“Yeah, it’s flattering, but I don’t think I’m a very good guitar player, or a very good painter. I listen to my guitar playing, my songs, I look at my paintings, I tend to focus on the faults, things that I could’ve done slightly better.”
John Squire said this to The Guardian in 2019. He is, by the consensus of almost everyone who has ever heard The Stone Roses, one of the most distinctive and influential British guitarists of the last forty years. He has the self-assessment of someone who cannot hear what everyone else hears. This is not false modesty — it is the specific quality of attention that a craftsman brings to their own work, where the gap between vision and execution is always visible.
He grew up in Manchester and picked up two habits: painting and playing guitar, both without training, both developing into singular personal styles. His paintings — the Jackson Pollock-inspired drip technique he applied to The Stone Roses’ first album cover, to the band’s merchandise, to the guitars themselves — are as immediately recognisable as his playing. The Hofner T4S bass-guitar hybrid he played on “Fools Gold,” covered in his Pollock-derived drip painting, is one of the most visually distinctive instruments in British rock.
The music: “She Bangs the Drums,” “I Wanna Be Adored,” “Waterfall,” “I Am the Resurrection,” “Fools Gold,” “Love Spreads.” The Stone Roses’ debut album (1989) is one of the defining records of the Madchester era and of British indie music broadly. It was built on a 1964 Gretsch Country Gentleman through a Fender Twin Reverb, a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, an Ibanez TS-9, and a pink 1960 Fender Stratocaster that producer John Leckie hired in from a rental shop.
Jimmy Page once asked him if Gibson had approached him about a signature model. Squire said no. Page said: “Yeah, probably — maybe you play too many Strats.”
He paints. He plays guitar. He insists he’s not very good at either. He is wrong about both.
Background: Manchester, Madchester, the Lemon, and the Long Silence
John Squire was born November 24, 1962, in Broadheath, Altrincham, Greater Manchester. He grew up in the Benchill area of Wythenshawe — the same social housing district that produced Oasis’s Liam and Noel Gallagher — alongside Ian Brown, who would become The Stone Roses’ vocalist. The two were childhood friends; the band grew from that friendship.
The Stone Roses formed in 1983 with Squire, Brown, drummer Reni (Alan Wren), and bassist Mani (Gary Mounfield). Their early years were marked by the gradual development of the specific sound that would make them famous: the Byrdsian jangle of the Stratocaster and Country Gentleman run through a Fender Twin, combined with the funk-influenced rhythmic approach that separated them from the jangly indie of contemporaries like The Smiths, and the dance-floor consciousness of the Manchester club scene.
The debut album The Stone Roses (1989), produced by John Leckie, arrived during the height of the Madchester scene — the specific Manchester cultural moment where indie guitar music and acid house club culture intersected. The album’s combination of psychedelic guitar, funky bass and drums, and Ian Brown’s narcotically cool vocals made it immediately distinctive. It sold modestly on release but has since been recognised as one of the essential British albums of the last fifty years.
Their contract disputes with Silvertone Records, a failed gig at Spike Island in 1990, and internal tensions combined to delay the second album for five years. The Second Coming (1994) divided fans and critics — heavier, more Led Zeppelin-influenced, less obviously danceable. The band collapsed in 1996 after Squire departed. A 2011-2013 reunion produced no new studio material. A 2016 reunion ended abruptly when Squire suffered a cycling accident that left him unable to play.
He has continued as a visual artist, exhibiting paintings regularly. His 2024 collaboration with Liam Gallagher — the self-titled Liam Gallagher & John Squire album — was the first new recorded music he had released under his own name in decades.
Tone note: The Stone Roses’ debut was recorded with a pink Fender Stratocaster that producer John Leckie hired from a rental shop. Squire played it, liked it so much he bought it from the rental company. The guitar that gives the album its trademark jangle — the out-of-phase Strat tones on “I Am the Resurrection,” the shimmer on “Shoot You Down” — was a happy accident of studio necessity. The rental guitar became the instrument that defined the record.
The Rig: John Squire’s Guitars, Amps & Gear
Guitars: From Gretsch to Pollock-Painted Hofner
1964 Gretsch G6122 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman — The Early Stone Roses Guitar
John Squire’s primary guitar during the early Stone Roses period — visible in most photos and TV appearances from 1987-1989 — was a 1964 Gretsch G6122 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman. During the early years of The Stone Roses, John Squire utilized a pink Fender Stratocaster and a Gretsch (potentially a Country Gent) guitar, paired with a Vox AC30 amplifier, to achieve the iconic jangly tones for which he is renowned.
The Country Gentleman’s specifications: a semi-hollow body (with fake f-holes — it is actually fully hollow), Gretsch’s Filter’Tron humbucking pickups, and the specific resonant, warm, slightly compressed character of a hollow-body guitar. George Harrison had made the Country Gentleman famous in the early Beatles; Squire’s use of it connected the Stone Roses to that specific lineage of British guitar jangle.
The Gretsch Country Gentleman pictured on the inside of The Stone Roses’ lemon album was a live favourite, but John Leckie vetoed its use for the album’s recording. ‘He said it was too woolly, and he was right.’ Despite being his primary live guitar, the Country Gentleman didn’t make it onto the debut album. The producer’s veto pushed Squire toward the pink Stratocaster instead — the accident that defined the album’s sound.
1960 Pink Fender Stratocaster — The Debut Album Guitar
The guitar that actually defines The Stone Roses’ debut album sound is a pink 1960 Fender Stratocaster that Squire initially hired for the sessions. For a lot of the first album I hired in a pink ’60s Stratocaster which I ended up buying because it sounded so good.
Mixdown Magazine confirmed its role: Squire was a huge Hendrix fan, and this all original 1960 shell pink Stratocaster is a perfect representation of that. This guitar lent its trademarked jangle and out-of-phase tones in tracks like ‘I Am The Resurrection’, ‘Shoot You Down’, and ‘She Bangs The Drums’.
The Stratocaster’s out-of-phase tones — produced by selecting the in-between pickup positions (positions 2 and 4 on the five-way switch) where two pickups are simultaneously engaged and their magnetic polarity partially cancels certain frequencies — give the specific hollow, quacky character that defines the debut album’s guitar sound. This is not the Gretsch’s warm humbucker tone; it is the Strat’s specific single-coil shimmer in its most distinctive configuration.
Tone note: John Leckie said the Country Gentleman was “too woolly.” He was right. The Stratocaster’s out-of-phase tones are the opposite of woolly — they are cutting, jangly, and specific. The producer’s rejection of Squire’s primary live guitar in favour of a rented instrument produced the guitar sound that defined the record. Squre liked the rental so much he bought it. The accidental instrument became the definitive instrument.
Hofner T4S (“Fools Gold” Guitar) — The Pollock Masterpiece
The most visually distinctive guitar in Squire’s collection — and possibly in 1980s British rock — is the Hofner T4S bass-guitar hybrid that he played on “Fools Gold” and that he decorated with his Jackson Pollock-inspired drip painting technique. In the music video and TOTP appearance of “Fools Gold”, John uses a custom Hofner T4S with his signature Pollock-inspired paintjob.
The T4S is a Hofner semi-hollow instrument that falls between bass and guitar in design — a 30.5-inch scale guitar body with guitar-style features. Squire’s Pollock-painted version became an icon of the Madchester era. The Jackson Pollock connection was specific and deliberate: Squire had been studying Pollock’s drip technique, applying it to canvas, and transferred it to his guitars and album artwork. The Stone Roses’ debut album cover — the lemon — is Squire’s painting. The merchandise, the guitars, the aesthetic environment of the band was shaped by his visual art practice.
Custom Stuart Palmer Guitars (1990) — The Spike Island Instruments
This guitar was one of two custom-made guitars built for John Squire by Doncaster luthier Stuart Palmer around 1990. The second guitar was identical in design but finished in white. Squire used the white one most famously in the One Love music video and the sunburst version during the iconic Spike Island gig in 1990.
The Stuart Palmer customs were Jaguar-inspired designs — Squire had Fender Jaguars that he wanted modified, but instead of doing the work himself he commissioned Palmer to build custom guitars based on the Jaguar concept. These instruments are among the rarest and least documented in his collection, but they appear in some of the most photographed moments of the Stone Roses’ peak period.
1952 Telecaster Replica (Custom, 1989) — The Blonde Tele
This guitar was built in 1989 specifically for John Squire to capture the look, feel, and tone of a 1952 Telecaster. It features a classic Blonde finish on an ash body, a maple neck, and even incorporates some genuine 1950s Fender hardware — most notably, an original ’50s bridge plate. Essentially, it’s a high-quality replica of a ’52 Tele, relic-aged to look vintage from the start.
1959 Gibson Les Paul — The Second Coming Guitar
John famously used a vintage ’59 Les Paul throughout the Second Coming recording sessions and the subsequent tour. The Second Coming’s heavier, more Led Zeppelin-influenced guitar sound — “Love Spreads” in particular, with its slide guitar and raw blues feel — required the Les Paul’s thicker, more sustained character. The 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard is the same most-desired vintage instrument as Mike McCready’s “King of Kings” — the peak year, the PAF humbuckers, the maple cap over mahogany body.
Other Key Guitars
- 1976 Fender Telecaster Custom (blonde, modified) — This is a Fender Telecaster Custom (1976) in blonde with modified bridge, locking tuners and custom PAF pickup in neck. Used in later periods including the reunion era
- 1961 Fender Stratocaster — Used 1979-84 period alongside the Country Gentleman
- Fender Japan Contemporary Telecaster E Series SSH — John Squire is seen playing a Fender Japan Contemporary Telecaster E Series SSH, showcasing a lesser-known aspect of his guitar collection.
- Lindert Locomotive — In the “Love Is The Law” video, John Squire can be seen playing a Lindert Locomotive guitar.
- 1973 Telecaster Custom — Guitar World 2024: “My wife showed me a clip on Instagram from Denmark Street Guitars, saying the ’73 Telecaster Custom I used for Waterfall on the Roses reunion was available. I’d forgotten I’d got rid of it. I thought about buying it back.”
- Todd Krause Custom Shop Stratocaster (red, 2012) — Primary guitar on the Liam Gallagher & John Squire album: “It was mostly this red 2012 Strat. It’s a Todd Krause Custom Shop and the inscription is from Fools Gold. I bought it during the Roses reunion… On the rhythm pickup, it sounded mega. That guitar is on every track.”
- Gibson Firebird — Used for one bar of the “Just a Rainbow” solo on the Gallagher/Squire album
- 1956 Gibson Les Paul Junior — Earlier collection
Complete Guitar List (Key Instruments)
- 1964 Gretsch G6122 Country Gentleman — Live primary early period; vetoed for debut album recording by John Leckie (“too woolly”); visible on The Stone Roses album art
- 1960 pink Fender Stratocaster — Debut album primary; initially rented, bought after sessions; out-of-phase tones on “I Am the Resurrection,” “She Bangs the Drums,” “Shoot You Down”
- Hofner T4S (Pollock-painted) — “Fools Gold” guitar; Jackson Pollock drip technique decoration; visual icon of Madchester era
- Custom Stuart Palmer guitars (sunburst + white, 1990) — Jaguar-inspired; Spike Island gig (sunburst); “One Love” video (white)
- 1952 Telecaster replica (custom, 1989, ash/maple) — ’50s hardware including original bridge plate
- 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard — Second Coming recordings and tour; “Love Spreads” slide guitar
- 1973/1976 Fender Telecaster Custom — Reunion era; “Waterfall” on reunion shows
- Todd Krause Custom Shop Stratocaster (red, 2012) — Every track on Liam Gallagher & John Squire album; “on the rhythm pickup, it sounded mega”
Amps: Fender Twin and Mesa/Boogie
Fender Twin Reverb — The Primary Clean Amp
The Fender Twin Reverb — specifically the silverface model — was Squire’s primary clean amplifier throughout The Stone Roses’ first album period. The extensive headroom and crystal clean chime of the Fender Twin Reverb was a perfect canvas for John Squire to shape his sound upon. In the early years of The Stone Roses, Squire would even use two of these absolutely monstrous amplifiers for an incredibly widened soundstage.
Guitar World confirmed his use of it for the debut album: You used a Fender Twin with JBL speakers for the first Roses album. Two Fender Twins running simultaneously — the stereo width they produced, combined with the specific JBL speaker character (brighter, more forward-projecting than Celestions) — is a significant part of the debut album’s spacious, open sound.
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC and Mark III — The Late-Period Drive Amp
Around 1988-1989, as the Stone Roses’ live venues grew, Squire began incorporating a Mesa/Boogie amp for additional drive and tonal thickness. He’s reported to have used a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC combo (a high-gain simul-class 1×12″ amp). The Mesa’s richer midrange “beefed up” Squire’s tone and was used alongside or in place of the Twin for live shows in the late ’80s. By 1989-90, his main live rig often consisted of the Fender Twin for clean tones and a Mesa/Boogie for overdriven tones, sometimes running together.
During The Stone Roses’ 2012 reunion, John Squire used a Mesa/Boogie Lone Star Special Amp. John Squire is seen using the Mesa/Boogie Mark III Guitar Combo 1×12 in his live setup.
Orange (Second Coming era)
During the recording of the Stone Roses’ second album, Second Coming (1994), Squire embraced a more vintage ’70s rock sound. It’s noted that Orange amplifiers were used in the studio sessions to achieve this retro character. While the specific model isn’t confirmed, it was likely an Orange OR120 or Overdrive head, known for their thick, classic crunch.
Liam Gallagher collaboration (2024)
For the Gallagher/Squire album, Squire described the amp approach: “For the sessions at Greg Kurstin’s studio in LA, we used physical amps. Greg had everything I had, so there was no need to ship anything out. I used his AC30 and modified Marshall JMP 50-watt Master Volume. In fact, we cloned them before we left.”
Pedals: Fuzz, Overdrive, and the Pollock Pedalboard
Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face — The Primary Distortion
Squire’s go-to fuzz since the early years. Squire’s go-to fuzz pedal since the early years is a Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face, the same style favored by Jimi Hendrix. He likely acquired a vintage late-60s Fuzz Face early on (or a faithful reissue), drawn by its thick, saturated sustain. This pedal was crucial for many of Squire’s lead tones — for instance, the iconic guitar solo on “I Am the Resurrection” was recorded using the Fuzz Face stacked with an overdrive. By stacking the fuzz into an overdrive, Squire achieved a singing, violin-like sustain on that extended solo.
John Squire uses the Dunlop JDF2 Fuzz Face pedal during performances.
Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer — The Overdrive Foundation
The TS-9 is Squire’s overdrive pedal — used for the slight grit that lifts the clean Fender Twin character into crunch territory, and stacked with the Fuzz Face for solos. For dirt, Squire mainly used a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face and Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-9, stacked on top of each other at times for guitar solos. Check out the guitar solo on the studio version of ‘I Am The Resurrection’ for an excellent example of this in play.
Modulation — Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Wah
For modulation, Squire used a Jen Wah pedal, Boss PH-2 Super Phaser, and a Boss BF-2 Flanger.
- Jen Wah (Italian vintage wah) — A Crybaby Wah-Wah pedal, most likely a knockoff by an Italian company called Jen, was also used on occasion by Squire. The Jen wah’s specific character includes more bass in the cocked-back position and more high-end sweep on the treble strings than standard Dunlop wahs
- Ibanez CS-9 Stereo Chorus — John Squire uses an Ibanez CS9 Stereo Chorus, as seen in a user-uploaded photo from Pdmcauley, which captures its role in his setup during performances. Used on “I Wanna Be Adored” and other tracks for the shimmering chorus quality
- Boss BF-2 Flanger — The other essential effect John Squire used was the Boss BF-2 flanger — the flanger sound can be heard on tracks such as “Made Of Stone” and “I Am The Resurrection”.
- Boss PH-2 Super Phaser — Phase shifting; part of his core modulation setup
Rack Effects
- Alesis Quadraverb GT — John Squire uses the Alesis Quadraverb GT as one of his two rack effects units, as detailed in his live setup.
- Alesis Midiverb II — This is an Alesis Midiverb II multi-effects processor. This is the piece of kit that Cressa would operate for Squire when the Roses played live. — notably, a dedicated person (Cressa) operated this unit from the side of the stage during live performances
Complete Pedal List
- Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face (vintage or Dunlop JDF2) — Primary fuzz/distortion; “I Am the Resurrection” solo; stacked with TS-9
- Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer — Overdrive; stacked with Fuzz Face for solos; used until early 1990s confirmed
- Jen Wah — Italian vintage wah; used on “Fools Gold” and other funk-influenced material
- Ibanez CS-9 Stereo Chorus — “I Wanna Be Adored” and other shimmer tracks
- Boss BF-2 Flanger — “Made of Stone,” “I Am the Resurrection”
- Boss PH-2 Super Phaser — Phasing modulation
- Alesis Quadraverb GT — Rack effects unit
- Alesis Midiverb II — Operated live by dedicated crew member Cressa
Strings, Picks & Setup
The neck pickup trick: One of the most surprising aspects of Squire’s technique is his pickup selection. Despite the chimey, jangly quality associated with the Stone Roses sound, analysis suggests he predominantly used the neck pickup — but picked close to the bridge. He’s playing with humbuckers — I’m pretty sure he’s using the neck pickup. Here’s the key: look where he’s playing, all the way down by the bridge. The combination of neck pickup warmth with bridge-position picking attack produces the specific character — warm but articulate, full but not muddy — of the Stone Roses guitar sound.
Recording philosophy: John would usually work out roughly what he was going to play before coming in, and then do three or four takes with the slant on ‘performance.’ I’d usually end up using one of those (the one with the best feel), pinching bits from the other takes if there were any bad mistakes in the best one. We tried to keep it as ‘one take’ as possible. A performance-oriented approach rather than a layering one — close to McCready’s first-take philosophy.
The essential signal path: Guitar with humbuckers (neck pickup and played by bridge) → Chorus → Tubescreamer → Amp (Fender and/or Mesa Boogie) with Reverb in effects loop. Fuzz Face for solos.
Playing Style & Tone Philosophy: Psychedelia, Funk, and the Space Between
John Squire’s guitar style synthesizes Jimi Hendrix’s expressive, Wah-driven funk with the Byrdsian jangle of 1960s British guitar, the psychedelic rock of Cream and Led Zeppelin, and the dance-floor consciousness of the late-1980s Manchester scene. The result: guitar playing that is simultaneously funky and melodic, psychedelic and rhythmically precise, vintage-rooted and Madchester-modern.
The Hendrix Foundation
Squire has cited Hendrix throughout his career as his primary influence. The specific Hendrix elements in his playing: the wah-inflected funk of “Fools Gold” (the wah guitar line is one of the most clearly Hendrix-derived in British indie), the sustained, feedback-adjacent lead tones on “I Am the Resurrection,” and the general philosophy of the guitar as an expressive, vocal instrument rather than a rhythm-section support tool.
The Funk Dimension
“Fools Gold” is the clearest expression of Stone Roses’ funk dimension — the nine-minute groove built on a repeated guitar riff with wah inflection, over Reni’s rolling drum pattern and Mani’s insistent bass line. This is not rock guitar in funk clothing; it is genuinely funky guitar playing in a rock context. The rhythmic precision of the guitar part — the specific placement of each wah-accented note against the groove — reflects genuine rhythmic sophistication.
The Psychedelic Dimension
The extended solo on “I Am the Resurrection” — five minutes of guitar playing that builds from melodic single notes through fuzz-face sustain to feedback-adjacent sustained chords — is the Stone Roses’ psychedelic moment. Squire is not a technically flashy player; his solos develop through feel and sustain rather than through speed and scalar exercise. The Fuzz Face’s specific sustain character, stacked with the TS-9’s mid-boost, produces the violin-like singing quality that the “I Am the Resurrection” solo requires.
The Painting Parallel
His guitar playing and his painting share a quality: the willingness to work intuitively, without formal training, developing a personal language through repetition and experiment rather than through academic instruction. The Jackson Pollock drip technique he applies to his canvases and his guitars is the visual parallel to his sonic approach — controlled improvisation within an established conceptual framework, where the specific outcome is shaped by the act itself rather than by a pre-planned design.
How to Sound Like John Squire: The Stone Roses Guitar Tone
The Guitar
Gretsch semi-hollow (Country Gentleman or equivalent) or Fender Stratocaster — depending on whether you’re recreating the live or studio debut sound. Neck pickup position, picking near the bridge.
- Gretsch G6122 Country Gentleman — The live debut era sound; available as current production reissue
- Fender Stratocaster (rosewood fingerboard) — The debut album studio sound; out-of-phase position (2 or 4) for the jangly tones
- 1959 Gibson Les Paul — Second Coming; “Love Spreads” slide guitar era
The Amp
| Control | Fender Twin (clean) | Mesa/Boogie (drive) |
|---|---|---|
| Volume/Gain | Clean headroom | Medium drive (not maximum) |
| Treble | 6 | 5–6 |
| Middle | 4–5 | 5–6 |
| Bass | 4 | 4–5 |
| Reverb | Light spring reverb | — |
The Essential Pedals
- Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face (or Dunlop JDF2) — For solos; stacked with TS-9 for “I Am the Resurrection” violin sustain
- Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer — Foundation overdrive; light to moderate gain
- Ibanez CS-9 Chorus — The shimmer on “I Wanna Be Adored” and similar tracks
- Jen Wah (or Dunlop Crybaby) — For “Fools Gold” and funk passages
- Boss BF-2 Flanger — For “Made of Stone” and “I Am the Resurrection” specific textures
Budget vs Authentic
Budget:
- Guitar: Gretsch Electromatic (semi-hollow, Filter’Tron style pickups) or Fender Player Stratocaster
- Amp: Fender Blues Junior (clean) or any Mesa/Boogie-voiced amp
- Pedals: Dunlop Fuzz Face Mini + Ibanez TS-9 + Ibanez CS-9 + Dunlop Crybaby Wah
Authentic:
- Guitar: 1964 Gretsch Country Gentleman (live) or vintage 1960 pink Fender Stratocaster (studio)
- Amp: Fender Twin Reverb (silverface, JBL speakers) + Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC
- Pedals: Vintage Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face + Ibanez TS-9 + Ibanez CS-9 + Jen Wah + Boss BF-2
Influence & Legacy: Madchester’s Quiet Architect
John Squire’s influence on British guitar music runs through every band that emerged from the Madchester scene and through the broader Britpop era that followed. The specific combination of funk rhythms, psychedelic guitar texture, and clean-to-fuzz dynamics that he developed became the template for 1990s British indie guitar.
The documented connections:
- Noel Gallagher — Oasis’s rhythm guitar approach absorbed the Stone Roses’ jangle tradition; the Gallagher brothers were from the same Wythenshawe social world as Squire and Brown
- Graham Coxon (Blur) — The Britpop guitar aesthetic that followed Madchester has Stone Roses DNA
- Richard Ashcroft/Nick McCabe (The Verve) — The psychedelic, effects-laden British guitar tradition extends through Squire
- Every British indie guitarist 1989-1997 — The Stone Roses debut album was the reference point for what British indie guitar could be; its influence permeated the entire Britpop era
He said he’s not a very good guitar player. He painted the debut album cover. He painted his guitars. He made the Country Gentleman famous in Manchester the way George Harrison had made it famous in Liverpool twenty-five years earlier.
Jimmy Page asked if Gibson had been in touch. They hadn’t. Maybe he plays too many Strats.
Tone note: He said “I tend to focus on the faults, things that I could’ve done slightly better.” Squire focuses on faults. The rest of the world hears “She Bangs the Drums,” “Waterfall,” “I Am the Resurrection,” “Fools Gold,” and “Love Spreads.” The gap between what the artist hears and what the audience hears is the specific productive tension that makes art possible. If he could hear what the audience hears, he might stop improving. Because he hears only the faults, he keeps trying to fix them. The fixing is the art.
John Leckie said the Country Gentleman was too woolly. He was right. So Squire hired a pink 1960 Stratocaster from a rental company, played it through two Fender Twin Reverbs with JBL speakers, ran the signal through an Ibanez CS-9 Chorus and a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face and an Ibanez TS-9, and recorded the debut album that defined Madchester and influenced a decade of British guitar music.
He liked the rental Stratocaster so much he bought it. He painted his guitars with Jackson Pollock drip technique. He painted the album cover. He said he’s not a very good guitar player or painter. He is wrong.
Jimmy Page once asked if Gibson had approached him. No. Maybe because he plays too many Strats.
The Stone Roses’ debut is one of the essential British albums. The guitar on it is a rental that became a purchase that became a legacy. That’s how it goes.
If John Squire’s psychedelic Madchester guitar — the Country Gentleman jangle, the pink Strat out-of-phase shimmer, the Fuzz Face stacked with TS-9 for sustain — has you exploring the British indie guitar tradition, check our complete guide to Noel Gallagher’s guitars and gear — the next guitarist in this series, and the Mancunian who took the Stone Roses’ indie-funk template in a different, more stadium-oriented direction with Oasis.
And for the guitarist who produced what many consider the other essential British album of the same era — working from a similar tradition of jangly, effects-laden guitar in a post-punk context — don’t miss our breakdown of Johnny Marr’s gear guide.
FAQ: John Squire Guitars & Gear
- What guitars did John Squire use on The Stone Roses debut album?
- The primary guitar on the 1989 Stone Roses debut album was a 1960 shell pink Fender Stratocaster that Squire initially hired from a rental company at producer John Leckie’s suggestion — Leckie had vetoed Squire’s primary live guitar (a 1964 Gretsch Country Gentleman) as “too woolly.” Squire liked the rented Stratocaster so much he bought it from the rental company. It provides the trademark out-of-phase jangle tones on tracks like “I Am the Resurrection,” “She Bangs the Drums,” and “Shoot You Down.” His 1964 Gretsch Country Gentleman was his primary live guitar during the same period — visible in most photographs and TV appearances.
- What is the Pollock-painted Hofner guitar?
- The Hofner T4S — a semi-hollow bass/guitar hybrid — that Squire used on “Fools Gold” and decorated with his Jackson Pollock-inspired drip painting technique. Squire had been studying Pollock’s approach and applying the drip method to his paintings and to instruments. The painted T4S became one of the visual icons of the Madchester era. The same Pollock technique appears on The Stone Roses’ debut album cover (the lemon) and other band artwork — Squire’s visual art practice and his music were integrated aspects of the same aesthetic identity.
- What was John Squire’s pedal setup for the Stone Roses?
- His core pedal setup: Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face (or Dunlop JDF2) for distortion — stacked with the TS-9 for the “I Am the Resurrection” extended solo’s singing sustain. Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer for overdrive and as a solo boost. Ibanez CS-9 Stereo Chorus for the shimmer on “I Wanna Be Adored” and similar tracks. Jen wah (Italian vintage) for “Fools Gold” funk passages. Boss BF-2 Flanger for “Made of Stone” and other flanged tracks. Boss PH-2 Super Phaser for additional modulation. Alesis Midiverb II and Quadraverb GT for rack reverb effects — the Midiverb was operated live by a dedicated crew member (Cressa) from the side of the stage.
- What amplifiers did John Squire use?
- For the debut album and early tours: Fender Twin Reverb (silverface, with JBL speakers) — sometimes two simultaneously for stereo width. From 1988-89, he added Mesa/Boogie amplification (Mark IIC and later Mark III) for additional drive and tonal thickness, running the Mesa alongside the Fender Twin for overdriven tones. For the Second Coming era: Orange amplifiers were used in the studio for the heavier ’70s rock character. For the 2012 reunion: Mesa/Boogie Lone Star Special. For the 2024 Liam Gallagher album: Vox AC30 and a modified Marshall JMP 50-watt Master Volume.
- What guitar did John Squire use on “Fools Gold”?
- The Hofner T4S — the semi-hollow instrument covered in his Jackson Pollock-inspired drip painting. This guitar is specifically associated with “Fools Gold” through the Top of the Pops performance and music video appearances. The T4S’s specific character — somewhere between guitar and bass in scale and construction — suited the song’s nine-minute funk groove, with its sustained, warm tone complementing the wah pedal work that drives the track.
- What guitar did John Squire use on the Liam Gallagher album?
- A red 2012 Todd Krause Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster that he’d bought during the Stone Roses reunion: “It was mostly this red 2012 Strat. It’s a Todd Krause Custom Shop and the inscription is from Fools Gold. I bought it during the Roses reunion and it was a hotel guitar because it always sounded a bit puny. But it was just in this room when I started writing the album… On the rhythm pickup, it sounded mega… That guitar is on every track.” He also used a Gibson Firebird for one bar of the “Just a Rainbow” solo.
- How do I get John Squire’s Stone Roses guitar tone?
- For the debut album sound: Fender Stratocaster (out-of-phase position 2 or 4 on the five-way switch for the jangle tones) through a clean Fender Twin Reverb with spring reverb. Pedal chain: Ibanez CS-9 Chorus → Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer → Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face (engaged for solos only, stacked with TS-9). Jen Wah or Crybaby for wah passages. Boss BF-2 Flanger for “Made of Stone”-style flanging. For the live jangle sound, use a Gretsch semi-hollow (Country Gentleman or Electromatic) through the same chain. The key technique: use the neck pickup but pick close to the bridge — the combination of warm neck pickup character with bridge-position attack produces the specific Squire tone.
