What Guitar Does Lewis Capaldi Play? A Guitar Gear Guide

We get asked a lot here; "what guitar does Lewis Capaldi play?" and considering the man is actually a really great guitarist, (underrated in my opinion) we thought we'd answer that question for you!

Lewis Capaldi has already achieved legendary status in our eyes here at PMT. Not only is he an incredibly talented musician, comedic genius and all-round lovely chap, he also has great taste in guitars too. So, we thought we’d take a look at exactly what type of guitars the “Scottish Beyonce” plays. Interestingly, he’s only really been seen playing a handful of different guitars, which makes it easy for us of course, but also easier for you to get the Lewis Capaldi sound. Let’s take a closer look at the guitars Lewis Capaldi is loyal to.

Lewis Capaldi plays a Martin D-28 in almost all (from what we can find) of his performances. Here he is playing on Zoe ball’s TV show sporting the Martin D-28 and in the video further down below.

Lewis seems pretty loyal to his Martin D-28 and understandably so as they are an industry standard acoustic guitar, used by almost every legendary singer on the planet. If you’ve ever heard an acoustic track, you’ve probably heard one of these as they’ve been used by legends including Johnny Cash, Jimmy Page, Marcus Mumford and Joni Mitchell to name a but a few.

The Martin D-28 was originally introduced back in the 1930s and is about as iconic as a guitar can get. Singer-songwriters in particular love this guitar as the dreadnought shape offers a more pronounced sound with superior projection. The Solid Sitka Spruce top with Bracing underneath really helps the top resonate and brings out the subtle high notes – especially useful for finger picking. The Rosewood back and sides handle all the warmth you need for chords, so you've got all bases covered. If you want an iconic acoustic guitar to write songs on, that you’ll never have to upgrade, ever, then this is the guitar you need.

This iconic guitar has now been replaced with the updated and improved Martin D-28 Re-imagined, which offers better playability and sound projection - ideal for singer songwriters.

Lewis Capaldi plays a Gibson ES-330 Dot with P-90s as well as Gibson B.B. King Lucille signature model. When Lewis turns to his electric guitar, he mainly picks up a Gibson ES-330 Dot with P-90s. He’s made a little modification by removing the scratchplate too, which really brings out the sunburst finish. This won’t have an impact on the sound, but some guitarists prefer to remove this so they have free movement. You can see it clearly in this article by the Metro here. Most of his performances with an electric guitar use this now hard to find Gibson ES-330 Dot with silver P-90s. This was released again in 2018, but by the looks of it, we think this might be a vintage guitar based on the silver pickups.

This guitar is no longer in production, but we managed to dig out some info for you! The ES-330 was originally launched in 1959 as a budget-friendly alternative to Gibson’s popular 335 model. The ES-330 doesn’t have a centre block, which means its lighter and a lot more “airy” than a 335, really providing that hollow body sound. The P-90 pickups provide a spikier tone which is great for fingerpicking, but can be a little unpredictable when you crank some distortion so beware! These pickups in conjunction with this hollow-body guitar makes the guitar sound a little “older” and offers a vintage style perfectly suited to Lewis’ beautiful voice.

So what's the closest model I can get to a Gibson ES-330 Dot with P-90s? I hear you ask...

Well, the humble, yet extremely popular Epiphone Casino has been relied upon by the likes of John Lenon to Thim Yorke of Radiohead, so you know it's good. You have a smaller sized semi-hollow body, but the all-important P-90/Dog ear pickups that provide that warmer, more rounded tone that singer-songwriters prefer - it's also a fraction of the cost of a Gibson ES model too. 

Next up we have Lucille!

Lewis can be seen in the video below playing what looks to be a 2016 Gibson B.B. King Lucille signature model. This guitar is sadly no longer in production and was a limited run based closely on the King Of Blues’ own guitar. The lack of F holes in this 335 body encourage a really resonant sound within the hollow airspace of the Maple veneered Body. The 490R and 490T humbuckers are perfect for singer songwriters (and blues guitarists) as they are versatile and really cut through the mix! Although we’ve not seen Lewis play guitar solos, we think he’s opted for this guitar as it not only looks great, but offers crystal clear clean tones that really resonate – perfect for his minimal, yet signature guitar playing style that provides a backdrop to his voice rather than overshadow it.

Check out the selection of Gibson ES Hollow Body guitars HERE.

In summary Lewis Capaldi plays a Martin D-28 Acoustic Guitar, a Gibson ES-330 and Gibson B.B. King Lucille signature model. And that’s that!

We think we’ve covered everything in our Lewis Capaldi guitar guide and answered the questions of what guitar Lewis Capaldi plays, but if we’ve missed anything let us know. If you’re reading this Lewis, let us know if we got it right! Shop a full range of Martin Acoustic Guitars and Gibson Guitars over at PMT Online today, or call in to your local PMT Store to try out a full selection for yourself.