KIM GORDON
GUITARS
View all of Kim's basses/guitars
AMPS
Below is the information I can confirm for sure -- where there are gaps in years and the same set-up appears on either side of the gap, you can infer that it was continuously used thru that period.
I will get around to adding amplifier info for the early-mid 80s in the future....
1989
Marshall Jubilee Bass Series head w/ Dietz 2x15 cabinet
1991
MESA/Boogie Bass 400+ head w/ a 4x12 guitar bottom & 1x18 cab
1992
MESA/Boogie Bass 400+ head w/ a 4x12 guitar bottom & 1x18 cab
(Cabs miked for recording of "Dirty", w/ clean D.I. from bass to board)
1994
MESA/Boogie amp + some tube direct box
1998
MESA/Boogie Bass 400+ head w/ a 4x12 guitar bottom & 1x18 cab
1999
MESA/Boogie Bass 400+ head w/ a 4x10 guitar bottom & 1x18 cab
2000
Peavey Rockmaster thru 2 Fender 2x12 cabs
2001
Peavey Rockmaster thru 2 Fender 2x12 cabs
2002
Ampeg SVT-4 Pro Head w/ 8x10" Ampeg cab
Peavey Rockmaster thru 2 Fender 2x12 cabs
Fender Twin Reverb (for ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES -- band didn't want to bring full amp rigs across the country for one gig)
Here are photographs of Kim's entire amp rig I took before soundcheck at the August 30th, 2002 Murray Street tour show in Portland, Oregon at the Crystal Ballroom (some are fairly large so you may want to open them in a new window):
Ampeg head & cab (w/ Kissability tambourine on top)
Peavey Rockmaster head w/ Fender cabs
2006
Photographs taken by me July 14th, 2006 @ the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA.
Ampeg SVT-3 Pro head w/ Ampeg Classic 8x12" (?) cab
Peavey Rockmaster head thru Fender 2x15" (?) cab
Kim's Ampeg
Kim's Whirlwind amp selector
Peavey/Fender stack
Peavey head
Peavey head
Back of Peavey
Ampeg head
Ampeg head
2007
Here's a picture of Kim's amp from the July 21st, 2007 Santa Monica show.
EFFECTS
Below is the information I can confirm for sure -- where there are gaps in years and the same set-up appears on either side of the gap, you can infer that it was continuously used thru that period.
1989
Aria MP5 Metal Pedal
Dunlop Crybaby Wah
1991
Proco Turbo Rat
Crybaby Wah
1992
Proco Turbo Rat
Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz for 100%, Theresa, Stalker...
1998
Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes
Proco Rat
tc electronics Phase Shifter
MXR Blue Box
Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz
Arion Stage Tuner
D.I. box
Dyna Soar homemade distortion (see "other")
Thanks to the now defunct original SY supersite evol.org, I can provide you with some photographs of SY's effects gear from the '98 "A Thousand Leaves" tour, specifically the 5/21/98 Portland, OR gig. Many thanks to Michael McCullough for taking these.
Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes
Blue Box, tc electronics Phaser, Dyna Soar, Hendrix Octave Fuzz, Turbo Rat
Dyna Soar & Hendrix Octave Fuzz
Turbo Rat
Hot Tubes, DI Box, Arion Stage Tuner
1999
Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes
MXR Blue Box
MXR Phase 90
Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz
ProCo Turbo Rat
Electro Harmonix Micro Synth (re-issue)
Dyna Soar Distortion Pedal (see "other")
2000
Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz
2002
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Moogerfooger 12-stage Phaser w/ expression pedal
Electro-Harmonix Micro-Synthesizer
Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz
Pro-Co Turbo Rat
Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes
DI box
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
Here are photographs of Kim's entire effects rig I took before soundcheck at the August 30th, 2002 Murray Street tour show in Portland, Oregon at the Crystal Ballroom (some are fairly large so you may want to open them in a new window):
Wide shot of Delay, Moogerfooger, Micro Synth, Octave Fuzz
Wide shot of Turbo Rat, Hot Tubes, DI, Volume Pedal, Tuner
Boss Delay, AC, Moogerfooger Phaser w/ Expression Pedal
Micro Synthesizer & Hendrix Octave Fuzz
Turbo Rat & Hot Tubes
DI box, Ernie Ball volume pedal, and Boss tuner
2006
Photographs taken by me July 14th, 2006 @ the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA.
Ibanez AD-9 Analog Delay
Mutron Wah-Vol
T.C. Electronic Phaser
Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer
Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz
Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes
Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
Delay, Wah/Vol, Phaser, Tube Screamer
Octave Fuzz, Hot Tubes, bass DI, Tuner
Delay, Wah/Vol, Phaser
Tube Screamer, Octave Fuzz, Hot Tubes
Hot Tubes, DI, Tuner
AD-9 Analog Delay
Wah-Vol
Phaser
Phaser/Tube Screamer
Tube Screamer
Octave Fuzz
Hot Tubes
DI/Tuner
2007
Here are some pictures I took of Kim's pedals on July 21st, 2007: Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner, DI, Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes, Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz and Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, Mutron Wah-Vol, Ibanez AD-9 Analog Delay -- her T.C. Eletronic Phaser seems to be missing.
OTHER
Miscellaneous instruments/tools.
Trumpet -- Kim began playing trumpet during various improvisations in 1997, perhaps inspired by Yoshimi's usage of one within Free Kitten. It first appeared in "Invito Al Cielo" and later in "Lightnin", during which she also scraped the horn against her guitar strings. The 2004+ versions of PCH feature Kim playing the melody during the 'middle' section on trumpet as well.
Toy Beatbox -- on "Tokyo Eye", Kim played a toy beatbox thru her bass pick-up, varying the sound effects throughout the song.
Dyna Soar distortion pedal -- this small homemade fuzzbox was reportedly loud enough to blow up an amplifier, so Kim began using it as a slide on songs like "Anagrama" and "Wildflower".
Slide -- used on bass for parts of "JC", and her guitar parts on "Mariah" "Pattern Recognition", "New Hampshire" & "Rats" (the latter 2 using a capo as well).
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