Sturgill Simpson

In 2017 Simpson's longtime lead guitarist Laur Joamets left his band. Since then, Sturgill has been playing lead/electric guitar at his shows.

Source video shows Sturgil playing his white tele live. He's also been seen playing at least two other Teles, as seen in these videos (first and second video might be the same guitar, with the decal added sometime between 2011 and 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsrsrOB0zNQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU19dWpeWTg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P58tvWhP8MM

In this article in the Martin Journal of Acoustic Guitars, Sturgill talks about his number one guitar, his HD-28v. He tells the story of trading for the guitar at Gruhn's Guitar's in Nashville. This is the main acoustic Sturgill used throughout the first few years of his career. Sturgill carved his name and strumming pattern into the guitar so he could never sell or trade it.

Sturgill aquired this Ditson-style dreadnaught (modeled after the origional Martins built for Ditson department stores in the 1920s) after becoming a Martin Ambasador. It has mahogany back and sides, adirondack spruce top, is 12 frets to the body, and features a slotted headstock.

In his interview for the Martin Journal of Acoustic Guitars (Vol. 5, January 2016), Sturgil talks about why he chose this particular guitar: "I like a lot of bottom end, because I'm primarily a rythm player and a singer," says Simpson. "I picked up a couple 12-fret older model Dreadnaughts in the stores, and they just felt like more resonant, louder guitars. And then I saw the Ditson in the Martin Museum when I toured the factory and just kind of fell in love with the simplicity of the aesthetic of it. No bells or whistles, just a workhorse. This one's really alive already, I can tell, and I'm excited to hear it in a couple of years. I really would like to meet the luthiers who made it, 'cause it's just an absolute tank. It sounds like a cannon." (https://issuu.com/cfmartin/docs/martinjournal_vol5_jan2016)

Sturgill Simpson LIVE: Welcome to the Earth (Pollywog) / It Ain't All Flowers / The Promise, Outlaw Country Music Festival, Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA, September 21, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx9FyWVJIZk

You can see Sturgill Simpson playing a Gibson Les Paul Standard at the Special Forces Foundation Benefit in October 6, 2019

In his "Johnny Blue Skies" performance at Outside Lands, Sturgill Simpson plays a modified, red Gibson ES-335 (possibly a 60s model) for the entire show. It appears to have had headstock repairs that resulted in a different inlay and finish.