Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme has always had an unconventional approach to his guitar rig – in fact, earlier this year the frontman revealed that his Them Crooked Vultures bandmate, former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, once called his setup an ‘entire piece-of-shit’. However, Homme prefers the challenge of piecing together cheaper gear and janky guitars, as it often leads to more exciting results.

In a new interview with Rick Beato, Homme explains that he’s often drawn to the gear that is often overlooked; rather than opting for the big brands, he’ll hunt down the underdog. “I’ve seen a lot of Marshalls and Les Pauls in my life, and a lot of Strats… what I don’t see, that’s what I’m interested in,” he reveals.

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While he labels his system as “dumb”, the mindset is to steer clear of any gear that’s been pre-approved by other musicians. “There’s a lot of ‘unsupply and undemand,’” he jokes. “If I see a lot of something… I just won’t do that. We have plenty of that… [that approach has] largely been quite good to me.”

Homme’s affinity for using quirkier, more obscure gear was initially a decision based on cost. Just as Homme shaped his unique tone due to his inability to afford a tuner, instead doubling down and styling out a detuned guitar, a cheaper guitar was often more accessible for him. However, it’s since become a conscious choice as those guitars can often muster more unique, unexpected tonal qualities.

He also reveals that a lot of his earlier gear was acquired through scouring the depths of eBay, as well as being “an avid pawn shop guy” while on the road. “[Whenever I bought a guitar] I did not normally see, it turned out, six times out of 10, to be fucking amazing,” he says.

Some of his best purchases were often dirt cheap, too. “Some were like 50 bucks,” he says. “So the experiment to find yourself in what you do not see became this obsession that was really rewarding!”

“It made me feel very proud, because it was almost like confirming my own ridiculous metric for making choices…” he adds. “I didn’t need that confirmation, but I was like, ‘See? If you use my dumb system it’ll work out this way.’”

Back in March, Homme pulled back the curtain and allowed a glimmer of insight into his quirky rig. In an interview with Guitar World, he recalled how some of his cheapest guitar rigs would provide him with an “instant Kinks” vibe, noting that some of his most interesting tone comes from old school, cost-efficient Japanese guitars.

“As I got older, I realised that the Japanese – because of the post-World War II economy – couldn’t get the best stuff, so they had shitty beginnings,” he explained. “They did the best they could. It’s really well-made shit, and it creates this unforgettable sound. I went through this phase of buying Japanese guitars; they were cheap, so it was an easy experiment.”

In terms of Queens Of The Stone Age, the band’s latest record, Perfecth, is due to drop October 30. Three singles are currently out, with the latest tongue-in-cheek release, Where The Goth Girls At? joining Insignificant Other and Easy Street.

Queens Of The Stone Age’s Perfecth drops on October 30. You can pre-order it now.