Did you know that Ed Sheeran names all of his guitars? So far he’s got Cyril, Lloyd, Nigel, and Felix. But what kind of guitars are they?
Ed Sheeran mostly plays Martin acoustic guitars, namely the LXME and his own Divide model. When he’s not using a Martin, Ed opts for an electric Fender Stratocaster.
Since he moved out of his family home and relocated to London in 2008, Ed Sheeran has been performing on stages across the globe with just a microphone and guitar. If you’re interested in learning about Ed’s collection of guitars, plus his signature collaboration with Martin & Co then keep reading!
Martin
Despite being worth millions of dollars, Ed hasn’t splashed out on top of the range guitar. During his teenage years, he found a guitar that works for him, and he’s stuck with it ever since.
Ed has been using Martin guitars as early as 2007. In this video of Ed performing ‘The City’ for BalconyTV, he uses a 2000s Martin Backpacker. It’s an unusual guitar, made from a single piece of mahogany wood. But it’s thin shape meant it was ideal for traveling and carrying on the busy London Underground while Ed was moving from venue to venue.
Nevertheless, this isn’t the guitar that Ed Sheeran has become synonymous with. Since 2009, Ed has been using a Martin LX1E acoustic guitar. Despite its small size this guitar is known as an acoustic powerhouse and is praised for its quality sound and playability.
In an Instagram from 2013 captioned “7 years of touring”, Ed showcased his growing collection of Martin LX1Es. Interestingly, two of the guitars are emblazoned with an orange paw sticker, which has since become a symbol of his early career.
Speaking about the sticker to the audience at one of his 2013 gigs, Ed sets out:
“[It’s from] my first album cover when I was 14. […] One graffiti artist stayed at our house for a long time and he did the cover for me.”
Martin x Ed Sheeran Signature Edition Guitars
Ed’s love for Martin guitars came to a head in 2013, when the singer-songwriter announced a collaboration. As the name suggests, the Martin LX1E Ed Sheeran Signature Edition follows in the footsteps of the LX1E model. The main difference is the type of wood. While the original LX1E is made from Sitka Spruce, Ed’s edition is made from Sapele, which is much darker.
Two years later in 2015, Martin announced another guitar as part of the collaboration. Like its predecessor, The Martin Ed Sheeran X Signature Edition is based on the LX1E Electro-Acoustic. This model features a green ‘X’ sign on the headstock and small ‘X’ fret marks down the neck of the guitar. Ed donates 100% of his royalties from guitar sales to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice.
The third guitar from the trilogy was released in 2017. ‘÷’ is an exact match for the earlier ‘X’ guitar, but with blue divide symbols instead of the green X’s. The update was in line with Ed’s then-most-current album, ÷. The model retails for $699.
Fender Stratocaster
When Ed isn’t using an acoustic guitar, he reaches for a Fender Stratocaster. Built from either alder or ash, the Stratocaster is known as a legendary guitar. One of its unique features is the number of pickups – while most guitars have 1 or 2, the Stratocaster has 3.
In particular, Ed owns two Eric Clapton edition Stratocasters. The first, a Fender Stratocaster ‘Green T’ Eric Clapton Signature Model, is a bright green color decorated with white motifs that are hand-painted by artist Teddy M. Ed was first seen using the model on his X world tour between 27th February and 3rd July 2015. He most commonly uses it to play his hit song, Thinking Out Loud.
The other Eric Clapton Stratocaster that Ed owns is a ‘Crash 1 Stratocaster’. It’s reported that Ed no longer uses the guitar after finding out that it’s an unauthorized reproduction.