Eight of the eleven tracks on Pearl Jam’s debut album Ten were musically written or co-written by Stone Gossard. “Alive.” “Even Flow.” “Black.” “Jeremy.” “Oceans.” “Garden.” “Deep.” “Release.”
He wrote the riffs that Mike McCready soloed over. He wrote the structures that Eddie Vedder sang across. He built the rhythmic foundation that made Pearl Jam possible.
And then, famously, he stopped. Or at least slowed down dramatically. By the time Vs. came out, the songwriting had become more collaborative. Vedder has been quoted as saying that it is extremely difficult to collaborate with Gossard, as he outright refuses to work on anything remotely like anything he’s done before. This refusal to repeat himself — to insist that every creative step go somewhere new — is both his strength and his complication as a collaborator.
“I like rhythmic things that butt up against each other in a cool kind of way.”
That’s the complete Stone Gossard musical philosophy in fourteen words. The rhythm guitarist who thinks about what two rhythmic ideas do when they collide, not about whether a particular riff or chord will impress. The collision is the music.
He has a Gibson Les Paul Custom with a Bigsby vibrato as his main instrument. He blends a Marshall and a Fender. He doesn’t like rack units or MIDI. He wants to plug straight into an amp and use a couple of stomp boxes. He has been doing this since 1990. It sounds great every time they plug in.
He also signed Queens of the Stone Age to his record label. He was there before anyone knew who they were.
Background: Seattle, Green River, Mother Love Bone, and the Demo Tape That Started Everything
Stone Carpenter Gossard was born July 20, 1966, in Seattle, Washington, to a lawyer father and a mother who worked in the Seattle city government. He grew up in Seattle, and by his teenage years was already embedded in the city’s emerging rock scene.
His first significant band was Green River — the proto-grunge band he co-founded with Jeff Ament and Mark Arm in 1984. Green River is credited as one of the founding bands of the Seattle grunge scene, releasing the Dry as a Bone EP on Sub Pop Records in 1987. When Green River dissolved in 1987-88, Gossard and Ament formed Mother Love Bone with vocalist Andrew Wood. Mother Love Bone was on the verge of breakthrough success when Wood died of a heroin overdose in March 1990, just weeks before the release of the band’s debut album.
The aftermath of Wood’s death produced two significant musical events. The first was Temple of the Dog — the tribute album that Gossard, Ament, McCready, and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron recorded in Wood’s memory, which introduced the world to Eddie Vedder on “Hunger Strike.” The second was the Pearl Jam demo tape that Gossard had assembled — instrumental tracks including the music that would become “Alive,” “Even Flow,” and “Black” — which Vedder received in San Diego, recorded vocals for, and sent back to Seattle.
The demo tape is the founding document of Pearl Jam. The music on it was Gossard’s — eight of the eleven tracks on Ten originated with him. He had written the rhythmic architecture before there was a band, before there was a singer, before there was a name. The singer found the music; the music was already there.
Gossard has also been active as a record label owner (Loosegroove Records, co-founded with Regan Hagar in 1994) and recording studio owner. Loosegroove’s most significant signing: Queens of the Stone Age, whose self-titled debut Loosegroove released in 1998 when the band was essentially unknown.
Tone note: He wrote eight of eleven tracks on Ten. Then he deliberately moved away from being the band’s primary songwriter. Eddie Vedder has said it’s “extremely difficult” to collaborate with Gossard because he refuses to do anything remotely like something he’s done before. This refusal to repeat himself is the same impulse that produces the rhythmic originality that defines his guitar work — the insistence on collision rather than comfort.
The Rig: Stone Gossard’s Guitars, Amps & Gear
Guitars: Les Pauls, Goldtops, and the Mother Love Bone Sunburst
Gibson Les Paul Custom (Cherry Sunburst) — The Ten Guitar
Stone Gossard’s primary guitar for the recording and touring of Ten and the early Pearl Jam era was a Gibson Les Paul Custom in cherry sunburst finish — described in Equipboard as “his main guitar in standard tuning throughout the early days of Pearl Jam and through the recording and touring of Ten.” This is the guitar on which the foundational Pearl Jam sound was built.
The Les Paul Custom’s specifications: Les Paul’s highest-specification production model, with a mahogany body and maple top, multi-ply binding, ebony fingerboard, and the thick, sustain-heavy character that Les Paul Customs are known for. The cherry sunburst finish gives the guitar the visual identity associated with the early Pearl Jam period.
Gossard’s tech documented the broader collection of that era: “Stone mainly uses Les Pauls. He has two Goldtops… a ’54 and a ’72 and the sunburst Paul he’s had since Mother Love Bone.”
The sunburst Les Paul he had “since Mother Love Bone” is the most historically significant instrument in his collection — predating Pearl Jam, used in the band that ended with Andrew Wood’s death, carried forward into the band that emerged from that loss. The guitar was there through all of it.
Gibson Les Paul Goldtops — The ’54 and ’72
Two Goldtop Les Pauls form part of Gossard’s primary collection: a 1954 and a 1972. The 1954 Goldtop is a historically significant instrument — the Les Paul in its original configuration, before the sunburst and before the Standard became the dominant model. The 1954 has P-90 pickups (not the PAF humbuckers of the 1958-1960 Standards), producing a rawer, more aggressive midrange character than the humbucker-equipped Standards that dominate the vintage market.
The 1972 Goldtop represents the Norlin era — the same period as Dean DeLeo’s 1978 Les Pauls — with that era’s specific sonic and construction characteristics. Both Goldtops serve different functions within his collection, providing tonal variety from the standard-humbucker cherry sunburst Custom.
Gibson Les Paul Custom with Bigsby — The Primary Live Guitar
Wikipedia documented: “Gossard’s main instrument is a Gibson Les Paul equipped with a Bigsby vibrato system.” The Bigsby vibrato — the original guitar vibrato system, designed by Paul Bigsby in the late 1940s — provides a subtle pitch modulation different from the Stratocaster’s synchronized tremolo or the Jazzmaster’s floating system. The Bigsby moves the pitch gently and returns naturally to pitch without locking mechanisms, producing the slight shimmer on chords and single notes that Gossard uses for rhythmic emphasis.
The Les Paul Custom with Bigsby is his consistent live instrument — the combination of the Les Paul’s thick, sustain-heavy character with the Bigsby’s gentle modulation producing the specific rhythmic gravity of his playing. A Les Paul Standard without Bigsby provides more note-by-note clarity; with Bigsby, the slight pitch movement on strummed chords produces a more elastic, physically present sound.
Equipboard noted: “Gibson Les Paul Customs with Duncan Alnico II pickups” — confirming the specific Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro replacement pickups that Gossard uses. The Alnico II Pro is known for a warm, singing character — less aggressive than many high-output replacement pickups, with a vintage-voiced character that suits the Marshall/Fender clean-to-crunch approach.
1968 Fender Telecaster (Candy Apple Red, Bigsby) — The McCready Trade
One of Gossard’s significant guitars has an unusual origin: his tech documented it as “a 1968 refinished candy-apple red Fender Telecaster that has a vintage Fender Bigsby-style tremolo system. Originally, the guitar was purchased by Mike McCready a few years ago, but Mike traded it to Stone for a different guitar that he wanted.”
This guitar — a McCready trade that became part of Gossard’s standard touring equipment — represents the specific instrument-trading ecosystem that develops in bands that have played together for decades. McCready and Gossard trade guitars. The specific guitar that McCready acquired and traded to Gossard has “become a standard part of Stone’s touring and recording equipment.” The tech’s modifications: graphite bridge saddles and nut, new pots and pickup selector switch, conductive shielding paint in electronics cavities.
Gibson Les Paul Signature Semi-Hollow — The Recent Addition
Guitar World documented Gossard using a rarely seen Gibson Les Paul Signature Semi-Hollow Gold Top on Pearl Jam’s 2022 US tour — “notable for its ES cutaway up top and Les Paul cutaway on the lower bout… the last-ever Gibson model to be designed by Mr. Les Paul himself.” The semi-hollow body adds resonance and air to the Les Paul character, while the specific low-impedance pickups of the Signature model excel at clean tones.
This guitar was used for standard-tuned tracks including “Glorified G,” “Not For You,” “Seven O’Clock,” “Black,” and “Alive” during the 2022 tour.
Other Documented Instruments
- Gretsch Roundup — Confirmed in Equipboard as part of his collection alongside the Gibson Chet Atkins semi-acoustics
- Gibson Chet Atkins semi-acoustic (CE or SST) — Semi-acoustic nylon-string guitar; provides a different tonal character for specific songs
- Hamer Duo-Tone acoustic/electric — Used for “Daughter” (from Vs.); his tech Tim Quinlan confirmed: “a Hamer Duo-Tone electric/acoustic that he uses for ‘Daughter'”
- Fender Stratocasters (various) — Documented in various live contexts
- Gibson Flying V (black, late 1990s/early 2000s) — Documented in live footage of “Alive” in Seattle
- Gibson ES-330 (cherry red, Bigsby) — Documented in Equipboard video footage
- National Resolectric — Used for “Thumbing My Way” at Chop Suey performance
- Gibson Les Paul Junior — Documented as a more recent addition
Complete Guitar List (Key Instruments)
- Gibson Les Paul Custom (cherry sunburst) — Ten-era primary; “had since Mother Love Bone”; standard tuning main guitar
- 1954 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop (P-90s) — Vintage Goldtop; pre-humbucker Les Paul character
- 1972 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop — Norlin-era Goldtop; secondary Goldtop
- Gibson Les Paul Custom with Bigsby (primary live) — Duncan Alnico II pickups; Wikipedia confirmed “main instrument”
- Gibson Les Paul Sunburst with Bigsby — Standard touring guitar alongside signature semi-hollow
- Gibson Les Paul Signature Semi-Hollow (gold top) — Last Les Paul designed by Les Paul himself; 2022 tour primary; low-impedance pickups
- 1968 Fender Telecaster (candy apple red, Bigsby) — Traded from McCready; graphite saddles and nut; tech-modified
- Gretsch Roundup — In collection
- Gibson Chet Atkins semi-acoustic — In collection
- Hamer Duo-Tone acoustic/electric — “Daughter”
- Fender Stratocasters (various) — Live use
- Gibson Flying V (black) — Live use
- Gibson ES-330 (cherry, Bigsby) — Live use
- National Resolectric — “Thumbing My Way”
Amps: The Marshall-Fender Blend and Its Evolution
The Early Rig — Marshall and Fender Bassman
In the early Pearl Jam period, Gossard’s amp setup mirrored McCready’s in its basic structure: “In the early days Gossard played through a Marshall head and a Fender Bassman 4×10, which he would switch between using an Ernie Ball volume/pan pedal.” The Marshall handled the dirty tones; the Fender Bassman provided the clean platform. The Ernie Ball pan pedal allowed smooth blending between the two.
Equipboard confirmed the early configuration: “He uses an Ernie Ball switcher/pan pedal to blend his Marshall JCM800 rig and his blackface Fender Twin.” The JCM800 for crunch and the Fender Twin for clean — the standard two-amp approach that gives rhythm guitar players tonal variety without mid-song amp changes.
The Matchless Era (1995-1999)
By 1995, Gossard’s tech George Webb had provided a more specific account: “Right now, Stone is playing though a Matchless H/C-30 head powering a Marshall 1960 100-watt 4×12, and an old brown Fender Deluxe. He uses relatively low-powered amps and drives them hard, so he gets the tone and warmth of the power tubes working.”
The Matchless HC-30 is a hand-wired, point-to-point British-voiced amplifier producing 30 watts — one of the most respected boutique amplifiers in rock. Its specific character: the warmth of a lower-wattage amp driven to saturation, with a British EL84-based tonality that sits between the Vox AC30 and a Marshall plexi. “He uses relatively low-powered amps and drives them hard” is the foundational statement of his amp philosophy: not high-wattage amps running at low volume, but lower-wattage amps running at their operational limit, where the power tubes contribute compression and harmonic richness.
Yield Era and After — Savage Audio and Back
For the Yield era, Gossard switched to a Savage Audio “Blitz 50” 2×12 50-watt combo. “For the recording of [Riot Act] he used a 1968 Marshall ‘JMP’ 50watt plexi, with channels 1&2 jumped and Tweed Fender Deluxe 1×12, as well as the lesser known Trentino 30 watt head through a Marshall 4×12 cabinet.”
The “channels 1&2 jumped” technique on the Marshall plexi — connecting the two input channels together using a short patch cable — is a classic modification that increases gain and adds harmonic complexity. When both channels are connected, they interact with each other, producing a different character from either channel alone.
Other Documented Amplifiers
- Marshall JCM800 2203 (100W) — Primary early period; confirmed in 1992 Pinkpop Festival footage
- Fender Twin (blackface) — Clean amp throughout career; “blackface Fender Twin” in Equipboard documentation
- Fender Bassman (4×10″) — Early period alongside Marshall
- Matchless HC-30 — Primary 1995-1999; driving Marshall 4×12 cabinet
- Matchless DC-30 2×12 combo — Documented in DC-30 variation
- Fender Deluxe (brown/tweed) — Clean and recording amp
- Savage Audio Blitz 50 (2×12, 50W) — Yield era
- 1968 Marshall JMP 50W plexi — Riot Act recording; channels jumped
- Trentino 30W head — Custom-built by Sal Trentino (who also maintains McCready’s and Neil Young’s amps)
- Vox AC30 — Used in various contexts
- Huss & Dalton D-RH — Boutique amp documented in collection
Pedals & Signal Chain: Simple by Preference
Gossard’s tech George Webb’s 1995 description captures his pedal philosophy perfectly: “Stone changes his gear constantly. Fortunately, though, he keeps things simple. He doesn’t like rack units, and he doesn’t want to deal with MIDI or any of the crap. He basically wants to plug straight into an amp and use a couple of stomp boxes.”
This anti-rack, anti-MIDI stance is the counterpoint to the complex setup that McCready runs simultaneously on the same stage. Where McCready has been building toward elaborate multi-amp configurations, Gossard has consistently oriented toward simplicity: a few pedals between guitar and amp, nothing in the rack, no MIDI.
Core Pedals (Across Eras)
- Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer — Core of his drive sound; “Stone Gossard, guitarist for Pearl Jam, incorporates an Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer into his setup to achieve varied levels of distortion and overdrive”
- Ernie Ball Volume/Pan Pedal — Switches and blends between Marshall (dirty) and Fender/Matchless (clean); central to the dual-amp approach
- DOD FX40B Graphic EQ — “A DOD graphic eq pedal that boosts the signal and drives the amps’ preamp sections harder”; used as a clean boost to push the amp’s preamp
- Boss Hyper Fuzz — Additional distortion option; documented by tech
- Boss CE-1 or equivalent chorus — “His stereo chorus pedal is a Boss”; used sparingly for specific textural moments
- Dunlop CryBaby Wah — Used from the Vs. era onward
Era-Specific Additions
- Binaural era: Danelectro Dan-Echo Delay, Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere added
- Riot Act era (elaborate): Dunlop CryBaby Wah, MXR M-132 Super Compressor, Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere, MXR Phase 90, MXR M-135 Smart Gate, MXR M-133 Micro Amp, Danelectro Dan-Echo Delay, Boss DD-5 Digital Delay, Morgan Miller DT-1 Boost, Ibanez FL-305 Flange with Delay
- Avocado era (stripped back): Significantly fewer pedals than Riot Act; “he cut back on quite a few pedals”
- Recent (documented): Klon Centaur Overdrive, Way Huge Green Rhino MkII Overdrive, ZVex Box of Rock, Boss Tremolo, Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor, Origin Effects SlideRIG, DOD FX40B
Tone note: “He doesn’t like rack units, and he doesn’t want to deal with MIDI or any of the crap.” That’s the complete Gossard pedal philosophy. A few stomp boxes. Plug into the amp. Make the sound. McCready has 63 pedals on his side of the stage; Gossard has half a dozen. Both approaches work. But Gossard’s simpler rig is what builds the rhythmic foundation that makes McCready’s elaborate effects explorations possible — the rhythm has to be solid for the lead to be free.
Strings, Picks & Setup
Strings: Ernie Ball Boomers .011 gauge — “His strings are Ernie Ball .011s” (Equipboard). The .011 gauge is slightly heavier than McCready’s .010, appropriate for the rhythm guitar’s role — heavier strings provide more physical resistance and sustain for chord playing.
Picks: Dunlop Tortex 0.73mm — “Gossard uses Dunlop Tortex 0.73mm picks” (Guitar FX Depot). The 0.73mm Tortex is lighter than McCready’s 0.88mm — a thinner, more flexible pick that produces a different attack character. Lighter picks have more give on impact, producing a slightly softer attack and a different dynamic relationship with the string. For rhythm playing, where consistent strumming patterns and chord attack are the focus, a thinner pick can provide more physical feel and dynamic sensitivity.
Multiple alternate tunings: “Gossard’s tech Tim ‘Skully’ Quinlan tunes all the guitars to their many alternate tunings using GHS Boomers 0.011’s” — confirming both the tech’s tuning role and the multiple-guitar multiple-tuning approach that parallels McCready’s. Different songs require different configurations; a dedicated guitar is maintained in each required tuning.
Bigsby setup: His primary Les Paul’s Bigsby vibrato requires specific setup considerations — string gauge and bridge height affect how the Bigsby returns to pitch after use. His preference for the Bigsby’s gentle modulation rather than a Floyd Rose or synchronized tremolo reflects his specific rhythmic approach: he wants the slight shimmer of a Bigsby push, not the dramatic pitch changes of a more aggressive system.
Playing Style & Tone Philosophy: Rhythm as Architecture
Stone Gossard’s guitar philosophy is perhaps best understood through the contrast with his bandmate: McCready improvises solos spontaneously, never planning, going wherever the moment takes him; Gossard builds rhythmic architecture that creates the structures within which McCready can be free.
“Rhythmic Things That Butt Up Against Each Other”
His self-description — “I like rhythmic things that butt up against each other in a cool kind of way” — is the most precise account of his compositional approach. He thinks about what happens when two rhythmic ideas collide: when the guitar’s syncopated pattern sits against the drums’ steady pulse, or when two different chord rhythms intersect. The collision creates tension and energy; the resolution creates groove.
This rhythmic thinking is audible throughout Ten: “Even Flow”‘s guitar pattern has a specific syncopated relationship with the drums that gives it the lurching, propulsive quality that defines the song. “Alive”‘s main riff is a specific rhythmic figure that lands on specific beats in specific relationship to the kick and snare. “Black”‘s acoustic guitar is a specific rhythmic texture that supports the song’s emotional weight without competing with it. All of these are Gossard compositions; all demonstrate the rhythmic architectural thinking.
The Jimmy Page Influence
Wikipedia documented: “Gossard has cited Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin as a major influence on his style and rhythmic approach on guitar.” The Page influence is the right lineage for Gossard’s approach — Page is primarily a riff guitarist whose riffs are rhythmic concepts as much as melodic ones. The “Whole Lotta Love” riff, the “Kashmir” figure, the “Black Dog” groove — all are rhythmic structures that could be analyzed as percussion patterns translated to guitar. Gossard’s approach to guitar writing shares this rhythmic-over-melodic priority.
The Refusal to Repeat
Vedder’s statement that Gossard “outright refuses to work on anything remotely like anything he’s done before” is the most revealing characterisation of his creative process. This refusal to revisit territory is the engine of Pearl Jam’s album-to-album variety — the band that made Ten didn’t make Vs., which didn’t make Vitalogy, which didn’t make Yield. Each album is recognisably Pearl Jam but sonically different from its predecessor, and Gossard’s rhythmic restlessness is a significant driver of that difference.
The Simple Rig Philosophy
His “plug into the amp and use a couple of stomp boxes” philosophy is the practical implementation of his musical priorities. He is not interested in tone as the primary artistic statement — he is interested in rhythm, groove, and the specific way rhythmic ideas collide. The amp and the stomp boxes are sufficient to make that happen. The elaborate signal chain would distract from the musical thinking rather than enhance it.
How to Sound Like Stone Gossard: The Pearl Jam Rhythm Guitar Tone
Gossard’s tone is achievable: Les Paul with Bigsby, Matchless or Marshall, Tube Screamer, and the pan pedal to blend clean and dirty. The specific rhythmic approach requires studying Pearl Jam’s catalog closely.
The Guitar
Gibson Les Paul (Custom or Standard) with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups for the most authentic approach. The Bigsby vibrato is a secondary concern but adds the subtle shimmer that characterises his live playing.
- Gibson Les Paul Custom with Bigsby — The exact primary instrument; expensive but available
- Gibson Les Paul Standard with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups — The accessible authentic approach
- Epiphone Les Paul Custom or Standard — Budget approach; upgrade pickups to Alnico II Pros
The Amp
The Matchless HC-30 for the most authentic approach to his 1995-onward tone. Marshall JCM800 for the early era. Blended with a Fender clean amp (Twin or Deluxe) through an Ernie Ball pan pedal.
| Control | Marshall/Matchless (dirty) | Fender (clean) |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | High — power tubes working | Moderate — clean headroom |
| Treble | 6 | 5–6 |
| Middle | 5–6 | 5 |
| Bass | 4–5 | 4–5 |
The Pedal Chain
TS-9 Tube Screamer into the Marshall/Matchless dirty path; DOD Graphic EQ as a clean boost pushing the preamp harder; Boss chorus very sparingly; Ernie Ball pan pedal blending between dirty and clean amps.
Budget vs Authentic
Budget:
- Guitar: Epiphone Les Paul Custom; install Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups
- Strings: Ernie Ball Boomers .011
- Pick: Dunlop Tortex 0.73mm
- Pedals: Ibanez TS-9 + DOD FX40B graphic EQ + Ernie Ball volume/pan pedal
- Amp: Marshall DSL40CR (dirty) + small Fender combo (clean)
Authentic:
- Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Custom with Bigsby; Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups
- Strings: Ernie Ball Boomers .011
- Pick: Dunlop Tortex 0.73mm
- Pedals: Ibanez TS-9 + DOD FX40B + Boss CE-1 (very light) + Ernie Ball pan pedal
- Amps: Matchless HC-30 (dirty, into Marshall 4×12) + Fender blackface Twin or Deluxe (clean)
The Rhythmic Approach
Study the guitar parts on Ten carefully. Not the solos — the rhythm parts. How “Even Flow”‘s main riff sits against the drums. How “Alive”‘s riff creates its specific forward momentum. How “Black”‘s acoustic pattern supports the song without overpowering it. The Les Paul Gossard approach to these riffs is not about technical execution but about rhythmic precision — where each note lands relative to the beat, how the syncopations relate to the kick and snare, how the groove is created by the specific relationship of guitar and drums rather than by any individual guitar note.
Influence & Legacy: The Foundation Builder
Stone Gossard’s influence on guitar playing runs through the Pearl Jam catalog — the rhythmic foundations that ten albums of McCready lead playing have rested on. The specific riffs that defined the early Pearl Jam sound (“Even Flow,” “Alive,” “Black,” “Jeremy”) have been studied and learned by generations of guitar players. His songwriting contribution — eight of eleven tracks on Ten — is one of the most concentrated single-album contributions by a rhythm guitarist in rock history.
Beyond guitar playing, his record label contributions are significant. Signing Queens of the Stone Age to Loosegroove in 1998 — before the band had any significant profile — demonstrates the same musical judgment that produced the Ten riffs. He has consistently recognized quality before it became obvious.
The documented direct influences:
- Jimmy Page — The primary stated influence; the rhythmic approach to riff writing
- Led Zeppelin — The broader influence beyond Page; the rhythm-section-forward approach to rock composition
- Mother Love Bone — The band whose dissolution produced Pearl Jam; Gossard’s songwriting continued without interruption from MLBone to PJ
- Queens of the Stone Age — Signed and released by his label before their commercial breakthrough
Vedder said it is “extremely difficult” to collaborate with Gossard because he refuses to repeat himself. That refusal is visible across Pearl Jam’s catalog — the band that made Ten also made Vitalogy and Yield and Binaural, each sonically distinct, each bearing Gossard’s rhythmic fingerprint even as the specific expression changes.
“I like rhythmic things that butt up against each other in a cool kind of way.”
For thirty-five years that collision has been the sound of Pearl Jam. The foundation that everything else rests on.
Tone note: He doesn’t like rack units or MIDI. He wants to plug into an amp and use a couple of stomp boxes. For rhythm guitar in a band where the lead guitarist has 63 pedals, a few stomp boxes and a clean amp is the right philosophy. The foundation has to be solid. The few pedals provide enough variation for rhythm guitar without complicating the fundamental job: making the groove happen, making the collision work.
On a demo tape assembled after the death of Andrew Wood, Stone Gossard put instrumental music he had written — the tracks that would become “Alive,” “Even Flow,” “Black,” “Jeremy.” A tape went to San Diego. A singer recorded vocals. Pearl Jam was born from Gossard’s compositions.
Eight of the eleven tracks on Ten. A Gibson Les Paul Custom with a Bigsby. A Marshall and a Fender blended with an Ernie Ball pan pedal. A Tube Screamer. A couple of stomp boxes. No rack units. No MIDI.
“I like rhythmic things that butt up against each other in a cool kind of way.”
He wrote the foundation. He still plays it. He signed Queens of the Stone Age to his label before anyone knew who they were. He refuses to do anything remotely like what he’s done before.
The collision is the music. The music is the foundation. The foundation is still there.
If Stone Gossard’s Les Paul-and-Marshall rhythm architecture — the Bigsby, the blended amp rig, the rhythmic collisions of Ten — has you exploring the Pearl Jam guitar tradition, check out our complete guide to Mike McCready’s guitars and gear — the lead guitarist who heard Gossard’s demo tape, joined Pearl Jam, and has been soloing over Gossard’s rhythmic foundations ever since.
And for the guitarist who came up in the same Seattle scene as Gossard — whose approach to heavy guitar in Mother Love Bone’s predecessor Green River helped define the pre-grunge Seattle sound — don’t miss our breakdown of the Green River and Mudhoney tradition that Gossard’s work extends and departs from.
FAQ: Stone Gossard Guitars & Gear
- What guitar does Stone Gossard play?
- His primary guitar is a Gibson Les Paul Custom equipped with a Bigsby vibrato system and Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups. His Les Paul collection includes the cherry sunburst Custom that served as his Ten-era primary guitar (described as “had since Mother Love Bone”), two Goldtops (a 1954 with P-90 pickups and a 1972), and the Gibson Les Paul Signature Semi-Hollow Gold Top that he used extensively on Pearl Jam’s 2022 US tour. He also plays a 1968 candy-apple-red Fender Telecaster with Bigsby that Mike McCready originally acquired and traded to him, a Hamer Duo-Tone acoustic/electric (for “Daughter”), Gibson ES-330, Gretsch Roundup, and various Fender Stratocasters.
- What amplifiers does Stone Gossard use?
- Throughout Pearl Jam’s career he has blended a British dirty amplifier with a Fender clean amplifier using an Ernie Ball pan pedal. Early period: Marshall JCM800 + Fender Bassman 4×10. Mid-career primary (1995 onward): Matchless HC-30 head (into Marshall 4×12 cabinet) + brown Fender Deluxe. His tech described the Matchless philosophy: “He uses relatively low-powered amps and drives them hard, so he gets the tone and warmth of the power tubes working.” For Riot Act recording he used a 1968 Marshall JMP plexi (channels 1 and 2 jumped) + Tweed Fender Deluxe + Trentino 30-watt custom head.
- What is Stone Gossard’s pedal philosophy?
- His tech George Webb described it clearly: “He doesn’t like rack units, and he doesn’t want to deal with MIDI or any of the crap. He basically wants to plug straight into an amp and use a couple of stomp boxes.” Core pedals throughout career: Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, Ernie Ball Volume/Pan Pedal (for amp blending), DOD FX40B Graphic EQ (as a clean boost). Additional pedals vary by era — from sparse (Ten era) through elaborate (Riot Act: MXR compressor, H&K Rotosphere, Phase 90, Smart Gate, Micro Amp, multiple delays) to scaled back again in more recent periods.
- How many songs on Ten did Stone Gossard write?
- Eight of the eleven tracks on Pearl Jam’s debut album Ten were musically written or co-written by Gossard, including “Alive,” “Even Flow,” “Black,” “Jeremy,” “Oceans,” “Garden,” “Deep,” and “Release.” The music originated as instrumental demo tracks that Gossard had assembled; the tape was sent to Eddie Vedder in San Diego, who recorded vocal melodies over the tracks and sent it back to Seattle. This founding document — Gossard’s music, Vedder’s vocals — is the origin of Pearl Jam.
- What strings and picks does Stone Gossard use?
- Ernie Ball Boomers .011 gauge strings — confirmed by his tech Tim Quinlan (“Gossard’s tech Tim ‘Skully’ Quinlan tunes all the guitars to their many alternate tunings using GHS Boomers 0.011’s”). Dunlop Tortex 0.73mm picks — confirmed in Guitar FX Depot documentation. The 0.73mm Tortex is lighter than McCready’s 0.88mm, providing more flexibility and a different dynamic feel for rhythm playing.
- What record label did Stone Gossard start and what bands did he sign?
- Loosegroove Records, co-founded with drummer Regan Hagar in 1994 as a Sony subsidiary; independent from 1996 onward. Loosegroove’s most significant signing: Queens of the Stone Age, whose self-titled debut Loosegroove released in 1998. At the time of signing, the band (formed by Josh Homme from Kyuss’s ashes) had no significant commercial profile. Loosegroove also signed various other artists from rock and hip-hop genres during its active period.
- How do I get Stone Gossard’s rhythm guitar tone?
- Gibson Les Paul (Custom preferred) with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups and Bigsby vibrato. Ernie Ball Boomers .011 strings; Dunlop Tortex 0.73mm pick. Signal chain: Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer → DOD FX40B Graphic EQ (clean boost) → Ernie Ball pan pedal → two amps (Marshall JCM800 or Matchless HC-30 for dirty path; Fender Twin or Deluxe for clean path). Drive the dirty amp hard — lower-wattage amp at its operational limit produces the specific power-tube saturation character. The rhythmic approach: study “Even Flow,” “Alive,” and “Black” to understand how the specific guitar patterns relate to the drum parts — the groove comes from the rhythmic relationship, not from any single note.
