Which electric guitar & pedals are ideal for indie rock bands? Rig Rundown

Want to sound like British indie rock icons in the style of Bloc Party, Sam Fender, Florence + the Machine, Foals, Arctic Monkeys, The Wombats, Yungblud, and many more? We'll show you what equipment you can use to get closest to the sound, and which electric guitars and pedals have established themselves in the indie rock genre over the past decades.

What equipment do the big indie bands rely on?

Those not in-the-know might try to figure out what gear their favorite bands perform with by studying them at live gigs or watching YouTube videos. It's not that easy to find this information, and especially details about the pedalboard, the electric guitar brand, or the amp are hard to guess (especially from the audience member’s point of view).

We at mukken have made it our business to give you some useful tips and recommendations to help you decide on the right equipment as an indie rock guitarist. The choice and variety of combinations is almost infinite, and it always remains a matter of taste in the end, but there are a few noteworthy products on which many indie rock guitarists from the genre rely. Let's take a closer look.

What does guitarist Russell Lissack of the band Bloc Party play?

Today in the spotlight is Russell Lissack, the guitarist of the indie rock band “Bloc Party.” He was born on March 11, 1981 (age 41), in Chingford, London and still tours all the famous stages and festivals. The band Bloc Party is known for its effective, playful, and energetic soundscape, which is significant for the indie rock genre. Anyone who knows Russel Lissack knows that there is a real sound tinkerer at work here, who has been tweaking his guitar set-up over and over again since day 1. The remarkable thing about Russel Lissack: His sound does not require expensive boutique or designer effect pedals. He knows how to get the best out of the few resources these bands had at the time and still plays with that setup today.

The best electric guitar amps for indie rock bands?

As seen with Russel Lissack, the two most popular brands in the genre are Fender and Vox. Bands with a bit more overdrive, like The Wombats for example, like to rely on Orange brand amps.

Which guitar amp does Russel Lissack from Bloc Party play?

Russel, like many other indie guitarists in the scene, uses the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe—a very affordable and powerful tube amp for indie rock guitarists. This all-tube amp is also our amp recommendation for you and pairs well with Fender Telecaster or Stratocaster models.

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe IV

Expert tip: The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe has a strong, warm, and clean sound—typical for Fender. Even if the Series 4 is now already significantly better, we deduct points in the sound of the on-board reverb and overdrive. Here it is recommended—as Russel and co do—to rely on external guitar pedals.

In addition to the Fender Hot Deluxe, the following amps are still very popular in the scene. In terms of Vox, we recommend the AC15er variant instead of the loud and heavy AC30er box:

Vox AC15 C1

Orange Thunder 30H Bundle

Indie rock guitarists from bands such as "The Wombats" and many more swear by Orange amps for a little more overdrive. These usually come as a two-piece with head + box:

Which electric guitar is best for indie rock?

Indisputably the No. 1 choice for indie rock are Fender Telecaster and Fender Stratocaster, although this is of course a matter of taste. Indie rock guitarists of well-known bands usually rely on American Fender Tele or Stratocaster models. These can be very high-priced, depending on the year of manufacture and type. Fortunately, for beginners there is the Fender Squire series as an alternative. Fender Squire models have become surprisingly strong in recent years. We recommend that you save some money and start with a Fender Squire instead of an American version. Here are a few affordable electric guitars for indie rock music to choose from:

What kind of electric guitar does Russell Lissack play?

If you're specifically interested in Bloc Party’s guitarist Russel Lissack's electric guitar: Russel plays various American Fender Custom Vintage Telecasters, and likes to play them with Seymour Duncan pickups. For studio work, he can sometimes be seen with a Stratocaster.

Fun Fact: Russel has a special sound box built into his Telecaster, which fires alarm-like sounds and sirens over the pickups with the help of a small button below the volume pots.

The best guitar pedals for indie rock bands

Again, there are tons to choose from. So we've put together a small selection for you based on Russel Lissack's pedalboard

Deluxe Memory Man for Delays

One of the most popular analog delay pedals, equipped with an exceptionally long maximum delay time. In addition, chorus and vibrato effects can be added.

Boss DS-1 Distortion

The Boss DS-1 distortion pedal is a real classic among the Boss pedals. If you like it a little less distorted, you can also take a look at the Boss Overdrive variant.

Boss RV-6 for Reverb

The Boss RV-6 pedal is a compact and versatile reverb pedal with a rich, dense sound. It’s relatively affordable when compared to pricier boutique reverb pedals, and—as usual for the small Boss pedal mines—robust and virtually indestructible.

Boss DD-8 Digital Delay for Reverse Effects

The Boss DD-8 Digital Delay offers a lot of adjustment possibilities. However, since the fixed tempo is not adjustable, Russel likes to use this one specifically for reverse effects. He often combines these pedals with Boss pitch shifters for a unique effects setting.

Boss PS-6 for FX & Harmonics

Russel Lissack uses the previous model: "Boss PS-5A Pitch Shifter." Meanwhile, this pedal is a bit more advanced and is great for experimental sounds and harmonies.

Electro Harmonix POG2 - for Special Effects

For those in need of something more “spacey,” check out the Electro Harmonix POG2. Bloc Party guitarist Russel Lissack combines these devices to create wildly unusual and special guitar sounds.

Basic Guitar Equipment for Indie Rock Bands

Besides the above electric guitars and amp suggestions for indie rock guitarists, of course the basics can't be missed. You can find all the info about the best guitar strings in the linked post. Based on Russel Lissark and many other well-known indie guitarists, we recommend the Ernie Ball series.

Ernie Ball 2221 Regular Slinky Guitar Strings

The 10 gauge strings from Ernie Ball harmonize perfectly with Fender Telecaster or Fender Stratocaster models and are very comfortable to play and robust enough for driving indie rock guitar riffs.

Harley Benton HBCA-K Capo

A capo naturally belongs to the “must-have” designation of every indie rock guitarist’s repertoire. Here's an inexpensive recommendation for you.

I hope you enjoyed this post and were able to pick up some useful tips and recommendations for yourself. If you want to learn more about famous indie rock bands, feel free to check out our Features section. If you want to learn more about music production, that’s a great place to start.