Essential 80s Hair Metal Rig

Estimated build cost: ~$6,661 (based on current listings)

Metal

This rig is for players chasing mid-to-late-80s glam and hair metal: mid-forward Marshall crunch, singing sustain, chorus-washed cleans, and Floyd Rose divebombs. Think Ratt, Dokken, Poison, Warrant, and the harder edge of late-80s hard rock — not scooped modern metal. Prices on this page reflect live listings, and you can verify recent sold prices at /sold-gear-research.

A hot-humbucker superstrat into a JCM800 (mids up, gain not maxed) is the whole recipe. Kick a Tube Screamer-style boost for leads, keep chorus obvious on cleans and light on rhythms, and park short digital delay on solos. Skip Rectifiers, 5150s, seven-strings, and stacked high-gain pedals — this era is amp grind, a locking trem, and a little rack-era sparkle.

~$6,661 Estimated total
10 Pieces of gear
Metal Genre / style
Affiliate Disclosure
Essential 80s Hair Metal Rig
Photo by Alec MacKellaig, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Essential 80s Hair Metal guitars, amps and pedals

The Guitars

A Floyd-equipped superstrat with a hot bridge humbucker is the hair-metal voice; a Les Paul covers the thicker hard-rock ballads.

Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HH FR
Superstrat
Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HH FR
Charvel Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HH FR M, Maple Fingerboard, 2022 - Vintage White
Bolt-on maple neck, recessed Floyd Rose, and a hot bridge humbucker — the classic 80s superstrat recipe for locking-trem squeals and Marshall-pushing output. Used Pro-Mod So-Cals often land around $650–$1,000.
$750
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Jackson X Series
Pointy shredder
Jackson X Series
Jackson USA Select KV2 King V w/ Upgrades
Neck-through pointy body, compound-radius board, and a high-output humbucker deliver the look and upper-fret access of late-80s arena metal. X Series used examples commonly sell in the $400–$700 range.
$3,200
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Gibson Les Paul Standard
Thick rhythm optional
Gibson Les Paul Standard
Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s Electric Guitar Tobacco Burst
Mahogany-and-maple thickness for dual-guitar glam bands and power ballads when a superstrat feels too thin. Used Standards typically sit around $1,800–$2,500.
$2,380
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The Amps

EL34 Marshall crunch with the mids up is the era — driven, not modern high-gain.

Marshall JCM800 2203
Head
Marshall JCM800 2203
Marshall JCM800 Lead Series 2203 Reissue 100-Watt Guitar Amp Head
The defining 80s metal amp: mid-pushed EL34 grind and singing sustain without a high-gain channel. Keep preamp gain out of the red so riffs stay tight. Vintage 2203/2204 heads often sell for $1,500–$2,500.
$1,637
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Marshall 1960A 4x12
Cab
Marshall 1960A 4x12
Marshall 1960A 4x12" English Made Celestion's
Angled 4x12 loaded with Celestion G12T-75s (or Greenbacks) is the half-stack bark that cut through big hair and bigger PA systems. Modern used cabs often $450–$800; vintage examples run higher.
$550
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The Pedals

Boost, chorus, delay, and wah color a loud Marshall — they should not replace it.

Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
Lead boost
Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer Overdrive Guitar Effect Pedal Used
Mid-hump overdrive that tightens JCM800 rhythms and pushes leads into singing sustain without extra distortion. Used TS9s typically $70–$100.
$83
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Boss CE-2W Chorus
Chorus
Boss CE-2W Chorus
Boss CE-2 Chorus (Green Label) 1984 - 1988 - Blue
Analog chorus is non-negotiable for glassy 80s cleans and the slightly wet doubled rhythms on records. Vintage CE-2s often $200–$300; Waza CE-2W used is roughly $150–$200.
$220
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Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Delay
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay 1986 - 1990 - White
Early digital delay for slapback-to-medium repeats on solos — the rack-era lead halo in a stompbox. Used DD-3s commonly $80–$120.
$101
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Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Wah
Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Dunlop Dunlop Cry Baby EVH Eddie Van Halen Signature Wah Pedal - Boxed 2009 - black and yellow
Vocal lead filter and the occasional rhythm accent; park it first in the chain and kick it out when you are not using it. Standard GCB95 used prices often $50–$80.
$120
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MXR Phase 90
Phaser optional
MXR Phase 90
MXR M101 Phase 90 1995 - Present - Orange
Optional 80s swirl for leads and the Van Halen-adjacent side of glam. A little goes a long way in front of a cranked Marshall. Used units commonly $60–$90.
$68
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Estimated build total ~$6,661
Rig Overview
Estimated total ~$6,661
Pieces of gear 10
Genre / style Metal
The Guitars 3 items
The Amps 2 items
The Pedals 5 items
Research This Gear
Reverb Price History Sold prices for Charvel So-Cal Style 1 Gear Value Lookup Market value for Charvel So-Cal Style 1 Deal Desk Spot flips across Reverb & eBay Gear Alerts Get notified when gear goes live
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