guitar · indie/alt
Stephen Malkmus
Stephen Malkmus, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Pavement, Silver Jews
Pavement's slacker-genius.
Tap or hover any piece for details & sources. Drawings are stylized illustrations, not product photos.
How we label sources
- Verified artist gear Confirmed directly by the artist or their team. No items carry this label yet.
- Reliably sourced report Named in a published gear feature or interview (e.g. Premier Guitar Rig Rundowns, guitar magazines).
- YouTube / community reconstruction Compiled from YouTube rig tours, Wikipedia or fan archives. Treat as a starting point.
- Suggested alternative Boutique/budget clones are our editorial suggestions, not claims about what the artist uses.
Gear, prices and listings change. Owning the same gear won't guarantee an identical tone: technique, settings, recording, signal order and modifications all matter.
Modeler cheat sheet
Get this tone on your modeler
Suggested starting point, not an official preset. Tweak to taste.
Auto-mapped from this rig's sourced gear. Dashed chips have no verified model on that unit.
- driveTRI FUZZstand-infor EarthQuaker Hoof ReaperFuzz 7, tone noon, level 6. Roll guitar volume back to clean up
- ampClean, high-headroom ampdescriptionfor Benson ampGain 4–5, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6. Edge of breakup, cleans up with guitar volume
- cabMatching cab for the ampdescriptionfor Benson ampDynamic 57-style mic at the cap edge, low cut 80 Hz, high cut 8 kHz
- delayTAPE ECHOstand-infor Strymon El CapistanTime 1/4 dotted (tap), feedback 25%, mix 15%
Model names checked against the official HeadRush model list. Model names from HeadRush's official Pedalboard model list; Gigboard and Prime share the HeadRush model library. "Stand-in" means the closest verified model, not an emulation of the artist's exact unit.
Affiliate link. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Shop HeadRush (Pedalboard / Gigboard / Prime) →
- driveTriangle Fuzzstand-infor EarthQuaker Hoof ReaperFuzz 7, tone noon, level 6. Roll guitar volume back to clean up
- ampClean, high-headroom ampdescriptionfor Benson ampGain 4–5, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6. Edge of breakup, cleans up with guitar volume
- cabMatching cab for the ampdescriptionfor Benson ampDynamic 57-style mic at the cap edge, low cut 80 Hz, high cut 8 kHz
- delayTransistor Tapestand-infor Strymon El CapistanTime 1/4 dotted (tap), feedback 25%, mix 15%
Model names checked against the official Line 6 Helix model list. Names from the official Line 6 Helix 3.80 model list (HX Stomp shares the library). "Stand-in" means the closest verified model, not an emulation of the artist's exact unit.
Affiliate link. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Shop Line 6 Helix (Helix / HX Stomp) →
- driveFuzz Pistand-infor EarthQuaker Hoof ReaperFuzz 7, tone noon, level 6. Roll guitar volume back to clean up
- ampClean, high-headroom ampdescriptionfor Benson ampGain 4–5, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6. Edge of breakup, cleans up with guitar volume
- cabMatching cab for the ampdescriptionfor Benson ampDynamic 57-style mic at the cap edge, low cut 80 Hz, high cut 8 kHz
- delayTape Delaystand-infor Strymon El CapistanTime 1/4 dotted (tap), feedback 25%, mix 15%
Model names checked against the official Neural DSP Quad Cortex model list. Names from Neural DSP's official Quad Cortex device list. "Stand-in" means the closest verified model, not an emulation of the artist's exact unit.
Affiliate link. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Shop Neural DSP Quad Cortex (Quad Cortex / QC mini) →
- driveMUFF FUZZstand-infor EarthQuaker Hoof ReaperBOOSTER slot: Fuzz 7, tone noon, level 6. Roll guitar volume back to clean up
- ampClean, high-headroom ampdescriptionfor Benson ampGain 4–5, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6. Edge of breakup, cleans up with guitar volume
- cabBuilt-in speaker (no cab model)descriptionfor Benson ampKatana has no cab sim on its speaker
- delayTAPE ECHOstand-infor Strymon El CapistanDELAY slot: Time 1/4 dotted (tap), feedback 25%, mix 15%
Model names checked against the official BOSS Katana model list and owner's manual. Amp types from the Katana MkII Owner's Manual; effect types from 'Using BOSS TONE STUDIO for KATANA Mk II'. Katana has its own speaker, so there is no cab block. Gen 3 renames some types, so check your unit. "Stand-in" means the closest verified model, not an emulation of the artist's exact unit.
Affiliate link. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Shop BOSS Katana (Katana MkII (via BOSS Tone Studio)) →
Learn the songs
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