Equipment
Guitars
- Fender 12 string
- Fender Stratocaster
- Fender American Vintage'52 Telecaster Butterscotch Blonde MN
- Fender Telecaster Vintage '62
- Gibson Explorer (white)
- Gibson Les Paul
- Gibson Flying V
- Hamer Explorer
- Roland GR-500 Guitar Synthesizer
- Stratocaster Spalt Puzzle
- Stratocaster Spalt with Linear Tremolo
- Stratman 12 string
Denny McNerney was Cale's FOH engineer in 1976/1977 about Cale's guitars in that era:
"the white gibson flying V that was on the guts cover was stolen... from cbgb's, i think. i think the first show i ever mixed for him he still had that. not sure, i'll ask joe or mike. replaced by a white gibson explorer, which was... stolen... from cbgb's, very quickly thereafter. replaced by a black (w/ gold hardware) gibson firebird. i remember looking at that gtr when he got it, still in the case. pretty gtr. well, he ended up standing on the neck on that gtr at the starwood in l.a., probably on the night where he was dragging all the mics (w/ the stands attached) across the stage. the headstock broke right off. we played the starwood a few times when were on the west coast... one time when cheap trick was the special guest (it was their first album tour). and then came the les paul, i think. which he had for the duration of that short period up to croydon. i think. it was 31 years ago."
A Fender 12 string from that era was used for Cable Hogue. It was also stolen, according to bass player Mike Visceglia.
On the sleeve notes of blackAcetate Cale mentions James Trussart custom guitar maker, Los Angeles, California, and John Nelson Vintage Gear, Los Angeles, California.
Currently he plays a modified Strat made by Michael Spalt. The tremolo made by Don Ramsay, a custom guitar maker/inventor based in Los Angeles.