Peter Steele's
Gear

Peter Steele's Bass Guitars, Amps & Pedals

Peter Steele, Type O Negative's frontman and bassist (born January 4, 1962; died April 14, 2010), built his signature gothic-doom sound around a core rig of Washburn, Alembic, ESH Stinger, and custom basses, paired with Peavey amplifiers, massive speaker cabinets, and a simple Boss pedal chain (distortion, chorus, delay). His setup evolved from early experimentation in the 1980s to a consistent heavy, distorted tone by the mid-1990s, emphasizing low-end power for albums like Bloody Kisses (1993)

Steele's basses prioritized active electronics, long scales for detuned playing (often down to B or lower), and custom aesthetics matching Type O Negative's dark imagery. Key models include:

Lesser-known fact: Steele taped Rotosound string packs to his Alembic Spoiler for quick changes during marathon sets, a practical hack for his detuned, feedback-heavy style.

Steele's amp philosophy favored "behemoths" for earth-shaking volume, starting with Peavey foundations and experimenting briefly before standardizing. He ran stereo rigs with power amps driving multiple cabs.

Historical context: By 1996 Livewire interview (pre-October Rust release), Steele detailed his Peavey-heavy shift for reliability on world tours.