Sawao Yamanaka

Sawao Yamanaka is associated with the Squier Cyclone Sawao Yamanaka Signature electric guitar, a limited edition model released in 2013 with only 300 pieces produced. This guitar features a basswood body, a maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard with a 9.5" radius. It is equipped with 22 medium jumbo frets, a single-coil pickup at the neck, a humbucker at the bridge, and a 3-position slide switch for versatile sound options. The vintage-style synchronized bridge and standard die-cast tuners complement the chrome hardware and black & white pickguard. The scale length is 24¾ inches, and the nut width is 1.650 inches. A user-uploaded photo on Imgur showcases this signature model.

Sawao Yamanaka playing a Fender Cyclone during the Delicious Bump Tour, 2008

In this tutorial video by the pillows to learn Hybrid Rainbow, Sawao clearly states and shows that he uses a Fender Twin Reverb Blackface Era with the volume at 4, treble at 4, middle at 3, and bass between 3 and 2 in the first input of the normal channel. He also boosts the amp with a tube driver style overdrive with his line 6 distortion modeler. You can see the amp at the 0:25 minute mark

You can clearly see the Boss TU-3 being used right before the Line 6 distortion modeler at the 0:20 minute mark in the video

Sawao Yamanaka used the Ampeg R212R Reverberocket Amp starting in the mid-2000s. A band-score from that period shows this amp was used until 2007, after which he switched to Orange and Fender amplifiers. The source is a user-uploaded photo.

He uses the Line 6 distortion Modeler on the Tube Driver setting in order to boost and overdrive his Fender Twin Reverb. You can see it at the 0:20 minute mark in the video.

In the Best Collection Band Score book, a section is dedicated to The Pillows' gear. In the image, we can see Sawao's effects board, which contains the Blues Driver pedal that inspired the song "Blues Drive Monster"

Sawao Yamanaka uses a Sunburst Fender Alternate Reality Powercaster, as seen in the music video for "That World is Yours" on YouTube. Additionally, Yamanaka mentioned on Twitter that he purchased the guitar in Okayama during 2021: https://twitter.com/sawaoband/status/1387313901679693826?t=apN8WzyA36M03atf3CzUhQ