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Dave Grohl's Guitars, Amps & Gear List

David Eric Grohl (or as most know him – Dave Grohl) is best known as the founder and frontman of Foo Fighters and as the former drummer of Nirvana. Born in Warren, Ohio, and raised in Virginia, Grohl began playing music in his teenage years. He joined Nirvana in 1990 and played drums on their breakthrough album Nevermind (1991) and later on In Utero (1993). After Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994, Grohl started Foo Fighters, initially recording the debut album entirely on his own before turning it into a full band. Known for his multi-instrumental abilities, he has collaborated with a wide range of artists and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – with Nirvana in 2014 and Foo Fighters in 2021.

Electric Guitars Acoustic Guitars Amps Effects Strings Accessories

Dave Grohl's Electric Guitars

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1967 Gibson Trini Lopez

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This is Dave’s main guitar with Foo Fighters, the one he used to record most of the band’s songs. It was also used as a basis for his current stage guitar, the Gibson Dave Grohl signature model.

According to Dave, he bought this guitar around 1992, while he was still a member of Nirvana.

This guitar I’ve made every single Foo Fighters record with. This is a [expletive] beautiful guitar. I saw this in a guitar shop in Bethesda, Maryland. I think it was 1992, ’93, or something like that. I think I was still in Nirvana when I bought it. I thought it was unusual.

It looks like a Gibson ES-335, except it has diamond-shaped f-holes and has this different headstock on it. And I didn’t really know anything about Trini Lopez, the artist, when I bought it.

Dave Grohl – Gibson interview

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1990s Gibson Explorer

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This was one of Dave’s main guitars in the early days and probably the longest-running among them. The first video footage of him using the guitar dates to the Brixton Academy gig played on November 15, 1995.

As this was very soon after the release of Foo Fighters’ first album, it could be that the guitar was acquired just before the tour, and used as his main touring guitar.

I had a Gibson Explorer for a long time. I don’t know anything about guitars. If it sounds good when you play it, play it.

Classic interview: Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and Alain Johannes talk Them Crooked Vultures and affordable gear

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Ampeg Dan Armstrong

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This was Dave’s main guitar during the One by One Tour (2002–2003), and he used it almost exclusively during that period. It was also used on a few occasions in 2004/05, but at that point, a lot of other guitars were also in the mix.

This guitar model was made famous mainly by Keith Richard of the Rolling Stones, who used one starting from 1969. Dave’s guitar is from around that same period, since Ampeg only produced the model for three years, from 1969 to 1971.

The main feature of the Ampeg Dan Armstrong is of course the transparent body, which was built of Lucite/Plexiglass. According to the manufacturer, the bodies were carved out of a full block of the material, and then sanded and polished to gloss. This, combined with the material used, apparently gave the guitar a long sustain.

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Gibson Dave Grohl Signature DG-335

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This has been Dave’s main guitar ever since it has been introduced by Gibson in 2007. The guitar is basically a Gibson Trini Lopez with Dave’s own touches on it, which makes sense since he said numerous times that the Trini Lopez is his favorite guitar of all time.

The DG-335 features a semi-hollow-body design made of maple and a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. The f-holes, fretboard inlays, and headstock shape were all taken directly from the Trini Lopez model.

The first major difference, when compared to the Trini Lopez model, is seen in the bridge setup. The original vintage TL models have their unique trapeze style tailpieces, while the DG-335 Dave Grohl model has the more modern Tune-o-Matic plus Stoptail piece setup.

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Gibson Les Paul Custom (White)

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This is one of the guitars that Dave used in the early days of Foo Fighters, from around 1995 to 1997. It was seen in numerous concerts, including at the Virgin Megastore, New York, 1996, Phoenix Festival in 1996, and the Bizarre Festival in 1997 – just to name a few.

Based on the appearances, the guitar is a Gibson Les Paul Custom. This can be deducted from the large block fretboard inlays and the split diamond headstock inlay, which are features of an LP Custom.

As per the year of manufacture, there are websites claiming that the guitar is 1991, but as usual, they don’t share any sources. It could be a 90s model, but there were also guitars like those produced in the 70s. If you happen to be an LP Custom specialist and can figure out the date from the photo above, be sure to leave a comment.

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Gibson SG Custom (White)

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Dave was seen using this guitar around 1997, most notably at the Bizarre Festival (photo below), and on the television show “Later… with Jools Holland”.

Unfortunately, not much is known about this guitar. From the looks of it, it’s an older SG Custom model, with three pickups, and a stop-tail bridge. Based on the black knobs, and the black pickguard, it’s most likely a 70s model.

But, as far as where Dave got it, and where it disappeared in the late 90s, that’s completely a mystery.

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Gibson Firebird Studio (Black)

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This Gibson Firebird was one of Dave’s main touring guitars around 2005/2006, and he continued using it occasionally in 2007/08. He was seen playing it on numerous occasions, but most notably at the Reading Festival in 2005, and Isle of Wight in 2006.

Based on the looks, the guitar was a Gibson Firebird Studio model, since it has simple dot fretboard inlays and a single-ply pickguard.

The guitar was equipped with Gibsons’ 490R and 498T humbuckers (if he kept it stock), it had a Tune-o-Matic bridge, Sa topbar tailpiece, and Grover tuners.

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1970s Gibson RD Standard (Tobacco Burst)

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This is another guitar that Dave used in the early days of Foo Fighters, and not much is known about it. As an interesting note, Krist Novoselic used to use RD bass guitars in Nirvana, but Dave explained that he discovered the guitar on his own and that it wasn’t necessarily an influence from Krist.

I had an RD phase [Gibson RD Artist]. I was really into RDs for a while. [Krist Novoselic] had RD and Grabber basses. But I think what happened was that I saw one in a store and I thought, Wow this thing weighs 40 pounds! I had a Gibson Explorer for a long time. I don’t know anything about guitars. If it sounds good when you play it, play it.

Classic interview: Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and Alain Johannes talk Them Crooked Vultures and affordable gear

Based on the appearances, this guitar, in particular, is an RD Standard model, since it features dot inlays, compared to block inlays seen on the RD Artist model. These guitars were produced for only two years, between 1977 and 1979, so Dave’s guitar is somewhere from that period.

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Gibson Les Paul (Tobacco Burst)

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Dave was seen playing this guitar in the early days of Foo Fighters, including on their first ever gig, played on February 19th, 1995 in downtown Seattle. According to Dave (see quote at the bottom of the page), he used this guitar to record the Foo Fighters’ first album, released in 1995.

He was also photographed with the guitar at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California on July 26, 1995, and in 1997 at the Pukkelpop Festival in Hasselt, Belgium. However, since Foo Fighters played a lot of gigs between 95 and 97, it’s very likely that Dave used the guitar extensively during that period, as one of his main ones. He probably rotated between a couple of different Les Pauls, SGs, and Explorers.

Around the mid-2000s, during a behind-the-scenes video of Studio 606, Dave showed the guitar as it was sitting in a case in the storage room. He explained that at some point he tried modifying it but gave up and the guitar remained unfinished.

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1970s Telecaster Custom

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Dave started using this guitar following the release of There Is Nothing Left to Lose in 1999. Apparently, he used a Telecaster on some of the songs from that album, so it would make sense that he would take one tour – even though this was quite a change. Up until that point he used Gibsons basically exclusively.

Guitar-wise, [on There Is Nothing Left to Lose] I used my Gibson Trini Lopez, a Fender Telecaster, a Gretsch Duo-Jet, some Les Pauls, Explorers, and RD Artists.

Rockin’ Grohl Hoochie Foo – Guitar One 1999

As far as the exact model and specs – the guitar looks to be vintage, based on the wear and the overall state. Most likely, this is an original 70s model, which was Fender’s second version of the Telecaster Custom produced from 1972 to 1981. This second version, as opposed to the first which was basically just a standard Tele with a bound body, boasted a Seth Lover-designed humbucker in the neck position.

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Gibson Firebird Studio (White)

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This Gibson Firebird Studio seemed to have been a backup for Dave’s black Firebird around 2005/06. Based on the footage available, it seems that the white was used a lot less than the black one, therefore the assumption that it was just a backup. Also, the black Firebird made it into 2007/08, while the white one was nowhere to be seen at that point.

Unfortunately, not much is known about the guitar, aside from what can be deducted from the photos.

It’s a 2000s Firebird Studio, obviously, finished in white. The pickups in it, assuming the guitar is stock, are the Gibson 490R and 498T humbuckers.

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Gretsch G6128T Duo-Jet

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According to Dave, he used a Gretsch Duo-Jet on the Foo Fighter’s 1999 album There Is Nothing Left to Lose.

Guitar-wise, I used my Gibson Trini Lopez, a Fender Telecaster, a Gretsch Duo-Jet, some Les Pauls, Explorers, and RD Artists.

Rockin’ Grohl Hoochie Foo – Guitar One 1999

Specifically, he mentioned using the guitar for the chorus on the song “Headwires”.

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Gibson Les Paul Custom (Black)

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This is another guitar used by Dave on tours in the early days of Foo Fighters, up until the late 90s. Among others, it was used parallel with another Les Paul Custom, which could indicate that the two guitars were purchased together. Some sources online even claim that this is indeed the case and that they are both 1991 models, but none of them share their sources, so it could be just another internet tale copied from one site to another.

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Gretsch 6125 (Smoke Green)

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Dave was seen playing this guitar during the 1997 Rockpalast/Bizarre Festival concert. He used it to play Doll, See You, and For all the Cows.

As far as why he picked up the guitar for this one particular occasion (he didn’t seem to use it anywhere else) is unknown. If you happen to know the backstory, be sure to leave a comment below.

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Dave Grohl's Acoustic Guitars

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Gibson Elvis Presley Dove

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This is the acoustic guitar that Dave uses most often in recent years. He started using it around 2005 (see video at the bottom) and continues using it to this day. He owns more than just one of these guitars, but it is unknown whether he has a favorite among them.

The Gibson Elvis Presley Dove is a model based on Elvis Presley’s 1969 Gibson Dove acoustic guitar that he used in the early 70s. The guitar was a gift from his father, Vernon Presley. In 1975, Elvis famously handed the guitar mid-performance to an astonished audience member at a concert in Asheville, North Carolina.

Dave’s guitar is definitely not from the most recent version of the model, since it doesn’t have the Pearloid inlays in the bridge “wings”. This detail seems to be something Gibson added only in the most recent version of the guitar introduced in 2022.

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Taylor 410

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Dave used this guitar during the set that the band did for Howard Stern Show in May 2000.

Based on the appearances, this is a 410 model from Taylor. This is based on the rosette, which appears to have three rings, with the middle one being bright white. Also, the binding around the fretboard seems to be typical to this model, particularly to the guitar made in the late 90s.

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Martin D-18

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Dave used this guitar most famously to play a cover of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer on February 16, 2001, on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.

Based on the appearances, this was a Martin D-18 model, since it doesn’t appear to have white binding around the side edges.

It’s however unknown whether this was actually Dave’s guitar, or whether it was provided to him by the TV staff.

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Taylor 814-CE

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Dave was seen playing this guitar on a number of occasions in the early 2000s, most notably at the Bridge Benefit Concerts, and at the AT&T Acoustic Series gig.

The 814-CE is among Taylor’s top-of-the-line models. Dave’s guitar was made likely in the late 90s or 2000, and it differs a little when compared to the modern version. The newer models have different inlays, they often come with a small arm rest against the top edge.

The wood choice however remained the same. The 814-CE features a rosewood neck with an Ebony fretboard. The sides and the back of the body are mahogany, while the top is spruce.

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Dave Grohl's Amps

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Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

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Apparently, this was one of the amps that were heavily utilized on the Foo Fighters’ second album The Colour and the Shape (1997). This information can be deducted from Dave’s quote below – in which he talked about the amps used on the band’s third album.

We also used a MESA/Boogie Maverick–it’s a little head. But we tried to stay away from the MESA/Boogie Dual or Triple Rectifier sound because we did that on the last record a lot.

Rockin’ Grohl Hoochie Foo – Guitar One 1999

This of course means that some of the band’s biggest hits including Everlong, My Hero, and Monkey Wrench were all recorded on Mesa/Boogie Dual/Triple Rectifier amps – or at least the parts of the dongs that are heavy/distorted. The clean parts were likely done on a Vox AC30.

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Vox AC30

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This has been Dave’s main amp for many years, starting from the early days of Foo Fighters. Most often, he used it for the clean sounds, while using Mesa Boogies or other amps for the dirty tones.

As a an example of specific use, the amp was featured extensively on the There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999).

We focused on not using too many distortion pedals, and went for a cleaner, fatter, more natural overdrive. We used a Vox AC30 for pretty much everything on the record, tweaking the sound so that it broke up nicely when played loud.

Sometimes we’d double a track using an old Pro Co Rat, and then hard-pan the parts so that a super-distorted guitar was in the left channel and a grindy guitar was in the right. Then we’d sprinkle in lots of clean guitar overdubs.

Dave Grohl’s No Fuzz Zone, Guitar Player 1999

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Fender Tone Master

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Dave apparently used these amps in his live setup after the release of Wasting Light in 2011, primarily for smaller venues.

There was a point, and this was again right after we’ve made Wasting Light (2011) and we were rehearsing getting ready to tour, and pretty much everybody had been playing Boogies for years. I remember the first rehearsals for Wasting Light, everybody showed up with an entirely different amp – Dave showed up with those Tone Masters, and Custom Audio amps.

Chris Shiflett Answers Questions Fans Submitted Through Facebook

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Mesa/Boogie Road King

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This seems to be the amp that replaced most of Dave’s amps around the early 2000s and remains his main stage amp up until the 2010s.

In the earlier years, it sounds like Dave would use a Vox AC30 for clean sound, and a separate amp for dirty sound – usually a Mesa Boogie of some sort. At some point, his guitar tech decided to simplify things and replaced the whole setup with a couple of Mesa Boogie Road Kings. So, now they are used for both the clean and dirty sounds – at least when playing live.

I got rid of the extra amps. Before, when he [Grohl] wanted a cleaner sound, the A/B box would get a signal from the Vox AC30, which sounded great. When he wanted a dirty sound, he would go to the Mesa Boogie, and there was a Marshall that was in the mix every once in a while.

I got rid of that and I bought a three-channel amp at the time, and now we use four-channel amps, so I can get a wide range of tones and sounds. I like the Mesa Boogie Road Kings because 1) they sound good, and 2) they’re bullet-proof.

Joe Beebe: Dave Grohl’s Guitar Tech (link offline)

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Custom Audio Amplifiers 100W

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Dave used these amps in his live setup around the time of the release of Wasting Light in 2011.

There was a point, and this was again right after we’ve made Wasting Light (2011) and we were rehearsing getting ready to tour, and pretty much everybody had been playing Boogies for years. I remember the first rehearsals for Wasting Light, everybody showed up with an entirely different amp – Dave showed up with those Tone Masters, and Custom Audio amps.

Chris Shiflett Answers Questions Fans Submitted Through Facebook

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Dave Grohl's Effects

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ProCo RAT Distortion

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This seems to be one of Dave’s main distortion pedals, although it’s hard to find information on the specific uses.

He did mention in an interview regarding the 1999 album There Is Nothing Left to Lose that he used a ProCo RAT a lot combined with a Vox AC30 amp on specific songs like Stacked Actors, but as said, these statements regarding specific uses are rare.

I actually tuned my low E string down to A, so it was flopping all over the place. That’s the Rat pedal through the Vox. [Engineer} Adam Kaspar recorded the last Soundgarden record, and he had worked with R.E.M., so he was good with those Vox and Maverick amps–I had never used them before. So we were all really into the Vox AC-30 with the Rat pedal because it sounded badass. It sounded warm and kind of fucked up, not like the razor-sharp distortion of a Rectifier. It was something a little fatter, a little warmer, and a little more believable.

Rockin’ Grohl Hoochie Foo – Guitar One 1999

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Boss Digital Delay DD-3

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Dave used this pedal on his most recent pedalboard, a photo of which was published on Reddit in 2021. There are also photos of his pedalboard dating to earlier years, all of which seem to feature this pedal.

It’s very hard to tell which version of the Boss Digital Delay this is, because the differences between let’s say a DD-3 and a DD-8 are very subtle, at least visually. But, based on the fact that the “A” and “B” labels don’t seem to be present next to the input/output marks, this is likely a DD-3.

As far as usage, obviously, one of the delays is dedicated to playing the song “Aurora” since it’s clearly labeled for that purpose. The other pedal could is probably the “all purpose” delay, and is used as needed.

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Dunlop Heil Talkbox

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Dave used a Dunlop Heil Talkbox on the song “Generator” from the Foo Fighter’s 1999 album There Is Nothing Left to Lose.

Most of the record was done with a Vox AC-30, with effects pedals like a Uni-Vibe or a Memory Man, or old BOSS delay pedals, Rat distortion pedals, Electro-Harmonix pedals, or Octave Fuzzes. I used a Talk Box on “Generator.”

Rockin’ Grohl Hoochie Foo – Guitar One 1999

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MXR Phase 90 

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This is one of the few pedals that were actually photographed on Dave’s pedalboard at one point, aside from the Boss TU tuner and a delay pedal. However, it’s hard to tell whether he actually ever uses it, aside from on the song “Breakout”.

If you happen to come across any interview where Dave talks about this pedal, or you have any knowledge of when he used it, please be sure to leave a comment below

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Xotic EP Booster

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This pedal was seen on Dave’s pedalboard in 2021. The pedal is basically a replica of the legendary EP-3 echo which many of the old-school guitarists used as a pre-amp. It basically just gives a little bit of volume boost to the signal.

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Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man

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Dave mentioned using this effect on Foo Fighter’s 1999 album There’s Nothing Left to Lose.

The main riff [on Headwires] is an Explorer playing through the Memory Man and the Vox, and the harmonics were done with the same setup. The choruses are the Duo Jet running through a Rat and the Vox. The high, picking part in the middle eight is an SG through the Memory Man.

Dave Grohl’s No Fuzz Zone – Guitar Player 1999

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Dave Grohl's Strings

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D’Addario EXL115

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According to Dave’s guitar tech, Joe Beebe, Dave uses the D’Addario EXL115 strings on his electric guitars, with some modifications. Joe puts heavier strings on the top for Dave, with .42 for the A-string and .60 for the E, compared to .038 and .049 respectively on the original EXL115 set.

I use D’Addario EXL 115s, but I throw the bottom two strings away and I replace them with a .42 for the A-string and a .60 for the E-string.

He is such a hard player; he’s a chainsaw live! He was breaking strings a lot, so I had to beef up the gauges a bunch and I also have to raise the action on him, otherwise he’s hitting the strings so hard all it would do is buzz all day long!

Joe Beebe – Performing-Musician.com (page is offline now)

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Dave Grohl's Accessories

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Dunlop .71mm Gator Grip Picks

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This is the pick that Dave used in the early days, during the 90s. In the later years, Dunlop started making custom picks with the Foo Fighters logo printed on them, but they were essentially the same.

The Gator Grip pick is a special type of pick developed by Dunlop, with the goal to increase the grip when compared to regular smooth picks. They achieved this by using a rough matte surface, which Dave apparently loves.

It’s worth noting that on some footage, the picks appear to have a different, darker purple color. But, it seems that this is just Dunlop not sticking to one particular color, as you can find .71mms in various shades of purple it seems.

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Editor's Note

I started GroundGuitar in 2013 to create the archive I wish I had. While I strive for perfection - checking specs and hunting down rare gear - I’m only human. If you see a typo or anything wrong, ping me. I will fix it.

Dan Kopilovic

The Backstory | Suggest an Edit Dave Grohl Born January 14, 1969 Years Active 1981–present Genre(s) Rock, Alternative Rock, Grunge, Hardcore Punk Bands Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures Main Guitar(s) Gibson ES-335, Gibson Trini Lopez Explore gear from other popular guitarists Browse Guitarists Browse guitars by brand and model, and find out which artists play them. Browse Guitars