Tim McIlrath

At this section of the Rig Tour with Rise Against, Tim Mcilrath identifies a Les Paul Classic Custom that he uses on tour.

In the YouTube video "Rise Against Live Part 4 Generation Lost" by latinoheatllama, Tim McIlrath can be seen playing an ESP E-II Eclipse-7 in Black Satin during the RPM tour.

At various points throughout this video (particularily 24:34) Tim shifts around to reveal a Les Paul hanging on the wall directly behind him. The body is shown to be in the TV yellow finish that is distinct to Les Paul Specials. However, the fret inlays and the truss rod cover look to be customized.

Tim McIlrath plays a 6-string 814ce, made of Sitka Spruce and Indian Rosewood according to Taylor's official site.

It took me literally10 years to figure this out, but Tim actually has two Silverburst Les Paul Customs!

Throughout this video, Tim is using a 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom. It is V.O.S (Vintage Old Stock) which designates it as being a modern instrument built according to vintage specifications-most distinctively, the yellowed finish of the silverburst (for a detailed breakdown, check this video out)

If you pay attention, Tim has used both the regular Les Paul Custom (Example 1) and the 1979 Custom (Example 2). The differences are subtle: the 1979 Custom has more of a "teardrop" finish, whereas the modern Custom has more shading around the perimeter. Other than that, they sound exactly the same.

Tim has been using this new semi-hollow Les Paul (it looks like it's white, or maybe has a metallic silver sheen) for the rest of the Wolves, Mourning In Amerika, and Europe 2018 tours.

No idea which tier of Eclipse Tim was using, but you can see it’s 6 string, not 7, which is also listed as a piece of gear used by Tim.

On this Rig Tour with Tim Mcilrath, identifies an acoustic that he uses on tour. It was introduced to him by Jackson Browne who let him use it, to which he bought his own.

In this live, Tim plays with a 2004 Gibson Les Paul Supreme in Alpine White. This guitar is very iconic cause Tim write with tape in the back of the guitar Out Of Step, and he uses this guitar in a best part of The Sufferer & Witness tour. I think he change the gold hardware to chrome or nickel hardware.

In the video for "Injection," Tim McIlrath is seen playing a Gibson Les Paul Standard. He used this guitar during the early stages of the tours for "The Sufferer & the Witness" and "Appeal to Reason."

"I've played a lot of acoustics with mixed results over the years, and I've found my soulmate. The D-35 does everything I need it to do and is by far the best acoustic I've played live. It allows me to stop thinking about the instrument and focus on the song."

Tim has been using this Les Paul during the Wolves tour.

In the official video for "Hero Of War" by Rise Against, Tim McIlrath is seen playing a Gibson Hummingbird Artist acoustic guitar.

Tim played this semi-hollow D'Angelico during a live performance with Prophets of Rage. The guitar actually belongs to Dave Grohl, who has also performed with Prophets of Rage as well. Foo Fighters and Rise Against have toured before as well as used the same proudcer for their records, so this comes as no surprise!

Throughout this video, the 2014 ES 335 Studio is hanging on the wall behind Tim. It's a 2014 model because the black finish was exclusively used on their Memphis 335 models then.

Here in this video Tim shows off his Gibson Les Paul Custom that he bought from Wildwood guitars in Chicago. He has had it fit with an Evertune bridge. "Their(Wildwood guitars) one of Gibson's exclusive retailers so Gibson let's them pick the woods, go in and f**k with it a little bit and you get these signature Les Pauls that you can only get from them" says Tim in this interview.

Tim McIlrath uses a grey special edition Gibson ES-175 Electric Guitar exclusively in the studio, as shown in a user-uploaded photo on Tumblr.

Tim is using a vintage Gibson Dove with a Natural finish. Considering that the headstock is still in the prototype shape Gibson used to have, the guitar is probably from the early 1960s.

In the Ernie Ball String Theory video featuring Tim McIlrath of Rise Against, a Martin LXK2 Little Martin is visible in his living room. While Tim may not use it personally, it is displayed alongside a violin and an electric guitar, possibly a Fender Telecaster, suggesting it may be used for teaching his daughters how to play.

Used for some live acoustic performances.

Tim's newest acoustic guitar, a brand new Martin model. Used during The Ghost Note Symphonies acoustic tour.

Tim used this guitar during an acoustic set for Vans Warped Tour 2012.

At 1:41 in this video, Tim can be seen playing a Taylor 810e in studio.

For Rise Against' 2021 Premier Guitar Rig Rundown, Tim's guitar tech details his Nowhere Generation guitar around the 23 minute mark.

This guitar was simply found by Tim, but it is clearly a Gibson Les Paul Standard. It's likely a 2017 model, since Tim's guitar tech explains it originally had push/pull pots (usually found on the 2017 Les Paul Standard models). The tone controls were completely taken out, and Tim only kept the volume knobs.

Additionally, Tim added unique mirrored inlays, mirrored backplates, and completely repainted the guitar to match the branding of the Nowhere Generation album. Tim uses this guitar live only for the Nowhere Generation song.

In Premier Guitars 2021 Rig Rundown for Rise Against's Nowhere Generation tour. A 1982 Gibson SG is stated to be Tim's main.

In the video titled "Rise Against | 'Wait for Me' | Live at History | Toronto | March 10, 2026," Tim McIlrath is seen playing a Gibson SG Standard '61 Electric Guitar, specifically from the 2020s in TV Yellow, during the band's 2026 tour. This performance is documented by The Rhythm Archive on YouTube.