Formed in 1971 and continuing 44 years to this day, the Eagles have solidified their place in the rock and roll history. With six Grammy awards, five American Music Awards, five No. 1 singles, six No. 1 albums and more than 150 million albums sold, the Eagles have had their share of fortune and fame. They’ve also experienced the pitfalls of success, including several lineup changes over the years.
Unlike many bands, however, each member of the Eagles had a distinct personality, a tale to tell, and a sturdy presence on and offstage. As with all musicians, the members of the Eagles changed and continue to change the equipment they use. While it would be impossible to include every single piece of gear they used, we’ve tried to hone in on the core of their sounds and offer the best list possible from the major active periods in the group’s history.
Don Felder
Don Felder’s Guitars
Throughout his career, Don Felder has played a range of Gibson Les Pauls, Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters. On his current solo tour, he can also be seen playing a Zemaitis MFA-101-BK for his slide work on songs such as “Victim of Love,” and, of course, he still carries the eye-popping Gibson EDS 1275 for “Hotel California.”
In the ‘70s, the pickups under this double neck were routed so that the 12-string neck went through a Leslie cab and the pickups under the six-string neck went into Felder’s normal amplifier. In recent times, he’s been using a Boss Chorus Ensemble to emulate the Leslie effect.
Felder has been using Taylor guitars for acoustic parts recently though he used Takamine acoustics for many years.
“The acoustic guitar in the intro [of “Hotel California”] is a Takamine 12-string with a DeArmond pickup,” Felder said in an interview with Guitar World. “We miked the acoustic and put that in the center of the mix. Then we took the pickup’s output and ran it through an Echoplex and a Leslie. We miked that in stereo, so it has this left-to-right kind of swirling, ethereal characteristic. It’s blended in with the direct acoustic as well.
Don Felder’s Amps
Felder has primarily used Blackface Deluxe Reverbs and Tweed Deluxes for his amplifiers, specifically his narrow-panel Tweed Deluxe, although a Mesa/Boogie Mark 1 appears behind him on the Hotel California tour.
“I had a ’59 Les Paul sunburst, and I plugged into a ’50s Tweed Deluxe, a narrow-paneled model – it was probably a ’55 or ’56,” Felder said in an interview with MusicRadar.com. “Joe played a Telecaster, but I’m not sure what amp he was using. And I think I had an Echoplex in the loop at that time, but that was about it.”
During the Hell Freezes Over Reunion tour, you could see a Marshall Bluesbreaker and a ’59 Bassman 4×10 behind Felder, though some speculate that the Bassman was his primary amp.
Nowadays, Felder mainly plays through Blackface Deluxe Reverb reissues, although Tweed Deluxes have appeared on stage.
Don Felder’s Effects
On the recording of the Hotel California album, Felder used an Echoplex and a Boss Chorus, presumably a CE-1 Chorus Ensemble.
Don Felder’s Effects Pedals for the Hell Freezes Over tour include:
Don Felder’s Current Effects Pedals:
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