Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam formed in Seattle in 1990 from the ashes of Mother Love Bone, anchored by the dual-guitar interplay of Mike McCready and Stone Gossard. McCready's primary guitar is a 1959 Gibson Les Paul he calls 'the one,' complemented by a 1960 Fender Stratocaster used extensively on Ten. His amplifier history traces a line through Seattle's boutique amp scene — the Union Jack HG 50w, built by Derek Springer, served as his main amp from 2013 to 2022 before he switched to the Rola Lead Custom, also by Springer. An Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer and Dunlop Cry Baby Wah round out his signal chain. Gossard's approach is rawer: a Marshall JCM800 driving his '68 candy-apple red Fender Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul Custom during the band's early work, later shifting to a Matchless HC-30 for its chimey dynamics. The two guitarists' contrasting setups — McCready's singing sustain against Gossard's crunchy rhythmic attack — created the foundation for a band that has released eleven studio albums while maintaining one of rock's most devoted followings.