Johnny Marr's guitar strings: the Smiths + solo rig, sourced

Documented string gauges and tunings Johnny Marr uses on his Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar signature, his Fender Telecaster collection, and his Rickenbacker 330 with The Smiths and his solo catalog. Ernie Ball nickel-wound + jangle-pop rhythm-and-lead vocabulary. With citations.

The Smiths / Solo / Modest Mouse / The Cribs / Electronic · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-04-30

Johnny Marr plays Ernie Ball nickel-wound strings on his Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar signature (his canonical solo-era instrument since 2012), his collection of Fender Telecasters (his Smiths-era primary), Rickenbacker 330s, and Gibson Les Paul Custom electrics. Standard E tuning across most of his catalog. Marr's jangle-pop rhythm-and-lead hybrid voice across The Smiths' four studio records (1984-1987) defined the sound of British indie-rock for the next forty years; his subsequent solo catalog and collaborations (Electronic, Modest Mouse, The Cribs) have extended his profile across alternative rock and indie.

At a glance

Role

Guitarist

Active

1980–present

Based

Manchester, England

Genres

Affiliations

The Smiths (founding guitarist + co-songwriter, 1982–1987)
Electronic (with Bernard Sumner, 1989–2002)
Modest Mouse (2006–2008)
The Cribs (2008–2011)
Solo (1989–present)
Fender (Johnny Marr Jaguar Signature, 2012–present)
Ernie Ball (documented string user)

Notable credits

The Smiths, The Smiths (1984)
Meat Is Murder (1985)
The Queen Is Dead (1986)
Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
Electronic, Electronic (1991)
The Messenger (2013, solo)
Fever Dreams Pts 1-4 (2022, solo)

Official media

Sourcing4 citations · reviewed 2026-04-30· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Who Johnny Marr is

John Martin Maher (born October 31, 1963, Ardwick, Manchester, England), known professionally as Johnny Marr, is the founding guitarist + co-songwriter of The Smiths, the Manchester-formed band whose four studio records (1984-1987) defined British indie-rock for the following forty years. The Smiths' jangle-pop sound, built on Marr's combination of arpeggiated chord patterns, multi-tracked guitar layering, and Fender Telecaster + Rickenbacker tones, is one of the most-influential indie-rock guitar bodies of work in modern music.

After The Smiths' 1987 dissolution Marr collaborated with Bernard Sumner of New Order in Electronic (1989-2002), joined Modest Mouse for We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007), played in The Cribs for Ignore the Ignorant (2009), and built his solo catalog from The Messenger (2013) onward. The Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar Signature (2012-present) is among Fender's flagship modern artist instruments.

What he plays

The Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar Signature is his canonical solo-era instrument. Across his career he's also played a 1954 Fender Telecaster (his Smiths-era primary on tracks like 'How Soon Is Now?'), Rickenbacker 330s (his Smiths-era jangle-pop instrument), Gibson Les Paul Customs (his post-Smiths era), and various other instruments.

For strings, Ernie Ball nickel-wound, light-to-medium gauge .010-.046 territory. Standard E tuning across most of his catalog. His signal chain into Vox AC30 tube amps drives the canonical jangle-pop tone, the AC30's bright Class-A tube saturation is foundational to the Smiths' guitar voice and to Marr's solo work.

Why this fits the rig

The Bare Knuckle humbuckers in his signature Jaguar deliver the Jaguar's bright, single-coil-style chime through higher-output humbucker construction. The rotary four-position blend selector replaces the Jaguar's standard slider switches, giving him faster access to pickup combinations during live performance. The Mustang-style bridge saddles improve intonation over the stock Jaguar bridge, which is a frequent intonation-trouble spot on traditional Jaguar instruments.

The .010-.046 set in standard E preserves the bend-friendly feel that his lead vocabulary depends on while maintaining the bottom-end weight needed for the multi-tracked rhythm parts. The Vox AC30 amplification produces the bright, slightly compressed Class-A tube tone that distinguishes Marr's recorded sound from the warmer, lower-mid-rich tones of contemporaries who prefer Marshall-style amps.

If you want this rig

The Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar Signature (in current production since 2012) carries his preferred spec. Ernie Ball nickel-wound .010-.046 in standard E tuning; Vox AC30 (or AC30-style) tube amp at moderate volume.

Frequently asked questions

What strings does Johnny Marr use?

Ernie Ball nickel-wound strings, light-to-medium gauge .010-.046 territory. Specific Slinky configuration documented variably across his career. Standard E tuning across most of his catalog.

What guitar does Johnny Marr primarily play?

The Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar Signature (2012-present) is his canonical solo-era instrument. Across his career he's also played Fender Telecasters (his Smiths-era primary, including the famous '54 Telecaster he played on tracks like 'How Soon Is Now?'), Rickenbacker 330s (his Smiths-era 12-string and 6-string Rickenbackers, heard on jangle-pop Smiths tracks), Gibson Les Paul Customs (his post-Smiths era), and various other instruments.

What's special about the Johnny Marr Jaguar?

Bare Knuckle Pickups custom-wound humbuckers (developed in collaboration with Marr) replace the standard Jaguar single coils. A four-position rotary blend selector replaces the standard Jaguar's slider switches, giving him quick access to neck humbucker / both pickups in series / both in parallel / bridge humbucker. The bridge is upgraded to Mustang-style saddles for better intonation than the stock Jaguar bridge. The combination delivers Jaguar's bright single-coil-style chime through the higher-output Bare Knuckle humbuckers.

What's the Smiths jangle-pop sound?

The Smiths' rhythm-and-lead hybrid voice across their four studio records (1984-1987) is built on Marr's combination of arpeggiated chord patterns, multi-tracked layered guitar parts (often four to six guitar tracks per song), and Telecaster + Rickenbacker tones into Vox AC30 tube amplification. Tracks like 'How Soon Is Now?' (with the famous tremolo-picked intro), 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out,' and 'This Charming Man' (with the cascading arpeggio main riff) define the canonical Marr-era Smiths sound. The jangle-pop tone is a foundational influence on indie-rock from the 1980s through today.

Is Marr endorsed by Fender?

Yes. The Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar Signature has been in continuous production since 2012, one of Fender's flagship modern artist instruments. Per FTC framing, his Fender relationship is endorsed; his Ernie Ball string use is verified-use across his rig coverage.