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ZZ Top Gear Gallery

Guitarist Billy Gibbons’ and bassist Dusty Hill’s toys can be summed up by three Bs: bold, Bolin-made, and because they said so.

This 1998 John Bolin-modded Gibson features a burl top instead of chevron, but otherwise has the same specs as Gibbons’ other Les Pauls.

ZZ Top approaches gear like they approach facial hair: Go big or go home. Billy Gibbons’ tech Elwood Francis and Dusty Hill’s tech Ken “TJ” Gordon give us the behind-the-scenes rundown of the current touring setup.

Billy Gibbons’ Gear
Here’s a glimpse at what Billy’s been using live, but let it be known that it’s already changed. “We started the tour using the Les Pauls for the encores, but that gave way to whatever guitars we happened to pick up along the way,” said Billy Gibbons’ tech Elwood Francis from the road in mid-November. “Things change at the drop of a hat. In the past week, we've acquired four guitars and six fuzz boxes—and the tour only has three more gigs.” 

Dusty Hill’s Gear
Tech Ken “TJ” Gordon describes Dusty Hill’s bass tone as, “Texas blues with a little nastiness and a lot whoooo!” Here he guides us through Hill’s gear, including a collection of basses that were custom-made to match the guitars of bandmate Billy Gibbons.

With advanced controls, full MIDI integration, and expression pedal compatibility, the Elipse is designed for guitars, bass, synthesizers, vocals, and vintage keyboards.

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Leveraging 3D printing technology, the new Floyd Rose Original locking nuts are designed to deliver unmatched precision and consistency, replacing the traditional “lost wax” casting method that dominated for decades.

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With flexible voltage adjustments, precise control, customizable protection, compact design, and affordable pricing at $299, the Brownie is the ultimate solution for optimizing tone and safeguarding your gear.

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Designed by Obeid Khan, this amp is designed to offer versatile tone control for classic amp sounds.

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