Play electric guitar like Ed Sheeran

Are you a fan of Ed Sheeran and would like to sound like him? Then you've come to the right place. In this guide, we'll show you everything you need to get as close as possible to Ed's electric guitar sound. Whether it's instruments, effects or amplifiers, you'll find everything an Ed Sheeran fan's heart desires here.

About Ed Sheeran

Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran was born in 1991 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. He learnt to play the guitar at a young age and wrote his first songs while at school. His early songs were strongly influenced by his great idol Van Morrison.

In 2005, his first mini-album was released under the title The Orange Room EP. In 2008 Ed moved to London to play in small clubs. In January 2011, Ed released the EP No. 5 Collaborations Project, featuring numerous guest musicians, which marked his first big success, selling over 7,000 times on iTunes in the first week and earning him a record deal. His debut single The A Team and debut album + were released in 2011.

Ed released his second album × in 2014. The single Thinking Out Loud reached the top 10 and took first place in the British charts. The single Photograph, released in April 2015, was his fifth top 10 success in Germany. In January 2017, he released the lead singles Shape of You and Castle on the Hill from his third studio album ÷, which was released in March 2017. While Shape of You entered the German singles charts at number one, Castle on the Hill made it to number two, making Ed the first artist to enter the singles charts with two songs at number one and two at the same time. The album sold over 670,000 times in the UK in its first week, setting a record as the best-selling album by a male artist in its first week of sales.
In 2019, Ed was able to break two more records with his Divide Tour, which has been running since 2017: The tour was both the most commercially successful tour and the one with the most visitors. He thus replaced U2 as the record holder. In July 2019, he released his fourth studio album, No. 6 Collaborations Project, on which he recorded all the tracks together with fellow musicians such as Camila Cabello, Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars. The albums - and Autumn Variations, which also reached number one in the UK - were released in 2023.

For some years now, Ed has favoured playing acoustic guitars from Lowden Guitars and, together with George Lowden, has launched his own guitar brand that makes the Ed Sheeran sound available to players at a low price: Sheeran by Lowden Guitars

Low End electric guitars for Ed Sheeran fans

Although Ed became known for his acoustic sounds, he now also often picks up an electric guitar. He prefers electric guitars from PRS and Gibson, of which there are also inexpensive variants, e.g. the Gibson style models from Epiphone and the PRS SE series. Affordable acoustic guitars in Ed's style are produced by Sheeran by Lowden Guitars.

Ed Sheeran's high end electric guitars

As already mentioned, Ed mostly plays electric guitars from PRS and Gibson, he particularly likes modern Les Paul models from Gibson and the McCarty 594 and hollowbody models from PRS. Ed also likes to play the Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster on stage. The colour scheme of Ed's guitars is particularly eye-catching: they are all brightly coloured and often have custom finishes or are decorated with graphics. Ed's favourite acoustics are Lowden Guitars.

Alternative high end electric guitars in Ed Sheeran's style

Ed plays a very small selection of models, but other classic models and models from other manufacturers in the high-end price range are also very suitable for copying Ed's sound and style. Here is a selection for you:

Ed Sheeran's amplifiers

Ed usually relies on a classic tube amp, the Vox AC15. This amp impresses with its warm basic sound. You can find this amp and Ed's other amps here.

Ed Sheeran's effects pedals

One thing is particularly important for the perfect Ed Sheeran sound: the right looper. Loops are an important part of Ed's sound. Ed even has his own signature looper, but of course other looper pedals are also suitable for imitating Ed's sound.

Accessories for Ed Sheeran fans

Here you'll find straps, strings and other accessories used by Ed or other items to complete your Ed Sheeran look and sound perfectly.