Devin Townsend Gear Guide

On Friday 1st May 2020, Dagan hosted a  Facebook live interview with the legendary Devin Townsend in collaboration with Orange Amps. Here we'll be discussing life on the road and studio, gear and more.

To celebrate this occasion we've decided to compile a Devin Townsend gear guide. This will take a closer look at what gear this Canadian guitar master uses to get his legendary and distinctive sound.

First up we'll take a look at some of the guitars Devin Townsend has played throughout his career. He's been a big lover of brands such as Peavey (mainly for recording purposes), Framus with EMG pickups, Sadowsky, Gibson guitars such as Les Pauls and other mainstays like the legendary Fender Telecaster.

You can also watch the interview below!

For this Devin Townsend gear guide, we'll take a look at the iconic Gibson Les Paul. These powerful guitars are obviously ideal for Devin Townsend due to the sheer amount of power on offer and he's been seen using them in the live environment from time to time. The Les Paul model has been used by notorious guitarists across the world and are available to suit a variety of price-points.

As you might imagine - Devin Townsend has used a multitude of amps throughout his long and successful career. More recently he's been using the incredible Orange Custom 50 - we love Orange here at PMT and are thrilled to be co-hosting this Q&A with the iconic amplifier brand.

The Custom 50 guitar valve amplifier head is constructed of only the best amp parts available and selected especially by Orange. This is an amp head that sounds the part and will last a lifetime on the road.

If you'd like to get your hands on an Orange amp then the good news these can be quite accessible for intermediate guitarists as well as professionals. We'd recommend taking a look at the Orange Crush CR120C, 120W Guitar Amp Combo. This will do the job for guitarists of all levels and more - delivering their signature power in a solid-state amp.

Once again as you might expect this guitar maestro has a serious amount of pedals in his arsenal. Here we've picked out a few that we love and that just about anyone can get their hands on.

First up there's the MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay Guitar Pedal - a versatile option that offers up rich analog delay functionality, from bright echoes to epic, psych-tinged delays. With the hardware on offer to back it up - this pedal will be your best friend on the road and in the studio.

Elsewhere on Devin Townsends pedalboard - he's been seen using an Earthquaker Devices Rainbow Machine V2 Pitch Shifting Modulator. This is an incredibly fun tool to have in your locker if you're looking to really play with your sound. These a boutique, handmade, modulator pedals offer up a huge amount of possibilities!

The Rainbow Machine V2 actually takes modern DSP and uses it to create real-time pitch-shifting effects with digital oscillators. There's a host of great functionality on offer here in a versatile package which features an extended delay time, deeper chorus tones plus silent flexiswitch footswitch.

Next up in this Devin Townsend Gear Guide, we've highlighted the Strymon El Capistan. A solid industry-standard delay pedal that you can rely on to withstand a heavy touring schedule.

The scope for creativity held within this compact pedal is incredible - with control over characteristics like tape age, reverb and single/multi head modes you can cover any tape delay sound imaginable.

To summarise it's clear that Devin Townsend is an artist who is meticulous when it comes to his gear and what that brings to his sound who demands the best when it comes to delivering in the studio and onstage. But that doesn't mean you can't pick up some of the gear he uses for an affordable or entry-level price point either.

If you'd like any more information on some of the guitars or equipment mentioned in this blog then don't hesitate in contacting us at PMT. Our experts are always on hand to help find the perfect guitar for you depending on sound and style and budget.