We're diving into the tools behind one of the most influential rock guitarists of the 2000s - Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age.
Josh Homme is undeniably a hero to many. Widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative rock guitarists of the 2000s, his playing style is characterised by hair-on-end distortion, intricate riffs, and his astonishingly dynamic range. Few shredders been able to blend genres quite as seamlessly as Homme does, from hard rock, to pop, punk and beyond.
Homme’s guitar work has defined a great many of Queens of the Stone Age’s most popular songs. His ear-worming riffs and solos on hits such as “No One Knows,” “Go With the Flow,” and “The Way You Used to Do,” showcase not only his ability to craft memorable hooks, but also fascinating and complex arrangements.
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Aside from his work with Queens of the Stone Age, Josh Homme has also collaborated with other musicians and bands, showcasing his versatility as a guitarist. He has worked with artists like Iggy Pop, Them Crooked Vultures, and Eagles of Death Metal, among others, lending his unique approach to the music of these iconic artists.
Today, we’re diving into the tools that have facilitated Josh Homme’s profound impact on modern rock music; the guitars, effects pedals and amplification that translate his idiosyncratic approach, which continues to inspire guitarists around the world.
Josh Homme Guitars
Maton BB1200 JH
A signature sound Josh Homme encompasses into Queens Of The Stone Age is Australia’s own Maton JH signature series. The “cool-looking” guitar is synonymous with Homme’s aesthetic and musical style. The straight to the point build brings a great tone and strong cut-through sound that helps QOTSA package their mix and deliver their fuzz fuelled riffs.
Used in both live performances and studio work, Homme’s signature Maton creates a warm, rich tone that comes from a dark maple neck and heavy blackwood body. This can be heard in songs from …Like Clockwork, where the full-bodied make of the guitar assists sustained notes and full bites making more edgy rock moments.
Maton BB1200 DLX
Josh Homme’s taste for Australian made guitars is still evident with the BB1200 Maton, which embodies similar attributes to the signature, but harnesses a different feel and tone to its close family member.
The preferred Cherry colour was seen through their 2002-2004 circuit of Songs For The Deaf and nearing the era of Lullabies to Paralyse. The Queensland made Maple body creates a sharper sound when paired with tone enhancing pedals, and cuts in and blends very well with Homme’s boutique preference on amps (discussed below).
Both guitars add a sharp, fuzz orientated tone that Homme and his fellow bandmates bring to the table. The BB12000’s works perfectly with Homme’s blissful vocals and helps both guitars focus on the tone rather than boosting their sound.
Motor Ave BelAire
The BelAire has been a fixture in Homme’s live rig for well over a decade. The semi-hollow, handbuilt instrument from North Carolina luthier Mark Fuqua is known for its tight, sustain-heavy character – more solid-body in feel than most guitars of its type. Homme owns multiple BelAires and has been seen with them consistently from the Them Crooked Vultures era through to recent QOTSA tours.
Motor Ave Lamirada
A more recent addition to the live rig, Homme’s Aged Pelham Blue Lamirada started appearing on stage around 2018. The semi-hollow features TV Jones Classic Filter-Tron pickups and a violin-inspired construction method that makes it exceptionally resonant. His model carries the name “Wolf” inlaid on the headstock – a nod to his son.
Echopark Esperanto Z
This is the most significant update to Homme’s guitar setup in recent years. After luthier Gabriel Currie of Echopark showed up unannounced to a QOTSA rehearsal in 2013 with a few guitars in tow, Homme took an immediate liking to the Downtower Custom Koa. His main stage guitar in more recent years has been the Echopark Esperanto Z – prized for its beefy neck profile and feedback-resistant P90 pickups. He also owns a custom 9-string version of the Esperanto (the top three strings doubled like a 12-string) and a piece called The Crow, built from 200-year-old mahogany reclaimed from an LA library.
Josh Homme’s Pedalboard
DigiTech Whammy
Used mostly in the studio, Homme’s appetite for blending tone extends to the DigiTech Whammy. Heard on songs such as ‘I Appear Missing’ and ‘Burn The Witch’, the DigiTech Whammy allows complete control with harmonies, layering and for those daring; dive bombs, octave drops and pitch bends. The pedal eliminates the need for additional musicians and allows a production element that is un-parallel still to this day.
Josh Homme seems to use this pedal as a tool rather than relying on the pedal to completely carry his leads. As apparent in ‘Burn The witch’, it adds shimmering texture and is a fruitful piece of equipment when you introduce delay and modulation.
Moog Moogerfooger Low Pass Filter
More prominent in Homme’s secondary pedalboard for live performances comes American analogue Synthesiser Company ‘Moog’… in the form of a stompbox. Now developing guitar pedals, the Low-Pass Filter is an award winning pedal that is used for controlled filter sweeps and added effects.
Throughout QOTSA’s catalogue, if you separate the hard-hitting riffs and straight-up-the-middle rock sections, you find some guitar parts that resemble warm ear-tingling tones; this is most likely the culprit behind these particular sounds. Homme uses this pedal intelligently to add layers to his tone and turns it into a crying storm of sound which will make you stop and listen (listen to the jam section in ‘I Sat by the Ocean’).
Fulltone FatBoost 3 FB FX
Adding warmth where warmth is needed, adding texture where texture is welcome, the Fulltone Fat-Boost is a pedal that Homme uses to boost his low-end guitar playing to push-through and meet the bass in the middle of the mix. This silver brick offers a discrete but clean enhancement to the guitars pickups, taking your sound to another level. Embedded in QOTSA’s songs lies a collage of fuzz/wah pedals. The Fat-Boost is the house-keeper that comes through and cleans everything up and makes it presentable. The FB-3 is great to hear through non-mastered tube amps and is a pedal that has a large array of variety to use live.
Stone Deaf PDF
A more recent confirmed addition to his live rig, the Stone Deaf PDF Low Gain Distortion Filter has appeared on Homme’s boards, offering a parametric EQ-driven approach to gain that suits his midrange-heavy tone well.
Univox Super-Fuzz / Fulltone Ultimate Octave
Both have appeared in studio and live contexts. Homme’s taste for octave-fuzz circuits has been a consistent thread throughout his career, and these two represent the more vintage end of that palette.
Amplifiers
Ampeg VT-22 Amp
The discontinued VT-22 combo remains a staple. Homme has been known to run three of them simultaneously live, each into its own dedicated 2×12 cabinet. The combination of clean headroom and that distinctly gritty Ampeg breakup is a significant part of what makes the QOTSA live sound so physically imposing.
Ampeg VT-40
By Homme’s own account, he’s been using the VT-40 since he was 13 years old. The amp’s Baxandall EQ circuit gives him the mid-push that became central to his move away from the sludgier Kyuss tones and into the more focused desert rock of QOTSA.
GreedTone JH1-100
Custom built and designed specifically for Homme, the GreedTone remains one of the more mysterious pieces of his rig. Presented in two heads and two cabinets, the clear, rich tone it delivers gives his minor chords and bluesy diminished leads space to breathe in the mix – something you notice immediately once you know what you’re listening for.
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