“I decided to seek out a Rickenbacker because I liked the ‘really jangly, bright sound’ and because the Byrds and the Beatles had used the brand.” This is the complete statement of Susanna Hoffs’s tonal philosophy — the specific reasons she chose the guitar that became her primary instrument and the defining sonic element of The Bangles. Two reasons: the sound she wanted (really jangly, bright) and the guitarists she admired (the Byrds, the Beatles). The Rickenbacker’s specific character — the twelve-string jangle of Roger McGuinn’s Rickenbacker 360/12 on “Mr. Tambourine Man,” the ringing, compressed chorus of John Lennon’s Rickenbacker 325 on the early Beatles records — is the specific tonal tradition she was deliberately joining when she purchased a 1960s Rickenbacker with black and white checked binding. She used it on the early Bangles recordings. The Rickenbacker guitar company subsequently issued a Susanna Hoffs signature model of the 350 — which she customized herself. She still plays it during gigs. The Bangles released “Manic Monday” (1986, written by Prince), “Walk Like an Egyptian” (1986), and “Eternal Flame” (1989, co-written and sung by Hoffs) — three top-five singles that represent three different dimensions of their pop-rock range, from the Byrdsian jangle of their earliest material through the eclectic pop of their commercial peak. The jangly, bright Rickenbacker sound runs through all of it. She chose that sound deliberately. She has been playing it ever since.
Susanna Lee Hoffs was born on January 17, 1959, in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of film director and producer Tamar Simon Hoffs and psychoanalyst Joshua Allen Hoffs. Her mother played Beatles music for her when she was a child. She attended Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art in 1980. She began playing guitar in her teens, initially on a Gibson SG. She co-founded The Bangles (originally called The Bangs) in 1981 with Debbi Peterson and Vicki Peterson. The Bangles released four studio albums — All Over the Place (1984), Different Light (1986), Everything (1989), Doll Revolution (2003) — before and after a 1990-2000 hiatus. Hoffs has also released solo recordings including When You’re a Boy (1991) and collaborative albums with Matthew Sweet (Under the Covers, Vol. 1, 2006; Vol. 2, 2009; Vol. 3, 2013). She is married to film director Jay Roach (Austin Powers series). She is sixty-seven years old. She is still playing the Rickenbacker.
Background: Los Angeles, The Beatles in Childhood, Berkeley BA in Art, The Bangles 1981, “Jangly Bright Sound,” Rickenbacker Signature
Hoffs’s specific musical formation — from Beatles music played by her mother through her teens, through the Byrds and the Beatles as guitar inspirations, to the specific sound she sought in the Rickenbacker — is a particularly clean line of influence. The Beatles and the Byrds are the two primary architects of the jangle-pop tradition: the Beatles established the specific combination of melody, harmony, and chiming guitar that became the template for British Invasion-influenced pop; the Byrds extended this into the American folk-rock and country-rock tradition through Roger McGuinn’s Rickenbacker twelve-string. The Bangles absorbed both traditions — the melodic sophistication and vocal harmony of the Beatles, the jangly guitar sound of the Byrds — and deployed them within the 1980s pop-rock context.
The Bangles’ specific position in 1980s pop-rock is as the most critically respected of the “jangle pop” bands of the era — a scene that included R.E.M., The Replacements, and other bands whose guitar approach drew explicitly from the 1960s Byrds/Beatles tradition rather than from the arena rock and heavy metal that dominated 1980s mainstream rock. Their Sunset Strip origins placed them in the specific Los Angeles power pop and new wave community that produced bands like The Plimsouls, Dream Syndicate, and The Rain Parade — the “Paisley Underground” scene that Hoffs and The Bangles were part of in the early 1980s before their major label deal with Columbia Records brought them mainstream visibility.
Her Berkeley BA in Art — the specific combination of a California state university education, a 1980 graduation, and the Los Angeles music scene she entered afterward — provides the biographical context for the visual and aesthetic sophistication of The Bangles’ image and approach. She is not just a musician who happened to find commercial success; she is someone who brought a formed aesthetic sensibility (developed through art education, film family background, and deep absorption of 1960s music) to the creation of The Bangles’ specific look and sound.
The Rig: Susanna Hoffs’s Guitars, Amps, and Effects
Guitars
Rickenbacker 325V63 (Early Bangles Primary Guitar, “Jangly Bright Sound”): Susanna Hoffs’s first and most historically important Rickenbacker is a 1960s model with black and white checked binding — the guitar she sought specifically for its “really jangly, bright sound” because “the Byrds and the Beatles had used the brand.” The Ultimate Pop Culture Wiki documentation confirms: “She decided to seek out a Rickenbacker because she liked the ‘really jangly, bright sound’ and because the Byrds and the Beatles had used the brand, and purchased a 1960s model with black and white checked binding. She used this on the early Bangles recordings, but after some work on the guitar that affected its feel, she bought a Rickenbacker 325.” The Rickenbacker 325V63 — on the cover of the All Over the Place album — is documented by musicologist Peter Mercer-Taylor as “a black and white 6-string with three pick-ups and a hole for a vibrato bar, though the bar is not in place.” The 325 is a short-scale (21-inch) semi-hollow body guitar associated specifically with John Lennon’s early Beatles use — the specific instrument that produced the compressed, jangly, treble-forward character of the early Beatles recordings. Its three pickups (in the three-pickup configuration unusual on a 6-string guitar, more typical of bass guitars) and short scale provide the specific character Hoffs was seeking: the particular jangle associated with Rickenbacker’s distinctive “toaster” pickup design.
Rickenbacker 350 Susanna Hoffs Signature Model (Customized by Hoffs Herself): Rickenbacker issued a Susanna Hoffs signature model of their 350 guitar — “which she customized herself,” per the Duran Duran Fandom documentation. The Rickenbacker 350 is the full-scale version of the 325 (21-inch scale vs. 20.75-inch) with similar semi-hollow construction and the distinctive Rickenbacker pickup sound. The customization by Hoffs herself — whatever specific modifications she made to the pickups, hardware, or appointments — reflects the same hands-on approach to the instrument that characterizes her thoughtful guitar-selection philosophy. She still plays this guitar during gigs, per the guitar-list.com documentation.
Gibson SG (Early Career, Pre-Rickenbacker): The Ultimate Pop Culture Wiki documentation notes: “Before joining college, Hoffs started playing electric guitar, initially a Gibson SG.” The Gibson SG was her first electric guitar — before she sought out the Rickenbacker for its specific jangly character. The SG’s specific character (thin mahogany body, humbucker pickups, the resonant, slightly “nasal” quality of the SG design) provided the foundational electric guitar experience before she identified the specific tonal direction she wanted. The transition from Gibson SG to Rickenbacker 325 represents the specific moment when she identified her sound.
Taylor SHSM Susanna Hoffs Signature Model Acoustic (Taylor Collaboration): The Gemtracks documentation describes the Taylor Guitars SHSM (Susanna Hoffs Signature Model) as “a high-quality, limited edition acoustic guitar… designed in collaboration with singer and guitarist Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles.” Features: solid spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard. The Equipboard documentation includes her own quote about acquiring the Taylor: “I thought, ‘I finally have an acoustic guitar!’ And I’ve been playing it for years.” The Taylor SHSM represents the acoustic dimension of her guitar playing — the folk and pop tradition that runs alongside the Bangles’ electric jangle-pop approach and that appears in the more intimate, acoustic passages of her solo and collaborative recordings.
The Rickenbacker Tradition and Its Specific Tonal Philosophy: Hoffs’s commitment to Rickenbacker across her career reflects a specifically musical orientation — the jangle and chime of the Rickenbacker’s “toaster” pickups (the distinctive single-coil pickups that Rickenbacker developed in the 1950s and 1960s, characterized by a specific bright, clear, somewhat compressed character) are the sonic foundation of the Byrds and early Beatles recordings that inspired her. Where most pop-rock guitarists of the 1980s were using Les Pauls or Stratocasters, Hoffs’s Rickenbacker placed The Bangles in explicit dialogue with the 1960s pop tradition they were referencing — the guitar’s appearance, its sound, and its associations all contributing to the specific aesthetic coherence of The Bangles’ approach.
Amps
Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb (Primary Live Amp, 2014 Stagecoach Festival Documented): Susanna Hoffs’s documented primary live amplifier is the Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb — confirmed by the Equipboard documentation from the 2014 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California: “Susanna Hoffs is pictured using a Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb amplifier.” The Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb is a reissue of the original 1965 Deluxe Reverb — a 22-watt two-channel tube combo with the spring reverb and vibrato circuit that defines the classic American clean tone. Its specific character: warm, clean with natural break-up at higher volumes, with the built-in spring reverb providing the characteristic “Fender reverb” dimension. The ’65 Deluxe Reverb is one of the most widely used live amplifiers for the specific clean-to-slightly-driven pop-rock territory that The Bangles occupy — clean enough for the Rickenbacker’s natural jangle to be heard clearly, with enough tube warmth to round off the potentially harsh treble of the single-coil pickups.
Period-Appropriate Amplification (Early Bangles, 1981-1984): The specific amplifiers used for The Bangles’ early recordings and live performances — the All Over the Place era and the Paisley Underground scene context — are not documented with the same precision as the 2014 Stagecoach appearance. The period-appropriate amplification context for early 1980s Los Angeles jangle-pop would have included small Fender combos (the Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, and similar clean-platform Fenders that were the standard professional amplifiers for the pop and new wave scene), consistent with Hoffs’s documented use of the Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb in later years.
Effects
Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive (2014 Stagecoach Festival Confirmed): The Equipboard documentation from the 2014 Stagecoach Festival confirms a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive pedal: “Susanna Hoffs is seen using a Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive pedal during her performance at the 2014 Stagecoach Festival.” The Boss SD-1 — a standard professional overdrive pedal known for its asymmetric clipping circuit that produces a specific warm, somewhat voiced overdrive character — provides the additional drive dimension for the more aggressive passages in The Bangles’ live set. In the context of a Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb with the Rickenbacker, the SD-1 provides a warm, accessible boost-to-overdrive character that suits the pop-rock territory The Bangles occupy.
Electro-Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi (2014 Stagecoach Festival Confirmed): “Susanna Hoffs is seen using an Electro-Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi fuzz pedal, as captured in a photo on Zimbio.” The EHX Little Big Muff Pi — a compact version of the classic Big Muff Pi fuzz, with the specific two-clipping-stage silicon fuzz circuit that produces the sustained, violin-like fuzz tone — provides the fuzz dimension for specific passages. The combination of the Boss SD-1 (overdrive) and the EHX Little Big Muff Pi (fuzz) gives her two distinct distortion options in the signal chain — the SD-1 for warm overdrive, the Muff for fuller, more sustained fuzz.
Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner (2014 Stagecoach Festival Confirmed): The Boss TU-3 chromatic tuner — the standard professional guitar tuner pedal — appears in her 2014 Stagecoach pedalboard documentation. A utility component rather than a tonal tool, the TU-3 provides the precise pitch verification that a guitarist performing live requires.
Rickenbacker “Toaster” Pickups (Defining Tonal Element): The most important “effect” in Hoffs’s signal chain is not a pedal but the Rickenbacker’s specific pickup design. The “toaster” pickup (named for its rectangular shape resembling a toaster) produces a specific bright, clear, somewhat compressed single-coil character that is distinct from both the Fender single-coil (twangier, more treble-forward) and the Gibson humbucker (warmer, more compressed). The specific “jangly, bright sound” she identified as her tonal goal is primarily the sound of the Rickenbacker toaster pickup — the pickup that produced the specific McGuinn Byrds sound, the Lennon early Beatles sound, and the specific Hoffs Bangles sound in successive generations of jangle-pop.
Playing Style & Tone Philosophy
Susanna Hoffs’s playing style is the most specifically pop-oriented in this section of the guide — the approach of a guitarist whose primary creative contribution is serving the song’s melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic requirements with the specific tonal character she identified as the Bangles’ sonic identity. She is a rhythm guitarist in the Beatles/Byrds tradition — chord-playing that provides the harmonic foundation and rhythmic drive of the song, with the specific jangle of the Rickenbacker giving the chords their particular sonic character.
Her tone philosophy is the “jangly, bright sound” philosophy — the deliberate identification of a specific tonal character and the pursuit of the instrument that provides it. The Rickenbacker was chosen because the specific guitarists she admired had used it for the specific sound she wanted. She purchased the instrument. She used it on the recordings. She had a signature model made. She still plays it. This is the most specifically premeditated tonal philosophy in this section of the guide: she knew what she wanted, found the instrument that provided it, and has been consistent about it across four decades.
Her commitment to the Rickenbacker alongside a Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb and a simple pedal complement (Boss SD-1, EHX Little Big Muff Pi, tuner) reflects the same clarity: the guitar provides the tonal identity, the amp provides the warm, clean platform for that identity to be heard, and the pedals provide specific tonal options for specific moments. There is no complexity in the signal chain for its own sake; each element has a specific function within the overall tonal vision.
How to Sound Like Susanna Hoffs
Guitar: Rickenbacker 325V63 (the 325 short-scale) or Rickenbacker 350 (the full-scale) — both with the standard Rickenbacker “toaster” pickups for the specific jangly, bright character. The black and white checked binding of her original 1960s model is the visual identifier; the toaster pickup’s tonal character is the sonic one.
Amp: Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb combo — 22 watts, two channels, spring reverb, vibrato circuit. Set clean: the Rickenbacker’s natural character should be the primary tonal voice. Use the built-in spring reverb at moderate settings (3-4) for the characteristic Fender space.
Amp Settings (Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb — Jangle Pop Clean):
| Control | Setting (0–10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 4–6 | Clean — just starting to break up at the volume threshold |
| Bass | 4–5 | Moderate — the Rickenbacker’s natural brightness needs balanced bass |
| Treble | 6–7 | Bright — the “jangly, bright sound” needs treble presence |
| Reverb | 3–4 | Moderate — Fender spring reverb for spatial dimension without excess |
| Vibrato Speed | OFF or minimal | The Rickenbacker vibrato is sufficient; amp vibrato optional |
Effects: Boss SD-1 (gain low, volume slightly above unity for transparent boost) → EHX Little Big Muff Pi (for fuzz passages only — high sustain, tone at noon). Boss TU-3 for tuning. The essential thing: the Rickenbacker’s natural jangle through the clean Fender reverb provides the foundational tone. The pedals are additions for specific moments, not the primary tonal character.
Influence & Legacy
Susanna Hoffs’s influence on pop-rock guitar is specifically the influence of a guitarist who brought the 1960s Rickenbacker jangle tradition into the 1980s pop context with deliberate aesthetic intelligence — choosing the instrument, choosing the tradition, and executing both with the consistency that produced one of the most recognizable guitar sounds in American pop radio. The Bangles’ specific sound — the Rickenbacker jangle under the four-part vocal harmonies — influenced subsequent jangle-pop bands and remains audible in contemporary guitar pop that draws from the same 1960s tradition.
Her connection to Barry Melton (Series 2 #192) as a fellow California rock musician reflects the shared California tradition. Her connection to Rick Springfield (Series 2 #191) as a fellow 1980s pop-rock commercial success story reflects the shared commercial context. Her connection to Vini Reilly (Series 2 #194) as a fellow guitarist whose specific tonal philosophy — the deliberate identification of a sound and the pursuit of the instrument that provides it — reflects the shared commitment to sonic identity over conventional genre expectations.
Internal Links:
- Barry Melton of Country Joe and the Fish, a fellow California rock musician and Woodstock-era guitarist at #192
- Rick Springfield, a fellow 1980s pop-rock commercial success story from the same Australian-Los Angeles cultural territory at #191
- Vini Reilly of Durutti Column, a fellow guitarist with a similarly deliberate tonal philosophy at #194
- Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music, who helped establish the art-rock aesthetic that The Bangles drew from at #199
Frequently Asked Questions: Susanna Hoffs Bangles Guitars & Gear
What guitar does Susanna Hoffs play?
Hoffs’s primary guitars are Rickenbackers — specifically the Rickenbacker 325V63 (the early Bangles guitar: a 1960s model with black and white checked binding, three pickups, short scale) and the Rickenbacker 350 Susanna Hoffs signature model (which she customized herself). She still plays the Rickenbacker during gigs. She started on a Gibson SG before seeking the Rickenbacker specifically for its “really jangly, bright sound.” She also plays a Taylor SHSM Susanna Hoffs Signature acoustic guitar (“I finally have an acoustic guitar!” and has been playing it for years).
Why did Susanna Hoffs choose a Rickenbacker?
“I decided to seek out a Rickenbacker because I liked the ‘really jangly, bright sound’ and because the Byrds and the Beatles had used the brand.” Her two reasons are explicit: the specific tonal character she wanted (jangly, bright) and the guitarists she admired who had achieved that character (Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, John Lennon of the Beatles). The Rickenbacker’s distinctive “toaster” single-coil pickups produce the specific compressed, bright, jangly character that distinguishes Rickenbacker from Fender single-coils and Gibson humbuckers. Her deliberate choice of this instrument for this reason reflects the aesthetic clarity that characterizes her approach to guitar.
What amplifier does Susanna Hoffs use?
Hoffs’s documented live amplifier (2014 Stagecoach Festival) is a Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb combo — a 22-watt reissue of the 1965 Deluxe Reverb, with spring reverb and vibrato circuit, producing the classic warm, clean American tube tone. The Deluxe Reverb provides the transparent, clean platform for the Rickenbacker’s natural jangle to be heard without additional amplifier coloring, with the spring reverb adding the characteristic spatial dimension of classic Fender combos.
What effects pedals does Susanna Hoffs use?
Documented from the 2014 Stagecoach Festival: Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive (overdrive for driven passages), Electro-Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi (fuzz for specific passages), and Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner (tuning utility). The minimalist pedal approach — two gain-stage pedals plus a tuner — is consistent with the Rickenbacker-into-Deluxe-Reverb approach of trusting the guitar’s natural tone as the primary voice.
What is the Bangles’ most significant commercial achievement?
The Bangles placed three singles in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100: “Manic Monday” (written by Prince, 1986, reached #2), “Walk Like an Egyptian” (1986, reached #1 for four weeks), and “Eternal Flame” (1989, reached #1 for two weeks). “Eternal Flame” was co-written and sung primarily by Susanna Hoffs. The Bangles released four studio albums across two periods of activity: All Over the Place (1984), Different Light (1986), Everything (1989) in the original period, and Doll Revolution (2003) after their 2000 reunion.
What is the Paisley Underground?
The Paisley Underground was a loose Los Angeles music scene in the early 1980s characterized by bands that drew explicitly from 1960s American and British rock influences — the Byrds, the Beatles, the Velvet Underground, Buffalo Springfield, and the psychedelic tradition. The scene included The Bangles, Dream Syndicate, The Rain Parade, The Three O’Clock, and Green on Red, among others. Their deliberate evocation of 1960s guitar pop through Rickenbacker jangle, four-part harmony, and Byrdsian melodic approach positioned them against both the mainstream pop and arena rock of the era. The Bangles emerged from this scene before achieving mainstream success with Columbia Records.
What collaborations has Susanna Hoffs done outside The Bangles?
Hoffs has released solo recordings including When You’re a Boy (1991) and has collaborated with Matthew Sweet on three Under the Covers albums (2006, 2009, 2013) — collections of covers of 1960s and 1970s songs that showcase her and Sweet’s shared love of the specific pop rock tradition they grew up with. She also participated in Ming Tea, the fictional band from the Austin Powers films (her husband Jay Roach directed the films). The Under the Covers series, in particular, represents the most direct expression of the Beatles/Byrds influence that drove her Rickenbacker choice.
