🎸 Gear Answer

What guitar does Nene Royal play?

Short answer: a rare 1978 Ibanez Musician, through a Fender Deluxe Reverb. Here's the detail, and how to get close.

The 16-year-old from Phuket who two-hand-tapped a Cranberries "Zombie" cover into a viral America's Got Talent moment plays a very specific setup.

Guitar: 1978 Ibanez Musician

A near-50-year-old Ibanez Musician Series electric. Neck-through construction gives long sustain, and its humbuckers cover clean arpeggios through to heavy distortion. It's a collector's piece and hard to find secondhand.

Vintage · rare

Amp: Fender Deluxe Reverb

Glassy and clean at low volume, warm breakup when pushed. Still sold today as the '65 reissue, so this part of her tone is very reachable.

Available new

🛠️How to get close without a vintage guitar

You don't need her exact 1978 model. A humbucker-loaded guitar with strong sustain, a Deluxe-Reverb-style amp, and an overdrive pedal in front will get most of the way to that tone. Full breakdown here: Nene Royal's tone and settings.

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Nene Royal gear overview Get her "Zombie" tone
Independent fan information page. Not affiliated with, authorized, or endorsed by Nene Royal, her family or management, NBC, or America's Got Talent. Names are used for identification only. Gear links, when added, may be affiliate links.