Tim Henson Gear Guide
Polyphia guitarist Tim Henson’s Ibanez signature electric and nylon-string guitars, digital processing and modern studio tones.
A period-by-period quick reference to guitars, amplification, effects and songs. Specific gear may vary by recording, tour and year.
Guitars
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Ibanez THBB10 | Earlier signature electric guitar used for modern Polyphia parts. | 2019 onward |
| Ibanez TOD10 | Signature electric guitar with custom appointments for Henson’s technical playing. | 2023 onward |
| Ibanez TOD10N | Signature nylon-string electric guitar, chambered and designed for amplified performance. | 2023 onward |
| Ibanez AZ series | Modern electric guitar family used in recording and live work. | Selected periods |
| Ibanez SCN500 | Nylon-string S-series guitar that inspired the TOD10N design. | Before TOD10N |
| Ibanez RG / other superstrats | Extended playability and stable setup for fast technical passages. | Early career |
| String bends and tapping setup | Low action and stable hardware support wide bends, tapping and hybrid picking. | Technique |
Amplifiers
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Neural DSP Quad Cortex | Floor processor for amp modeling and effects in touring setups. | Recent touring |
| Neural DSP Archetype: Tim Henson | Signature software suite with amp, cabinet and effects models for recording. | Studio |
| Fractal Axe-Fx | Earlier digital amp/effects platform used in Polyphia’s evolving rig. | Earlier touring |
| Kemper profiling system | Profiling/modeling option reported in earlier touring phases. | Selected periods |
| Direct-to-PA / interface | Digital rigs send consistent amp and effects tones to front of house and recording. | Modern setup |
Effects
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Multivoicer | Signature harmonizer effect in the Archetype plugin, generating arranged voices from guitar notes. | Studio |
| Chorus | Polished width and movement on clean and driven tones. | Song dependent |
| Delay and reverb | Spatial layers for clean arpeggios and melodic leads. | Song dependent |
| Compressor | Evens out clean picking and tapped passages. | Studio/live |
| Overdrive and amp gain | Sculpted gain provides sustain while retaining note separation. | Modern tone |
| Pitch and octave processing | Expands the instrument register and supports layered arrangements. | Selected parts |
| Hybrid picking / tapping | Right-hand techniques create percussive, piano-like note groupings. | Core technique |
Song and era references
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Playing God | Nylon-string signature guitar and detailed digital production. | Remember That You Will Die |
| GOAT | Digital amp processing and tightly edited high-gain guitar layers. | New Levels New Devils |
| Ego Death | Extended-range phrasing and layered clean-to-heavy production. | New Levels New Devils |
| ABC | Bright, processed guitar tones and rhythmic articulation. | Remember That You Will Die |
| Polyphia live setup | Signature guitars routed through compact digital processing for repeatable touring sounds. | Recent touring |