Hidehiko "Hide" Hoshino
Much of the information here came from books (Hyper, Love Me, Hyp #3) and magazine articles. Naturally data from 20 years ago will not be up to date, such as their eyesight or favorite things.
Skip ahead to favorite/influential albums or equipment overview.
Profile
real name: Hidehiko Hoshino
nickname: Hide (pronounced Hee-de)
instrument: guitars; keyboards
first band: Buck-Tick
date of birth: June 16, 1966 (Showa era, year 41)
hometown: Fujioka, Gunma prefecture
siblings: older brother, younger sister
marital status: married in the first half of 2006; has a step-son, son, and daughter
education: graduated Gunma Prefecture Fujioka Senior High School in March 1985
first record bought: "Pepper Keibu" by Pink Lady
first concert attended: George Tokoro
pets: Hide once had a dog named Jupita but it died in 1993 when it was 2.5 years old (it was even thanked in the credits of Koroshi No Shirabe), he later got a cat around 2004 and currently has 2 dogs
favorite...
artist: Robert Smith, John Lennon, Paul McCartney (other major influences include various 80s new wave groups)
color: first black, then white, brown, grey, etc.
cigarette: he has quit (previously Marlboro Menthol Light, Salem Light, and Sometime Light)
drink: red wine, oolong tea, Fanta Grape, beer, bourbon, whiskey, cocktail drinks (he's not good with Japanese sake)
food: vegetables, sushi, pudding, etc. Hide is also known to like Okinawan food (pork, goya, sea grapes, tofuyo, etc.)
guitarist: Daniel Ash (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets), David Byrne (Talking Heads)
movie: Le Grand Bleu, Friday the 13th, Bonnie and Clyde (in Japan the title is Oretachi Ni Wa Ashita Ga Nai which means: "There is No Tomorrow For Us"), horror and comedies
season: spring and fall
sport: he played soccer in school (goal keeper), he also likes track but these days he snowboards
time of day: night
video: The Cure videos
favorite / influential albums:
(this information was compiled from various books and interviews)
Express by Love and Rockets
Hide loves every guitar riff, even the acoustic pieces, making it one of his favorite albums. When asked who is the one artist that changed your life, Hide declared it was Love and Rockets and the album that changed his life was this one.
Love and Rockets by Love and Rockets
Hide is very impressed by how many good songs are on this album
The Sky's Gone Out by Bauhaus
...because Hide loves Daniel Ash's guitar playing
From Gardens Where We Feel Secure by Virginia Astley
Hide listened to this a lot when Buck-Tick was an indie band, in particular before performing live. This would calm him down.
The Head on the Door by The Cure
this is Hide's favorite Cure album, he loves them like Bauhaus
Let It Be by The Beatles
not so much as this album specifically, but Hide remembers that The Beatles were one of those bands that he always liked, even before he was into rock music or any band in particular
Vienna by Ultravox
Hide likes the balance of guitar on the second song "New Europeans"
Inky Bloaters by Danielle Dax
The Voice of Love by Julee Cruise
Construction Time Again by Depeche Mode
this is Hide's favorite Depeche Mode album because it is probably the easiest to listen to
Aion by Dead Can Dance
Hide acquired this in 1991 and likes how it's different than the albums up to then
Remain in Light by Talking Heads
at first Hide liked this album and thought it was cool with very good guitar sense but was unsure as to which guitar sound was coming from David Byrne
Requiem by Auto-Mod
Hide thought this was cool at the time
Tin Drum by Japan
Hide likes the totality of the record, including the cover art
That Total Age by Nitzer Ebb
Hisashi introduced this one to Hide; for this type of music Nitzer Ebb is Hide's favorite, the songs are "cool"
Blue Bell Knoll by Cocteau Twins
Hide thinks the songs and chorus are pretty, kind of comparable to Virginia Astley
MCMXC A.D. by Enigma
Hide thinks the concept of this album is incredible
The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste by Ministry
Hide likes the mix of guitar and rhythm
The Martyr Mantras by Jesus Loves You
Hide thinks that this is Boy George style house music, he was a fan since Culture Club and listened to this album whilst touring in 1991
X by INXS
Hide likes the cool guitar riffs
Front By Front by Front 242
Hide calls this "electric body music" as well as "shocking and cool"
Atomic Playboys by Steve Stevens
Hide doesn't like this type of hard rock but he likes the guitarist and the colors the sounds have
Maxi by Maxi Priest
Hide doesn't really like reggae but he likes the melodic-ness of this album and listened to it in his car in the summertime [this probably explains why the Hide-written song "Misshitsu" off of Six/Nine has a reggae rhythm]
Crimes of the Heart by Ute Lemper
Hide listened to this intensely whilst touring in 1991
Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994 by Sting
Hide also likes females vocalists like Sinead O'Connor
Equipment Overview
Skip ahead to guitars used in the mid-1980s (Indies days), late 1980s, 1990-1992, 1993-1999, 2000-2009, 2010-current, home studio.
Hide's main role is as rhythm guitarist and his playing is often in the support role while Hisashi adds solos and spice on top. As such, he is much more likely to play acoustic guitar than Hisashi and owns several acoustic guitars. For a brief period, Hide also played keyboards. Sometimes, he will have an acoustic guitar mounted on stage for brief pieces where acoustic is needed so he does not have to switch out his electric guitar in the middle of the song.
Hide's guitar in the early days was a Fernandes TEJ with a black and white checkered design. His next main guitar up to Taboo (1989) was similar to Hisashi's in that it was white and sold as the Hide model by Fernandes, (except the Hide model is a telecaster copy whereas the Hisashi model is a stratocaster copy). Then Hide also designed a custom guitar while recording Aku No Hana in 1989. It was in black and several copies were made. These became his main guitars. (The copies were slightly skinnier and the white line is thicker.) I am not sure which guitar he prefers now as he seems to have about 3 main guitars. He had been leaning towards a more classic rock lineup of semi-hollow bodies but in the 2010s has gone for the bit crunchier SG model and alternative favorite Jazzmaster, as well as continuing to play the majority of acoustic guitar in Buck-Tick, though Hisashi is gradually playing more acoustic. Still, those guitar models that he favors are all traditionally used in rock music and seem to be quite in line with Hide's style and influences. In 2018, he returned to having a custom telecaster style guitar.
For guitar straps, a custom thin (leather?) strap with "Buck-Tick" in gold letters was created in the late 80s to early 90s that both Hide and Hisashi used for many years. (This was sold to the public as Fernandes S-3500BT. It has been sold to the public for many years but the model number and perhaps some slight details may have changed.) In fact, I did not notice Hide using a different strap until around 2014 when he had a custom one made for him that was wider with stars. (Play off of his last name which has the kanji "hoshi", meaning "star.") This is the third version of it from 2016. These new straps were custom made by Yutaka Kusano, a custom guitar maker affiliated with Fernandes.
In the Indie days, Hide used Yamaha string and Fender medium picks. Hide has used Ernie Ball strings since around the band's debut. He currently uses Regular Slinky nickel wound 10s.
For guitar picks, all the pick users in Buck-Tick constantly have custom made picks and models are sold to the public.
Hide used a combination of Seymour Duncan and Mesa Boogie amps in the early days. During the Somewhere/Nowhere Tour (Six/Nine album) he used a Marshall head. Below is a picture of Hide's gear during the Aku No Hana Tour.
In the first few years of the band, Hide tended to use only a few effects (namely Distortion/Overdrive and Digital Delay), but in the early/mid 1990s he began to dabble like Hisashi and changed his setup.
Indies pedal setup: Yamaha WXY-05, Maxon HD 1501, equalizer, compressor, overdrive, delay, chorus, digital delay, super phaser, tuner, to Roland JC-120 amp.
During the Seventh Heaven Tour period, his setup included a Boss noise gate, Yamaha EQ, Boss compressor, Boss delay, Boss chorus, Boss volume pedal, Rat distortion, Maxon HD1501, and Rexer wireless. His Somewhere/Nowhere Tour (Six/Nine) pedal setup includes a Rocktron Bradshaw Switching System, Morley wah, and a Boss FV-300L volume pedal. Here is a diagram of his rack in 1995.
Aku No Hana recording effects: Boss wireless system 2x, Rocktron compressor/expander, Yamaha graphic equalizer, Rat proco R2DU (rack), Rat proco (pedal), Yahama digital sound processor, Korg performance signal processor, Vestax Dig digital delay, Rocktron chorus, BBE Unimax sonic maximizer, Rocktron programmer, Yamaha power amp, Boss C digital delay, Boss C equalizer, Korg overdrive, Guyatone power supply, Boss volume pedal, Boss tuner.
Hide's Chaos Tour (Cosmos) pedals included a Korg AT-1 tuner but a different wah (Vox). The rack system was the same except for the Korg DTR-1 (digital tuner) replaced the Korg A3. Hide changed his wireless system to Sony WD-820 (UHF antenna divider) and two Ex-Pros. Hide continued to use this setup for the next album, Sexy Stream Liner and pictured below are his pedals from that period, including additional single effect pedals (left to right: Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde fuzz, Pro Co Rat distortion, Marshall The Gov'nor, Carl Martin Hot Drive'n Boost).
The Chaos Tour rack setup was: Uptown Noise Free 4 x 1 Stereo Switcher, DigiTech IPS-33B (harmonizer), Alesis Quadraverb (multi effector), T.C. Electronic TC-1140 (1 channel 4 band parametric EQ/preamp), MosValve MV-942 Tube Works, two Furman PL-Plus (power conditioner), Korg A3, two Rocktron Progap (preamp), Eventide H3000-D/SX (ultra harmonizer), Sony DPS-M7 (sonic modulator), Sony DPS-D7 (digital delay), Yamaha SPX-900 (multi effector), Rocktron PSB-18R (switching system), Rane SM26 (splitter/mixer), Rocktron 300G (compressor/limiter), and Rocktron 311 (compressor/expander). Hide used one Ex-Pro AD-1 and four Pro-1s for his wireless system.
By Sexy Stream Liner, the Marshall JCM-800 had become Hide's main amp. The rack at that time appears to be quite similar to Cosmos and consisted of: Sony WD-820, Ex-Pro AD-1, three Ex-Pro PRO-10 (wireless receivers), T.C. Electronic TC-1140 (1 channel 4 band parametric EQ/preamp), Digitech IPS33B (harmonizer), Alesis Quadroverb (multi effector), MosValve MV-942 Tube Works, two Furman PL-Plus (power conditioner), two Rocktron Hush Pro GAP Ultra (programmable guitar amp), Eventide H3000-D/SX (ultra harmonizer), Sony DPS-M7 (sonic modulator), Sony DPS-D7 (digital delay), Yamaha SPX-900 (multi effector), Rocktron RSB-18R (switching system), Rane SA26 (splitter/mixer), Rocktron 300G (compressor/limiter), and Rocktron 311 (compressor/expander).
For the recording of Mona Lisa Overdrive, amps used include Marshall JCM-800 heads with Marshall cabinets (not sure the model), Bogner, Fender Tone Master and Twin Reverb, Egnater, Matchless, Knedrick, and Line 6. Effects included MXR equalizer and compressor, SansAmp, Klon Centaur, etc. He also used a Fernandes Les Paul type of custom Hide model guitar but the only custom Hide guitars in a Les Paul type are by Burny (which is owned by Fernandes). He has a few of those so it is hard to narrow it down.
Around 2010, Hide switched to the Providence PEC-2 routing system for his effects controller.
Equipment: mid-1980s (Indies days)
Strat style with 2 single coil pickups?
custom paint (he probably decorated it himself)
usage: used in 1984; I have never seen a very detailed photo of this guitar but could this be the Greco strat that was Hide's first guitar?
(I have not seen Hide with it since; did he get rid of it?)
Tele style with 2 single coil pickups
custom paint (he probably decorated it himself)
usage: used in 1986
(I have not seen Hide with it since; did he get rid of it?)
Strat style with 3 single coil pickups?
custom paint (he probably decorated it himself)
usage: used in 1986; I have never seen a very clear photo of this guitar
(I have not seen Hide with it since; did he get rid of it?)
Tele style with 2 single coil pickups
white body, black pickguard
usage: used live in 1986 and could be seen with it in the recording studio
(I have not seen Hide with it live since then but he did still have it in 1991; did he get rid of it after that?)
Strat style with 3 single coil pickups
usage: I think this was to become his main guitar but he ended up favoring other guitars; can be seen in the album photos for Hurry Up Mode
(I have not seen Hide with it since; did he get rid of it?)
Equipment: late 1980s
Fernandes TEJ telecaster style in white with checkered motif that Hide painted, back of the body has a Buck-Tick sticker and "B-T" handwritten; used since late 1986
body: alder
neck: maple
fingerboard: rosewood
pickups: two EMG-SA
usage: main guitar during late indies and first major album Sexual XXXXX! (1987); can be seen in the music videos for "Dream or Truth", "Empty Girl", "Hyper Love", "Illusion", "Sexual XXXXX!"
6 string acoustic
usage: used in the music video for "Romanesque" (1987)
Fernandes Hide model AKA TEJ-75
Telecaster style
usage: first acquired in late 1987 (I think he used his major label signing money to get this guitar or the label quickly helped him get an endorsement); main guitar during the late 80s (he owned 2 copies actually)
Fernandes started selling custom models of Hide and Hisashi's guitars in early 1989
these were Hide's tele guitar (TE-75BT) as well as Hisashi's tele and strat, which I believe this is the model it was based on
(photo taken during Aku No Hana recording)
TEJ-75 sold to the public specs:
neck: maple, detachable neck joint
fingerboard: rosewood, 22 frets
body: basswood
pickups: FGI Technology-T
controls: volume, mini pickup selector switch
bridge: combination-B
notes: can be seen in the music videos for "...In Heaven...", "Just One More Kiss", "Physical Neurose," "Victims of Love" (1988), "Aku No Hana", "Dizzy Moon", "Sabbat", "The World is Yours" (1990)
can also be seen in the Sabbat live concert videos (1989)
notes: for the white version sold to the public, it was remarkably similar to Hisashi's custom model, the key difference being that Hisashi's model has shark fin inlays while Hide's model has dot inlays. Also, Hide's model does not have an on/off switch
Ovation Collectors Series 1988-P
6 string acoustic-electric, "88" is on the 16th fret inlay
period: Seventh Heaven - Taboo (1988-1989)
pre-amp: OP-24
usage: can bee seen in the Sabbat (1989) live concert video
notes: Hisashi has the same model guitar
(Ovation?) 6 string acoustic-electric dark blue sunburst
usage: used during the recording of Taboo but I have not seen it listed among Hide's equipment since so it may have been a rental
Ovation Collectors Series 1989 blue
6 string acoustic-electric
period: Taboo (1989) - Aku No Hana (1990)
pre-amp: OP-24
notes: Hide acquired this in 1989; he may have owned the same version in black or it simply photographed black here
Ovation Pinnacle 3862
body: spruce top
pre-amp: FET-3
notes: Hide acquired this in 1989
Gibson Les Paul (Standard) 1960s model
Hide acquired this in 1989 but I'm not sure if it's been used for recording
Gibson Les Paul standard model
this model is from approximately 1979
usage: this was used to record Aku No Hana in 1989 or at least it's been in use since then
the 2015 remaster box set of Aku No Hana has some of the original studio track sheets as artwork and it notes that Hide used a Les Paul to record the rhythm guitar for what can only be "Pleasure Land" based on the other details
Equipment: Aku No Hana - Koroshi No Shirabe period (1990-1992)
Fernandes Hide model BT-HH #1 prototype
designed by Hide during the recording of Aku No Hana, this guitar's nickname is "kuwagata" (hoe-shaped), whereas the guitar Hisashi designed at the same time is the "mai-mai"
Hide owns several copies and the noticeable difference is the body thickness and amount of white paint on the border of the body (the white line in the pictured guitar is so thin it isn't even visible)
body: alder 40mm
neck: maple
fingerboard: rosewood 24F
pickups: two EMG-SA, later changed to Bill Lawrence L-250 (single size humbucker)
usage: it was Hide's main guitar during the early 90s
notes: Fernandes did sell copies of this as the BT-460HH Hide custom model but later changed it to the BT-110HH Hide custom model and then it became BT-110MM
usage: first unveiled live at Buck-Tick Genshou on December 29,1989
not sure exactly which kuwagata copy was used, but the kuwagata model can be seen in the music videos for "Die" (1993) and "Detarame Yarou" (1995)
the kuwagata model can also be seen in the Climax Together (1992) live concert video
Fernandes Hide model BT-HH #2
same specs as above except:
pickups: two EMG-SA (front passive, rear active)
Fernandes Hide model BT-HH #3
time for a version with humbuckers
pickups: VH-1 (front), VH-2 (rear)
Fernandes Hide model BT-HH #4
modifications made around Six/Nine (1995) to reflect the changing sound of the band
body: alder 45mm
pickups: Evans eliminator lead and hot lead
Fernandes Hide model BT-HH #5
created as a copy of #4 to be a backup guitar
Fernandes Hide model BT-HH #6
created as a copy of #4 to be the backup's backup guitar; rarely used
Fernandes Hide model BT-HH #7
same specs as #4 but with FRT whammy bar added; rarely used
cyber punk guitar
usage: can be seen in the music video for "Speed" (1991)
Fender Electric XII
12 string
usage: used to record one song during Kurutta Taiyo (1991)
Ovation
12 string
usage: used during the recording Kurutta Taiyo (1991)
Ovation Elite 1768
6 string
usage: used during the recording Koroshi No Shirabe (1992)
Washburn EA40-12
12 string acoustic-electric
body: spruce top, mahogany side/back
usage: used early to mid 90s; can be seen in the music video for "Jupiter" (1991)
notes: Hide acquired this around 1990
this has been on a stand for easy access to an acoustic while playing an electric guitar or keyboard as can be seen in the Sweet Strange Life Film (1998) concert video
in the Buck-Tick Guitar Archives book, this was listed as a Washburn EA20-12
Yamaha LL12-55D custom
12 string acoustic
usage: used to record the Koroshi No Shirabe version of "Jupiter" in 1992 (3 guitars were used to track that song)
Martin O-18 (rental?)
6 string acoustic
usage: this may have been a rental during the recording of Koroshi No Shirabe and not used much as Hide favored 12 strings during the recording
handmade custom guitar (rental?)
6 string acoustic
who made this and other details not known
usage: this may have been a rental during the recording of Koroshi No Shirabe (1992) and not used much as Hide favored 12 strings during the recording
Dobro (rental)
6 string acoustic
usage: this was rented during the recording of Koroshi No Shirabe (1992) and was not used at all as Hide favored 12 strings during the recording
Fender Telecaster (rental)
pickups: two single coil
usage: rented during the recording of Koroshi No Shirabe (1992) and used quite a bit
I think he liked it so much he bought it or there is an inaccurate memory on the part of the guitar documentarian as the Buck-Tick Guitar Archives book states Hide acquired it around 1990; the book mentions it is a 1972 model and has been used recently for recording
Fender Japan Stratocaster
fingerboard: rosewood slab board (making it around a 1960 model)
pickups: three single coil
usage: used live throught the 1990s
notes: Hide acquired this around 1992
Hide used a Fender strat to record Mona Lisa Overdrive (2003) so it could have been this one or the candy apple red one
Gibson Les Paul (rental)
usage: rented during the recording of Koroshi No Shirabe (1992)
Fender 1961 Stratocaster (rental)
picups: three single coil
usage: rented during the recording of Koroshi No Shirabe (1992) but it was not used very much
Fernandes ZO-3 blue
these are the traveling/practice guitars by Fernandes with a built in amp and run off a battery
"Zo" means elephant in Japanese (I guess the body looks like an elephant ear)
usage: Hide plugged it into an amp during the recording of Koroshi No Shirabe and was surprised at how good it sounded (not sure which if any tracks it made it on)
(Hisashi owns a pink version and a custom Lucy model)
Fernandes ZO-3 Geita-ssha red
there are several ZO-3 models and the "geita-ssha" model name technically means "versatile entertainer"
it is outfitted with a bridge type for a whammy bar but it does not have one
Equipment: Darker Than Darkness (1993) - end of 1990s
Roland JD-800 keyboard
originally Hide bought a keyboard to help him with songwriting but it became a staple instrument for a decade
usage: used since Darker Than Darkness in 1993 (most notably "Dress")
it was used to record the following tracks on Six/Nine (1995): Kimi No Vanilla, Rakuen, Aikawarazu No "Are" No Katamari Ga Nosabaru Hedo No Soko No Fuki Damari, Kick (Daichi Wo Keru Otoko)
Hide stopped playing keyboards live on stage in the early 2000s
incidentally, Hide's older brother works at Roland (family discount?)
Fernandes BT-MM white
black on white
back of the neck: plain, nothing on it
usage: used live only once and it was during the Darker Than Darkness Tour (1993)
(Hisashi designed this guitar but it also went on sale to the public and it appears Hide had the right-handers model--it makes one wonder if Hide owns more Hisashi models and if Hisashi owns any Hide models)
(Burny?) electric sunburst
sorry, I don't know the details of this guitar
usage: used during Six/Nine era (1995)
Burny is owned by Fernandes
Burny Flying V (probably V-155)
usage: can be seen in the music video for "Uta" (1995)
Fernandes RST
color: candy apple red
body: alder
neck: maple
fretboard: rosewood
pickups: 3 single coil DiMarzio Blue Velvets
bridge: GE-101TC
controls: volume, tone, pickup balance
usage: used live on "Kodo"
notes: Hide acquired this around 1995
Fernandes RST
color: snow white
specs: basically the same as the candy apple red model above
notes: Hide acquired this around 1995
Gretsch Tennessee Rose reissue
semi hollow guitar with f-holes
body: maple
neck: maple
fingerboard: ebony with thumbnail position markers
pickups: two FilterTron humbuckers
bridge: Bigsby B6C vibrato
controls: 3-way toggle switch, master volume, master tone, neck pickup volume, bridge pickup volume
usage: used live during "Muchi No Namida"
it might have been the guitar used to record "Mienai Mono Wo Miyou To Suru Gokai Subete Gokai Da"; can be seen in the music video for "Mienai Mono Wo Miyou To Suru Gokai Subete Gokai Da" (Six/Nine version) (1995)
can also be seen in the Sweet Strange Live Film (1998) and One Life One Death Cut Up (2001) concert videos
notes: Hide aquired this around 1994 and its use gradually increased to the early 2000s until Burny made a custom copy
Morris
12 string acoustic-electric
body: spruce top, side/back ovangkol
neck: mahogany
fingerboard: rosewood
usage: used mid to late 90s; can be seen in the music video for "Miu" (1999)
notes: Hide acquired this around 1995 to be a backup to the Washburn 12 string but it ended up becoming the main 12 string
Gibson Les Paul Custom '73-'74 20th Anniversary Model ("black beauty")
specs: basically same as the Les Paul original
Hide acquired this in 1989 but it wasn't really used in Buck-Tick until around the mid 90s
body: maple top, mahogany back
fingerboard: ebony with "twentieth anniversary" written on the 15th fret inlay
usage: it was used to record the following tracks on Six/Nine (1995): Love Letter, Kagiri Naku Nezumi, Hosoi Sen
I believe this was also used to record Mona Lisa Overdrive (2003)
(Hisashi has the same guitar, but for left-handers of course)
Fender Stratocaster candy apple red
the bridge is built for a tremelo arm but it has broken off
neck: rosewood slabboard (making it around 1960-1961 model)
pickguard: around a 1950 model
pickups: three single coil
usage: used live during "Rasenchu" for example
I believe this was the strat used to record Six/Nine's "Kodo" in 1995; this model appears the same as one rented to record Koroshi No Shirabe in 1992 (specifically the rental was a 1963 model) so I think he liked it so much he bought it since the Buck-Tick Guitar Archives book mentions this was the guitar used to record Koroshi No Shirabe, but then again the book mentions he acquired in around 1990 (could be inaccurate memory on the part of the guitar documentarian)
Burny RLC-70
body: maple top, mahogany back
neck: mahogany
pickups: Fernandes VH-1 (front), Duncan JB (rear)
Hide owns 2 copies (the other is set to D tuning)
usage: this was Hide's main guitar during the mid to late 90s; can be seen in the Xanadu (2003) live concert video
Burny LS
body: maple top, mahogany back
pickups: gold humbuckers
controls: 4 knobs
usage: it was used to record the following tracks on Six/Nine (1995): Itoshi No Rock Star, Uta
this was sold as the Hide custom model LS-105
can be seen in the music videos for: "Hosoi Sen", "Itoshi No Rock Star", "Kodo" (Six/Nine version)
Burny LG-85BT black #2
Hide wanted a Les Paul type guitar and so Burny created this; titled as #2 but the description was that it was the first LG-BT so perhaps the prototype was #1 and is not in use
body: maple/mahogany
neck: maple/rosewood
pickups: LHM-2112
notes: Hide has several copies of this guitar
Burny did sell copies of this as the LG-85BT Hide custom model (available in black and later metallic silver) but the specs were slightly different than Hide's actual copy
sold to public specs:
body: maple 15mm + mahogany 45mm
neck: mahogany 628mm scale set-neck
fretboard: ebony 22 frets, 350R
pickups: FHM-211ON, FHM-2110W
bridge: GE-103B-T and GE-101Z-T
controls: volume, tone, 3-way mini toggle
Burny LG-85BT black C# tuning
same specs as #2
Burny LG-85BT black D tuning
usage: used live on songs such as "Love Letter", "Kagari Naku Nezumi", "Aikawarazu No 'Are'..."
Burny LG-85BT black #5
body: maple top, mahogany back
neck: mahogany (another magazine says maple)
fretboard: ebony
pickups: GMH-220 (front), Fernandes (rear) (another magazine says both were GMH-220)
controls: volume, tone, 3-way mini toggle
usage: this has been one of Hide's main guitars since roughly late 1997
from the Buck-Tick Guitar Archives book, this appears to be LG-BT #5 with Burny GMH-220 pickups
Burny LG-85BT metallic blue
this was originally silver #1 but was painted metallic blue in 2010
body: maple top 15mm, mahogany bottom 45mm
body: maple top, mahogony back
neck: maple (though it might be mahogany as the original above)
fretboard: ebony
pickups: GMH-200 (front), VH-400 (rear)
bridge: GE-103B-T & GE-101Z-T
controls: volume, tone, pickup balance
note: both pickups may be GMH-200
this was probably the guitar used in the music videos for "Heroine" (1997), "Sasayaki" (1998), "21st Cherry Boy" (2001)
Burny LG-85BT metallic silver #1
formerly silver #2, used as a backup to silver #1 above (now metallic blue), but became the main silver guitar
pickups: LHM-2112 (front), Voodoo HB-57 (rear)
a mini version was sold during the 20th anniversary
K. Yairi G-11
acoustic 6 string acquired around 1997 with soundhole mounted pickup
Burny H-115
12 string electric
pickups: two TSH-1
usage: used to record with in the mid-1990s
futuristic guitar
usage: can be seen in the music video for "Bran-New Lover" (1999)
Equipment: One Life, One Death - Memento Mori era (2000-2009)
Fernandes BT-95HH velvet blue #1
this custom guitar with whammy bar was first used in summer 1999; Hide apparently wanted a sustainer with all single coils but at the time sustainers were only available with humbuckers
body: alder (or light ash depending on source)
neck: maple
fingerboard: rosewood
pickups: sustainer light SPD-200 (front), VS-4 (center), FHM-2110W (rear)
controls: volume, tone, pickup balance
usage: Fernandes did sell copies of this as the Hide custom model available in blue but I thought they also sold it in red
Fernandes BT-95HH velvet blue #2
pickups: VS-1 (front, center), LHM-2112 (rear)
notes: this was a backup to blue #1 without the sustainer
Fernandes BT-95HH candy apple red #1
pickups: two DiMarizo DP170, one DP171
notes: there still is a whammy bar but the sustainer was removed
Fernandes BT-95HH candy apple red #2
pickups: three VS-1
notes: served as a backup to red #1 but without the whammy bar; can be seen in the One Life One Death Cut Up (2001) and Xanadu (2003) live concert videos
Burny BSF-HH prototype white #1
Hide wanted a custom guitar based on the Gretsch Tennessee Rose and Burny created this white semi hollow with f-holes (based on Hide's rough sketch) and a pickguard
body: maple / mahogany
neck: mahogany set-neck
fretboard: ebony
pickups: two DiMarzio DP-168 mini humbuckers
bridge: tune-o-matic and stop tailpiece type
controls: volume, 3 way toggle switch (the 2 controllers at the top near the neck are decorations)
usage: first used live in June 2002; can be seen in the At the Night Side (2003) live concert video
Burny BSF-HH white #2
the body was made a little bigger, the pickguard was removed, and the fretboard inlay was changed along with the picksups
pickups: two DiMarzio DP-198 hot mini humbuckers
usage: can be seen in the music videos for "Romance" (2005), "Alice in Wonder Underground" (2007), "Heaven" (2008); can also be seen in the Akuma To Freud (2004) and The Day In Question 2011 live concert videos
notes: Burny did sell copies of this as the Hide custom model in white and I think later in red as well
Burny BSF-HH red
red version has the same specs as white #2 but the pickups were changed
pickups: two Voodoo HB-57 humbuckers
usage: used since 13th Floor with Moonshine Tour (2005); this became a main guitar
can be seen in the music videos for "Rendezvous" (2007), "Dokudanjou Beauty", "Kuchizuke" (2010), "New World" (2016), "Kemonotachi No Yoru" (2019)
can be seen in The Day In Question 2011 live concert video
Fernandes Decade Hoshino #1
for Buck-Tick's 20th anniversary since their major debut, Hide had a custom Fernandes Decade guitar made; the Decade series are based on Fender Jaguars
body: alder
neck: maple
fingerboard: rosewood
pickups: two SJAG-2
usage: used live since Tenshi No Revolver Tour (2007)
I'm not sure which Decade was used but the Decade model can be seen in the Tenshi No Revolver and Memento Mori (2009) live concert videos
Fernandes Decade Hoshino #2
this is the backup to Decade #1 and has the same specs except
bridge: GE103B-T
Vigier Excalibur
pickups: humbucker, single, humbucker
Hide's only fretless guitar to my knowledge, this guitar is rarely used
Gibson J-50 Modern Classic sunburst
(specs from Gibson site)
classic 1960's edition with '60's pickguard
body: mahogany 4-ply top, single-ply back
top: premium sitka spruce
neck: 24-3/4" scale
fretboard: rosewood
pickups: active electronics with sound hole mounted volume control
bridge: traditional Gibson rosewood bridge
tuners: nickel grovers
pickguard: tortoise J-50
usage: used to record "Django!!! -Genwaku No Django-" (2010); played live since Tenshi No Revolver Tour (2007)
notes: Hide acquired this around 2005; the Buck-Tick Guitar Archives book claims this is a Gibson J-45--I may not know much about the nitty gritty of guitar model variations but the pickguard resembles the J-50 model and not the J-45 model
Gretsch Historic Series
acoustic-electric 6 string acquired around 2000
usage: can be seen in the music video for "Gensou No Hana" (2003)
Epiphone ET-1303SB
sunburst acoustic-electric 6 string acquired around 2007
used as a backup in concerts
Equipment: 2010 - current
Burny NSG-HH
this SG type custom model was created for Buck-Tick's 25th anniversary since their live debut; Hide added a decal on the back of the guitar of a star with a circle around it (this symbol was on tour merchandise and may represent Hide as part of his last name "hoshi" means star) but it was not photographed in the Buck-Tick Guitar Archives book as perhaps the guitar was too new at the time and the sticker had not yet been applied
body: Honduras mahogany
neck: Honduras mahogany set-neck
fingerboard: rosewood medium scale
pickups: two Lindy Fralin P-90
bridge: Wilkinson GTB-200
usage: used live since June 2012; can be seen in the music videos for "Elise No Tame Ni", "Miss Take", "Climax Together" (2012), "Keijijou Ryuusei" (2014)
can also be seen in the Tour 2014 Arui Wa Anarchy -Final- live concert video
Fender Jazzmaster
has a whammy bar
pickups: two wide single coils
controls: volume, tone, pickup selector
notes: Hide acquired this in 2010 and it has been used for recording and concerts since then
can be seen in the music video for "Moonlight Escape" (2020)
Fernandes TXL-HH
Revealed in 2018, Hide returned to a telecaster style body that he used in the 1980s but with a longer neck. This was sold to the public as Hoshino Hidehiko Model available in white and black bodies. Hide appears to own both black and white bodies as well.
body: light ash
neck: maple bolt on
fingerboard: rosewood
scale: 666mm (extra long)
pickups: TV Jones TV Classic CR (front), Lindy Fralin Broadcaster bridge (rear)
controls: 1 volume, 1 tone, pickup selector
usage: can be seen in the music video for "Datenshi" (2020)
Home Studio
I am not sure of the equipment details of Hide's home studio
artist: Issay
artist: Fake?
artist: Chiaki Kuriyama
