t want to overwind the bridge pickup to match the higher output of the humbucker. I wound a set matching a mid-’60s spec Tele bridge pickup with a custom neck pickup (that also has a coil split on an S-1 switch.)” Like all of Benson’s electrics, this Tele is strung with John Pearse Strings (.012, .014, .017, .036, .040, .052).

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Collings SoCo 16 LC

Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitars

The guitar was featured in 2021 Premier Guitar rig rundown.

This 2016 Collings SoCo 16 LC Deluxe is a semi-hollowbody built with Collings’ proprietary laminate recipe. It features a long-scale (25.5”) maple neck with Collings larger peg head, a custom neck carve, ebony fretboard, a Lollar Imperial Low Wind neck pickup, and a Lollar Novel T bridge pickup.

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Collings Eastside Jazz LC

Hollowbody Electric Guitars

The guitar is featured in 2021 Premier Guitar rig rundown.

This Collings Eastside Jazz LC is stock from the shop except for the neck finish, which was sanded down on the back of the neck.

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Gibson J-200

Steel-string Acoustic Guitars

Featured in 2021 Premier Guitar rig rundown.

Benson’s Gibson J-200 features leather work by Kerry Wilcox and a Barbera Transducer pickup.

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Guild Traditional Series D-55 Acoustic Guitar

Steel-string Acoustic Guitars

Featured in 2021 Premier Guitar rig rundown.

Benson brings two acoustics on tour, the J-200 and this Guild D-55 with a Barbera transducer pickup. The Guild is also strung with John Pearse Bronze Wound mediums.

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John Pearse #700M Phosphor Bronze Medium

Strings

According to 2021 Premier Guitar review, he used those strings on Gibson J-200 and Guild D-55.

Benson brings two acoustics on tour, the J-200 and this Guild D-55 with a Barbera transducer pickup. The Guild is also strung with John Pearse Bronze Wound mediums.

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Shure ULX-D Digital Wireless System for Guitar/Bass

Headphones & In-Ear Monitors

Used according to Premier Guitar's 2021 rig rundown.

Benson is not an effects player. He uses a Shure ULX-D wireless system with a P10R+ bodypack receiver and a Radial Engineering Reamp impedance boost. For routing the guitars, he uses a Rupert Neve RNDI and a Radial BigShot i/o. Benson’s huge Boss TU-1000 Stage Tuner is visible from outer space.

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Radial Engineering JCR

Direct Boxes

According to 2021 Premier Guitar rig rundown:

Benson is not an effects player. He uses a Shure ULX-D wireless system with a P10R+ bodypack receiver and a Radial Engineering Reamp impedance boost. For routing the guitars, he uses a Rupert Neve RNDI and a Radial BigShot i/o. Benson’s huge Boss TU-1000 Stage Tuner is visible from outer space.

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Rupert Neve Designs RNDI

Direct Boxes

According to Premier Guitar 2021 rig rundown:

Benson is not an effects player. He uses a Shure ULX-D wireless system with a P10R+ bodypack receiver and a Radial Engineering Reamp impedance boost. For routing the guitars, he uses a Rupert Neve RNDI and a Radial BigShot i/o. Benson’s huge Boss TU-1000 Stage Tuner is visible from outer space.

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RADIAL Bigshot I/O

Switch Effects Pedals

According to Premier Guitar 2021 rig rundown:

Benson is not an effects player. He uses a Shure ULX-D wireless system with a P10R+ bodypack receiver and a Radial Engineering Reamp impedance boost. For routing the guitars, he uses a Rupert Neve RNDI and a Radial BigShot i/o. Benson’s huge Boss TU-1000 Stage Tuner is visible from outer space.

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BOSS TU-1000 Stage Tuner

Tuners

According to 2021 Premier Guitar rig rundown:

Benson is not an effects player. He uses a Shure ULX-D wireless system with a P10R+ bodypack receiver and a Radial Engineering Reamp impedance boost. For routing the guitars, he uses a Rupert Neve RNDI and a Radial BigShot i/o. Benson’s huge Boss TU-1000 Stage Tuner is visible from outer space.

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Fender 'Black Panel' Super Reverb Amp (1963-1967)

Combo Guitar Amplifiers

According to Premier Guitar 2021 rig rundown:

For amplification, Ray Benson goes with a stock Fender ’65 Super Reverb reissue and uses Planet Waves cables and Fender 354 medium picks.

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Fender 354 Medium Guitar Picks

Picks & Pick Holders

According to 2021 Premier Guitar rig rundown:

For amplification, Ray Benson goes with a stock Fender ’65 Super Reverb reissue and uses Planet Waves cables and Fender 354 medium picks.

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This is a community-built gear list for Ray Benson.

Find relevant music gear like Guitars, Amplifiers, Effects Pedals, and other instruments and add it to Ray Benson.
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Discography