Bonnie Raitt Gear Guide
Bonnie Raitt’s slide guitars, glass slides, custom Stratocasters, amplifiers and touch-sensitive blues tones.
A quick-reference inventory of documented guitars, amplification, effects and recording-era associations. Exact setups vary by song, session and tour.
Guitars
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| 1960s Fender Stratocaster | Main electric family; custom neck setup supports slide playing. | Career-long |
| Fender Strat slide guitar | Dedicated higher-action slide instrument with custom neck specifications. | Selected guitars |
| Fender Custom Shop signature Strat | Modern recreation based on Raitt’s familiar Strat setup. | Signature era |
| Guild F-50 acoustic | Large-body acoustic guitar used for songwriting and recording. | Selected period |
| Dobro / resonator guitar | Acoustic slide voice for blues and roots arrangements. | Selected tracks |
| Fender Telecaster | Alternate single-coil electric for selected parts. | Selected use |
| Glass bottleneck slide | Preferred slide material for smooth, vocal tone. | Signature equipment |
Amplifiers
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Kelly amplifier | Custom-built amp associated with Raitt’s established stage sound. | Touring |
| Bad Cat amplifier | Used on later recording and touring setups. | Later career |
| Top Hat amplifier | Additional amp used in recording contexts. | Selected sessions |
| Fender Bassman ’59 reissue | Vintage-style amp voice in documented equipment lists. | Selected rigs |
| Kelly 112 reverb amp | Amp and speaker combination cited in historical rig references. | Selected use |
Effects and signal path
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Glass slide | Smooth attack and vocal sustain for electric and acoustic slide lines. | Core tool |
| Reverb | Subtle space around slide notes and clean Strat tone. | Amp / studio |
| Overdrive | Amp breakup and moderate drive support sustain. | Song dependent |
| Compression | Gentle sustain and level control in selected recording chains. | Rig dependent |
| Guitar volume control | Gain and dynamics for shifts between rhythm and slide. | Across career |
| Open tunings | Slide parts use song-specific tunings and setup. | Selected songs |
Song references
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Love Me Like a Man | Slide guitar and vocal-like bends. | 1972 |
| Runaway | Slide fills and electric band arrangement. | Give It Up |
| Nick of Time | Clean Stratocaster and warm amp tone. | 1989 |
| I Can’t Make You Love Me | Restrained electric parts and studio ambience. | 1991 |
| Something to Talk About | Bright Strat rhythm and roots-rock lead phrasing. | 1991 |