John Fogerty - Musical Equipment

Musical Equipment

"I'd heard these British guys using Les Pauls for lead, and it had this beautiful, fat tone. When I played it for the first time that day and started playing open E and G chords, it was like the Red Sea had parted. I knew that was it"

Fogerty's first electric guitar was a Silvertone with a small five watt amplifier which he bought at Sears with $80 he had earned from his paper route. During the mid-sixties with the Golliwogs, Fogerty played a Fender Mustang that he later traded for a Rickenbacker 325 which he modified with a Bigsby vibrato and Gibson rear pickup. During the early days of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty used a Gibson ES-175 which was later stolen and subsequently replaced by a Gibson Les Paul. During the latter Creedence era Fogerty used at least two Les Pauls, one with a Bigsby vibrato and one with a standard tailpiece. For amplifiers Fogerty used a Kustom K-200-A4.

During his solo career Fogerty continued to use Gibson guitars such as a Les Paul Junior and Les Paul Goldtop reissue as well as various Fender guitars, including a Fender Telecaster modified with Stratocaster middle pickup and humbucker in the bridge position and a Fender Stratocaster fitted with two Fender Telecaster Deluxe humbuckers. He played a five-ply Washburn (unknown model) at the San Francisco "Concert Against AIDS" on May 29, 1989. He also used Mesa Boogie, Seymour Duncan and Marshall amplifiers.

Lately Fogerty has taken a big arsenal of guitars with him on tour including many of the abovementioned guitars, four PRS guitars in various finishes, two Taylor acoustic guitars, three Ernie Ball guitars, a 1956 Les Paul Gold Top with P-90 pickups and a Maton BB1200. For amplification Fogerty uses Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier heads into Ampeg cabinets, a 2x15 cabinet for his clean sounds and Cornford MK100 head with a 4x12 Wizard cabinet for his distorted and lead sounds. Fogerty also uses Audiotech Guitar Products Source Selector 1X6 Rack Mount Audio Switcher.