Scotty Moore Gear Guide
Scotty Moore’s Gibson archtops, Ray Butts Echo-Sonic amplifier, tape slapback and Elvis-era session equipment.
A quick-reference inventory of guitars, amplification, effects and recording-period gear. Specific equipment can differ by song, session, venue and tour.
Guitars
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Fender Esquire / Telecaster | First electric guitar used before moving to Gibson hollow-body models. | Early career |
| Gibson ES-295 | Gold-finished hollow-body heard on early Sun sessions with Elvis. | 1954–55 |
| Gibson L-5 | Larger archtop used after the ES-295 period. | Later 1950s |
| Gibson Super 400 | Long-time stage and studio guitar, favored for its size and tone. | 1950s onward |
| Gibson ES-335 | Later semi-hollow instrument appearing in gear histories. | Selected use |
| Gretsch Chet Atkins strings | Heavy-gauge strings were chosen for the ES-295 setup. | Sun era |
| Bigsby vibrato | Tailpiece hardware on the ES-295 stage configuration. | Selected guitar |
Amplifiers
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Ray Butts Echo-Sonic | Custom-built amplifier with integrated tape echo; Moore said his was an early example. | Sun sessions |
| Fender Deluxe | Small Fender combo associated with his first Esquire/Telecaster setup. | Early career |
| Fender combos | Additional amps used after the Sun period; models vary in accounts. | Later career |
| Echo-Sonic speaker and amp | Portable all-in-one stage rig let him bring slapback echo to performances. | 1950s |
Effects and recording chain
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in tape slapback | Echo-Sonic’s tape loop gave a short repeat and slight level lift. | Sun recordings |
| Studio tape echo | Sam Phillips also used tape machines for slapback on Sun vocal and instrument tracks. | Sun Studio |
| Amp breakup | Moderate tube saturation adds bite without modern distortion pedals. | Selected tracks |
| Guitar volume control | Controls dynamics and tone from the instrument. | Across sessions |
| Heavy strings | Moore described using heavy Gretsch strings on his hollow-body guitar. | Sun period |
Session and song references
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| That’s All Right | ES-295 and slapback echo frame the first Sun single. | 1954 |
| Good Rockin’ Tonight | Hollow-body archtop, small combo and short echo. | 1954 |
| Mystery Train | ES-295 tone with tape slapback in the Sun room. | 1955 |
| Heartbreak Hotel | Later Gibson/amp setup and studio echo remain central references. | 1956 |
| How Great Thou Art | Super 400 in Moore’s later performance career. | Later years |