Let’s build some Famous Budget Rigs (Part 1)

What gear defines the greatest guitarists! – Let’s build some Famous Budget Rigs (Part 1)

Introduction

There are many guitarists out there who have a very distinct sound! However, can you get their tone on a budget rig? Spend as little as possible and still achieve a similar sound? Well, I asked myself the same question and thought I would put together some suggestions! So why don’t we go through a few famous and very popular guitarists, explore their rigs and what they use, and then try to recreate it – but on a budget?

It’s worth noting that while you can get most of the way to their sound, you’ll always be missing one key element – you aren’t the player! Everyone has their own unique way of playing, and that’s a huge part of their tone. How they play, attack the strings, and approach a riff all shape their sound! However, gear-wise, let’s see what we can do. What Famous Budget Rigs can we put together to get close to those legendary tones?

All the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning if you buy something using one of our links, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a great way to help support the site while discovering some truly affordable gear options!

Jimi Hendrix – The Pioneer of Fuzz & Wah

The first in our Famous Budget rigs is Jimi! Jimi had a simple setup but a very distinct sound. He used a few different rigs over the years, but I’m going to focus on the tone most people know him for – his big Marshall stacks, Fender Strat, and that iconic fuzz sound. Jimi is well known for playing Fender Strats and running them into two full-stack Marshalls. His pedal setup was minimal but absolutely key to his signature tone.
His main power came from a Fuzz Face, with a Wah and a Uni-Vibe on either side. This allowed him to move effortlessly from high-gain solo tones to clean, modulated chords – all without needing to perform too much of a pedal tap dance!

If you’re building your own Famous Budget Rig, there are some surprisingly affordable options that can get you very close to that legendary Hendrix sound.

Famous Budget Rigs Recreation

Recreating this sound is fairly straightforward and can be achieved quite easily! A simple rig like this won’t take much to put together and can also be easily expanded on to make it your own. This setup won’t cost you a huge amount of money to assemble, but it will give you a full and gig-ready rig that captures that Hendrix-inspired tone.

A few tips – Jimi was big on volume control and dynamics in general! Don’t hit every note and chord as hard as you can. Focus on your fuzz level as well as your pick attack. The simplest riffs will sound so much better when played with the right touch and the right amount of fuzz. Your volume control is your best friend!

Amp

For the amp, you’ve got to go for a Marshall. Marshall makes a wide variety of amps across a range of prices – digital and valve alike! However, I’d recommend the Marshall Origin 20C Combo. It delivers that classic Marshall tone while keeping the price fairly low. It’s a full tube combo, making it easy to transport and perfect for both home use and gigs.

Guitar

The guitar choice is easy – just go for an S-Type! For this article, I recommend one of the Harley Benton Strat-style guitars, specifically the Harley Benton ST-20 in white. It’s a super affordable and high-quality instrument that offers a great playing experience. Most importantly, it features three single-coil pickups, allowing you to nail those big dynamic changes Jimi is famous for.

Pedals

Pedal-wise, it’s also simple! You really only need two pedals – though you can go for three if you’re feeling extra fancy. The main pedal you’ll need is a fuzz pedal. When recreating Jimi’s rig, this is easy because Dunlop makes the Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Mini – a faithful recreation of the classic Fuzz Face he used to play, now in a compact housing with some modern touches. This pedal delivers that big fuzz tone with smooth clean-up when you roll back the volume.

"That’s a huge part of what makes him sound like him!"

More Pedals!

Next up is a wah pedal. Again, almost any wah will do, but for budget rig purposes, the Vox V847 Wah (Full Review) is a fantastic option. It’s affordable, well-built, and sounds amazing – you don’t need anything too fancy here.

Finally, as a bonus, you can add a Uni-Vibe. Normally, these pedals can be pricey, but the Behringer 69 Vibe is a great affordable choice that provides that essential modulation sound while keeping the price down.

Eric Clapton – The Smooth “Woman Tone”

Eric Clapton has to be one of the most famous guitarists – and for good reason! His playing and touch are incredible. He’s used a few famous rigs over the years, and depending on your age or which era of Clapton you prefer, you’ll probably picture him with a few different setups. For this article, we’re going to go over the basics – giving you a setup that covers as much ground as possible, while keeping it simple and affordable.

So let’s dive in with one of the greatest guitarists of all time and see if we can recreate his tone on a Famous Budget Rig!

Famous Budget Rigs Recreation

Clapton’s rig was fairly simple. Most of his sound comes from how he uses his volume and tone controls. Roll the tone all the way down for that “woman tone,” or bring it up and kick on a boost for that famous Clapton mid-boost sound. Spend some time watching live videos or listening to recordings of Eric Clapton – notice how he shapes his sound and plays with touch and dynamics. That’s a huge part of what makes him sound like him!

Amp

When it comes to amps, the easiest route is to go with a Fender amp. Clapton used several over the years, including Bassmans and Twins. For this article, I recommend the Fender Tone Master ’59 Bassman. It delivers those famous Clapton tones while allowing you to keep the volume manageable for home use – truly the best of both worlds!

Guitar

Once again, an S-Type guitar is the best place to start. I recommend the Harley Benton ST-20, but the EastCoast ST-1 will also do the job nicely. Anything with three single-coil pickups will get you in the right tonal ballpark.

Clapton was also known for playing a range of other guitars – one of the most iconic being the Gibson ES-335. While those can be quite expensive, there are some very affordable alternatives to consider. Brands like Epiphone, Ibanez, or even Gretsch offer great semi-hollow options that will bring you closer to that classic Clapton ES-335 tone.

Pedals

To round out your budget rig, consider adding an overdrive or gain pedal. I’d recommend the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver (Review Here) – while Clapton didn’t specifically use one, it’s an excellent and affordable choice that can capture a wide range of tones from across his career.

Another option worth adding is a boost pedal. Clapton is famous for the mid-boost circuit built into his Strats, but that’s a big modification to install. You can achieve a similar effect by using an overdrive pedal as a clean boost – just push the volume and tone controls to taste. It’ll give you that same expressive feel, right at your feet instead of on your guitar.

"Full of moving parts and complex setups. This makes it tricky to recreate on a budget!"

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Texas Blues Fire

Now, if you enjoy the blues and love playing blues guitar, I’m 100% sure you’ll love Stevie Ray Vaughan! His playing is incredible, and his tone is up there with the best of all time. If you’ve ever looked into his rig, you’ll know it was massive – full of moving parts and complex setups. This makes it tricky to recreate on a budget! So, what I’ll do here is focus on recreating his core sound as affordably as possible. I’ll leave out some of the extras he added later in his career to keep things simple and achievable.

Famous Budget Rigs Recreation

As mentioned above, recreating Stevie’s tone can be tough because his rig was huge and quite complicated. He often used over five amps for his live tones – all cranked to the max! That’s hard to reproduce, not only on a budget but also at small gig or home volumes.

However, the good news is that his core tone is actually quite simple and can be captured with just a few key pieces of gear. So, let’s start with the amp – no surprises here!

Amp

For amps, you’ll want a blackface Fender-style amp. Something like the Fender Blues Junior is perfect for a budget rig and will get you very close to Stevie’s tones. It’s a super affordable and great-sounding amp, often used as a backline in many venues. It can go from sparkling cleans to rich overdrive and gives you that classic Fender tone – even approaching that Dumble-like sound Stevie was known for.

One thing to note about SRV’s tone is that he really pushed his amps. They were always cooking! Doing that at home is tricky, even with a small valve amp, so you might want to look at something like the Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb (Review Here). It allows you to crank the amp and still keep the overall volume manageable – ideal for home or smaller gigs.

Guitar

Guitar-wise, it’s very similar to the setups above. SRV used Strats with some different pickups, but for what we’re aiming for here, any S-Type guitar with three single coils will work great. So once again, I recommend either the Harley Benton ST-20 or the EastCoast ST-1. Both are super affordable, high-quality instruments that deliver excellent tone and playability. As house-brand guitars, they offer amazing value for the price – perfect for building your own Famous Budget Rig inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan.

"Pedal-wise, this one’s simple - you just need a Tube Screamer!"

Pedals

Pedal-wise, this one’s simple – you just need a Tube Screamer! Grab yourself an Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini (Review Here), plug it in, and set the gain around 9 o’clock, volume almost full, and adjust the tone to taste. This will push the front end of your amp and give you that glassy, bluesy tone SRV was famous for.

This setup also lets you use your guitar’s volume control to fine-tune the gain level. The Tube Screamer gives enough punch to maintain clarity and presence, even when you roll back the guitar’s volume for cleaner tones.

Conclusion

So, that’s my article on a few famous guitar players and how to achieve their rigs on an affordable budget! What do you all think about these Famous Budget Rigs? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on these setups! I really enjoyed putting this article together, and I’ve already got another one in the works featuring a few more legendary guitarists – so keep an eye out for that!

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t try to make these Famous Budget Rigs as cheap as possible. Instead, I wanted to create gig-ready rigs that could actually be used live. Sure, I could have chosen small practice amps or cheaper pedals, but my goal was to design rigs that are affordable, reliable, and ready for the stage.

The idea behind these Famous Budget Rigs is to get you close to those iconic tones – not to sound identical. Every player has to find their own sound. My hope is that this guide helps you aim for the stars, but still reach the moon!

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What gear defines the greatest guitarists! – Let’s build some Famous Budget Rigs (Part 1)

What gear defines the greatest guitarists! – Let’s build some Famous Budget Rigs (Part 1)

Introduction

Jimi Hendrix – The Pioneer of Fuzz & Wah

Famous Budget Rigs Recreation

Amp

Guitar

Pedals

"That’s a huge part of what makes him sound like him!"

More Pedals!

Links:

Eric Clapton – The Smooth “Woman Tone”

Famous Budget Rigs Recreation

Amp

Guitar

Pedals

Links:

"Full of moving parts and complex setups. This makes it tricky to recreate on a budget!"

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Texas Blues Fire

Famous Budget Rigs Recreation

Amp

Guitar

"Pedal-wise, this one’s simple - you just need a Tube Screamer!"

Pedals

Links:

Conclusion

2 thoughts on “What gear defines the greatest guitarists! – Let’s build some Famous Budget Rigs (Part 1)”

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