# Troy Van Leeuwen
**Troy Van Leeuwen** (born 1970 in Los Angeles, California) is an American rock guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, best known as the second guitarist of [Queens of the Stone Age](https://www.edgepedia.org/queens-of-the-stone-age), which he joined in 2002 during the *Songs for the Deaf* tour[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1324544/) • [2](https://www.yamaha.com/artists/troyvanleeuwen.html). Before that he played in Failure and [A Perfect Circle](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-perfect-circle), and his credits extend to the Desert Sessions, Eagles of Death Metal, Mark Lanegan Band, Sweethead, Puscifer, Gone Is Gone, and production and composition work for many other artists[3](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/troy-van-leeuwen-fender-jazzmaster-interview). One source gives his birth year as 1968[4](https://guitar.com/artists/troy-van-leeuwen/), while IMDb lists January 5, 1970[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1324544/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970, Los Angeles, California (one source gives 1968)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1324544/) • [4](https://guitar.com/artists/troy-van-leeuwen/) |
| Main band | Second guitarist of Queens of the Stone Age since 2002; first studio appearance on *Lullabies to Paralyze* (2005)[2](https://www.yamaha.com/artists/troyvanleeuwen.html) • [5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen) |
| Earlier bands | Little Boots (1986–1987), 60 Cycle, Failure (until late-1990s breakup), A Perfect Circle (*Mer de Noms*, *Thirteenth Step*)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1324544/) • [6](https://thedetroitbureau.com/desk/troy-van-leeuwens-bands-and-projects-pf6p8c) • [2](https://www.yamaha.com/artists/troyvanleeuwen.html) |
| Role in QOTSA | Guitar, lap steel, keyboards, backing vocals, and occasional bass; regarded as Josh Homme's right-hand man[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen) • [7](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/troy-van-leeuwen-squier-paranormal-telecaster-xii-qotsa-interview) |
| Side projects | Enemy (*Hooray for Dark Matter*, 2005); Gone Is Gone (*Echolocation*, 2017); Sweethead[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1324544/) • [8](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/2017/NME-2017-03-03.pdf) |
| Signature gear | Yamaha SA503 TVL; Fender signature Jazzmaster (2014); Squier Paranormal Telecaster XII (£509/$599)[2](https://www.yamaha.com/artists/troyvanleeuwen.html) • [9](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/queens-of-the-stone-age-troy-van-leeuwen-squier-paranormal-telecaster-xii) |
| Recent work | Producer for The Armed (*Perfect Saviors*, 2023); composer credit on Snow Patrol's *The Forest Is the Path* (2024)[10](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000021930) |
## Early life and first bands
Van Leeuwen grew up in Los Angeles in a household where his father played him early rock and roll, including [Chuck Berry](https://www.edgepedia.org/chuck-berry). He first trained on drums, imitating [John Bonham](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-bonham), before switching to guitar at about age 13; [Jimmy Page](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-page)'s layered, overdub-heavy recordings were the main pull toward the instrument[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen) • [11](https://www.fender.com/articles/misc/queens-of-the-stone-age-guitarist-shows-his-flair). The first song he learned was a Johnny Cash song on acoustic guitar, followed by Led Zeppelin's "The Rover"[11](https://www.fender.com/articles/misc/queens-of-the-stone-age-guitarist-shows-his-flair).
His earliest band work came in the Los Angeles group Little Boots from 1986 to 1987, which recorded demos and played a few shows without an official release[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1324544/). In the late 1980s he played in Jester, a southern California band fronted by Eric Book that released an EP[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen). His next band, 60 Cycle, released "Pretender" in 1995 and a self-titled album in 1996; there he met drummer Kellii Scott, a future collaborator in both Failure and Enemy[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1324544/).
## Failure and session work
Van Leeuwen played guitar in Failure, appearing on the 1995 album *Fantastic Planet* and supporting it on tour, work that added a darker, space-rock edge to the band's sound[6](https://thedetroitbureau.com/desk/troy-van-leeuwens-bands-and-projects-pf6p8c). After Failure's late-1990s hiatus, he moved into session musician and recording-engineer work, taking credits with bands including Korn, Coal Chamber, Deadsy, and [Crazy Town](https://www.edgepedia.org/crazy-town)[2](https://www.yamaha.com/artists/troyvanleeuwen.html) • [5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen). This period established him as a guitarist who could also think like a producer, listening, arranging, and adapting parts to a track's needs[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen).
## A Perfect Circle and Queens of the Stone Age
[Maynard James Keenan](https://www.edgepedia.org/maynard-james-keenan), whose band [Tool](https://www.edgepedia.org/tool-band) Failure had often opened for, approached Van Leeuwen to join A Perfect Circle. He stayed for an album and a half, *Mer de Noms* and *Thirteenth Step*, recording guitar parts on a limited number of tracks on the latter[2](https://www.yamaha.com/artists/troyvanleeuwen.html) • [5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen).
In 2002 he took the second guitarist position with Queens of the Stone Age for the *Songs for the Deaf* tour, a demanding entry that required him to learn 30 songs in a week, which he did by ear, having never learned to read music[2](https://www.yamaha.com/artists/troyvanleeuwen.html) • [11](https://www.fender.com/articles/misc/queens-of-the-stone-age-guitarist-shows-his-flair). His first studio recording with the band was *Lullabies to Paralyze* (2005), made with longtime collaborator [Alain Johannes](https://www.edgepedia.org/alain-johannes), on which he expanded the band's atmospheres through guitars, lap steel, and piano[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen). He has since contributed to every Queens of the Stone Age album, from *Lullabies to Paralyze* through *Era Vulgaris* (2007), *...Like Clockwork* (2013), *Villains* (2017), and *In Times New Roman...*[12](https://www.ernestpackaging.com/buzz/cardboard-chaos/cardboard-sessions/two-rock-legends-from-failure-one-triumphant-reunion/) • [10](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000021930).
On *...Like Clockwork* he played guitar alongside percussion, twelve-string guitar, slide, lap steel, synthesizers, and vocals, consolidating his reputation as a multi-instrumentalist who shapes the band's emotional palette[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen). Within the band's three-guitar live setup, he and [Dean Fertita](https://www.edgepedia.org/dean-fertita) play around Homme's low-mid-driven core tone, with Van Leeuwen favoring single-coil guitars, reverbs, and ambient textures to poke through the mix[7](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/troy-van-leeuwen-squier-paranormal-telecaster-xii-qotsa-interview).
## Side projects
Van Leeuwen has run several bands alongside his main commitments. He fronts Enemy, which he has called his "dumb rock band"; their first album, *Hooray for Dark Matter*, was released on October 11, 2005[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1324544/). He was the main vocalist for Revenge of the Triads, toured with Sweethead, and produced and mixed their 2010 debut[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen) • [10](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000021930).
In 2013 he formed Gone Is Gone with [At the Drive-In](https://www.edgepedia.org/at-the-drive-in) drummer Tony Hajjar, Mastodon bassist-singer [Troy Sanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/troy-sanders), and sound designer Mike Zarin; the supergroup released a self-titled EP, the album *Echolocation* (2017), and a further collection in 2021[8](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/2017/NME-2017-03-03.pdf) • [10](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000021930) • [6](https://thedetroitbureau.com/desk/troy-van-leeuwens-bands-and-projects-pf6p8c). His guest and production work spans [Iggy Pop](https://www.edgepedia.org/iggy-pop)'s *Post Pop Depression* (2016), Chelsea Wolfe's *Hiss Spun* (2017), UNKLE's *The Road* albums, Mark Lanegan's *Bubblegum*, and producer credits on The Armed's *Perfect Saviors* (2023)[10](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000021930) • [3](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/troy-van-leeuwen-fender-jazzmaster-interview). He has also composed for film and television, including the *Peaky Blinders* Seasons 1–5 soundtrack and the score for *Saw II*[10](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000021930) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1324544/).
## Signature guitars and tone
Van Leeuwen's association with instrument makers is unusually extensive. About 15 years before his 2020 Fender model, he had a Yamaha signature, a 335-style hollowbody with three P-90s and a Bigsby; Yamaha also sells an SA503 TVL signature model[3](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/troy-van-leeuwen-fender-jazzmaster-interview) • [2](https://www.yamaha.com/artists/troyvanleeuwen.html).
Fender launched his signature Jazzmaster in 2014, finished in Candy Oxblood with Pure Vintage '65 single coils and a single-locking tremolo; it remains on the market and has been a strong seller for the company[9](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/queens-of-the-stone-age-troy-van-leeuwen-squier-paranormal-telecaster-xii). A second version in a Copper Age finish with a block-inlay maple fretboard followed in 2020[3](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/troy-van-leeuwen-fender-jazzmaster-interview).
The Squier Paranormal Troy Van Leeuwen Telecaster XII, a 12-string Telecaster, grew out of a Custom Shop double-neck he commissioned from Master Builder Paul Waller during the *...Like Clockwork* era, with a neck copied from his long-owned Burns Double Six[9](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/queens-of-the-stone-age-troy-van-leeuwen-squier-paranormal-telecaster-xii). Priced at £509/$599, it is a deliberately affordable instrument; Van Leeuwen said he wanted a Squier because cheap guitars were what he could afford as a kid, and he debuted it live on [Jimmy Kimmel](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-kimmel) playing with [Michael Stipe](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-stipe) and Andrew Watt[9](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/queens-of-the-stone-age-troy-van-leeuwen-squier-paranormal-telecaster-xii) • [13](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/troy-van-leeuwen-12-string-squier-paranormal-telecaster-leak).
His stated approach to tone favors loud, moving speakers over heavy distortion, and his pedalboard centers on the Eventide H9, a DigiTech Whammy he has used since 1995, and fuzzes and filtering pedals, including his own Dr. No Octavia Fuzz and signature Dr. No Raven[3](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/troy-van-leeuwen-fender-jazzmaster-interview) • [7](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/troy-van-leeuwen-squier-paranormal-telecaster-xii-qotsa-interview).
## References
1. [Troy Van Leeuwen, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1324544/)
2. [Troy Van Leeuwen, Yamaha Artists](https://www.yamaha.com/artists/troyvanleeuwen.html)
3. [Troy Van Leeuwen: "People think you need all this extra distortion...", Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/troy-van-leeuwen-fender-jazzmaster-interview)
4. [Troy Van Leeuwen, Guitar.com artist page](https://guitar.com/artists/troy-van-leeuwen/)
5. [Troy Van Leeuwen, Notable People Project](https://notablepeopleproject.org/troy_van_leeuwen)
6. [The Practical Side of Troy Van Leeuwen's Bands and Projects, The Detroit Bureau](https://thedetroitbureau.com/desk/troy-van-leeuwens-bands-and-projects-pf6p8c)
7. [Troy Van Leeuwen on turning his Custom Shop 12-string into a Squier signature, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/troy-van-leeuwen-squier-paranormal-telecaster-xii-qotsa-interview)
8. [Gone Is Gone, New Musical Express (3 March 2017)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/2017/NME-2017-03-03.pdf)
9. [QOTSA's Troy Van Leeuwen on his Squier Telecaster XII's Custom Shop origins, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/queens-of-the-stone-age-troy-van-leeuwen-squier-paranormal-telecaster-xii)
10. [Troy Van Leeuwen, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000021930)
11. [Queens of the Stone Age Guitarist Shows His Flair, Fender](https://www.fender.com/articles/misc/queens-of-the-stone-age-guitarist-shows-his-flair)
12. [Two rock legends from Failure. One triumphant reunion., Ernest Packaging](https://www.ernestpackaging.com/buzz/cardboard-chaos/cardboard-sessions/two-rock-legends-from-failure-one-triumphant-reunion/)
13. [Troy Van Leeuwen debuts Squier 12-string Telecaster on Jimmy Kimmel, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/troy-van-leeuwen-12-string-squier-paranormal-telecaster-leak)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Hard rock and glam metal › Hard rock guitarists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license