Instruments

Guitar

Carol is Marzipan's guitar, (although in Powered by The Cheat cartoons, she is called "Carl"). She is modeled after a nylon-string classical/Spanish guitar. Carol features a drawing of a "Don't Tread on Me"-style snake from the American Revolutionary War. Marzipan plays Carol in the band Cool Tapes with Strong Mad and The Cheat. However, the sound Carol makes in the song "Cool Things", and in One Two, One Two, is much more like that of an electric guitar with distortion.

Electric Guitar

In different town, Strong Bad wishes that Marzipan would rock, picturing her playing an electric guitar. The guitar resembles a skull, spine, and several other bones. It is unknown if Marzipan has ever played an electric guitar, however, as mentioned above, it seems as though Carol is capable of making an electric guitar resonance in the song "Cool Things" and in One Two, One Two. Based on the shape of the body, and the position of the pickups, this guitar seems to be a custom Gibson Les Paul, though the neck is more akin to a Fender Stratocaster.

Ukulele

The Ukulele is used by Marzipan to play Hawaiian music for her luau. This is a more appropriate instrument than Carol to accompany Strong Sad's Polynesian prose. This instrument sports the letter "M", standing either for "Marzipan" or as the monogram of the instrument's own (unknown) name.

Appearances:

• Debut: Audition with Marzipan
• The Luau

Keyboard

The Cheat's keyboard is a Casio Sk-1 portable sampling keyboard. The Cheat has played the Strong Badia National Anthem, a background beat for Strong Bad's chart-topping hit "Song About Sibbie," and the acoustics for "Everybody Knows It" on it.

The Cheat's keyboard appears to have an extra key between E and F and two extra keys between B and C.

According to Strong Bad in the email guitar, if he had a band, The Cheat would play keyboards.

Appearances:

• Debut: Email flag day
• Email guitar (mentioned)
• Email sibbie
• Everybody Knows It
• Email pop-up
• Happy Hallow-day

DJ Equipment/Mixing

When The Cheat is on tour as DJ Teh C., he uses a set of DJ equipment, which seems to include a pair of single turntables. He most likely also has a mixer board, as he is able to make an Indie-Tronic remix out of The Geddup Noise, as well as a remix of "Not Talkin' 'bout Butter".

Appearances:

• Debut: Email geddup noise
• Email nightlife

Record Player

The Cheat's Record Player appeared in rampage when he was playing background music for Strong Bad and Coach Z when they were going on a lyrical rampage.

According to the DVD Commentary for rampage, this is based off of the Fisher Price Record Player toy that Matt Chapman had when he was a kid, and tried to bring to college. The real record player could play 33 to 45 RPM records and, according to Matt, could only play "slow stuff or jazz" or else "it just couldn't handle it".

Appearances:

• Debut: Email rampage
• Limozeen vs. Sloshy

Drums

The Cheat plays a trap set in the band Cool Tapes. In Cool Things and Weclome Back he plays a drum set with a crash cymbal, hi-hat, floor tom, snare drum and bass drum. He has "Cool Tapes" written on his bass drum head. Similarly, The Cheat portrays himself playing a set of Simmons electronic drums in the video for Everybody to the Limit.

Appearances:

• Debut: Cool Things
• Weclome Back

Guitar

Strong Bad was heard playing an as-yet unseen classical guitar in the postcard for "It's that Clock!!!" in vacation. It is unknown whether the guitar actually belongs to Strong Bad or not.

Appearances:

• Debut: Email vacation

V-Factor

Strong Bad first claimed to be able to play an electric guitar in the Strong Bad Email guitar, but he didn't demonstrate this. Later, in rock opera Strong Bad is seen playing a Gibson V-Factor. According to Strong Bad, he is schooled both in rhythm and solo playing styles (and his performance in "vacation", while a little rusty, seems to confirm this). The V-Factor is an understandable choice tor Strong Bad, as it was the guitar of choice for heavy metal bands in the late 80's and early 90's before falling out of vogue during the "grunge" era in favor of the Fender Stratocaster.

Appearances:

• Debut: rock opera

Floor Tom

Homestar Runner plays a floor tom in the email do over. He plays it to help Strong Bad serenade Ali and Ali's sister. He plays it with only one stick and hits the head and the rim a couple of times. It's very possible that it's the cheats drum from his cool tapes drum set.

Appearances:

• Email do over

Electric Bass

Strong Mad's bass is an instrument that Strong Mad plays in the band Cool Tapes with Marzipan and The Cheat. Based on the body shape, neck and head style, and its relatively small size, it appears to be a Höfner 500/5, the bass popularized by Paul McCartney. It is black and has Strong Mad's initials on the headstock. He uses a blue pick to play.

He was first seen playing the instrument in Cool Things as the band recorded their first Cool Tapes song. He later is seen playing it again in a topiary garden during the band's midwestern tour.

Appearances:

• Email guitar (mentioned)
• Debut: Cool Things
• Weclome Back

Keytar

Bubs's Keytar is based on a Yamaha SHS-10 FM digital keyboard, whose most common variation is red and features colored buttons. With low-quality sounds and a $100 price tag, it was practically a toy, but had professional features like MIDI out, pitch-bend, and a two-digit LED display to indicate patch/program changes.

The only significant difference between Bubs's keytar and a real SHS-10 is that Bubs's only has 24 keys, while the real one has 32.

The keytar debuted in the Strong Bad Email "cheatday." Bubs had it behind the couch in the Basement of the Brothers Strong so he could help supply the music for "The Date of Birth Song".

Appearances:

• Debut: Email cheatday

Guitar

Strong Sad plays a classical guitar in the email song for alternate universe. A drawing of Strong Sad playing a twelve-string guitar had previously appeared in the sketchbook. That guitar was held right-handed, and Strong Sad was seen writing right-handed in record book and Strong Bad is in Jail Cartoon. Nevertheless, he plays this six-string guitar left-handed.

Appearances:

• Debut: Email alternate universe

Violin

Strong Sad is also able to play the violin. He does so when Marzipan takes Cardboard Homestar on a date at Marshmallow's Last Stand. Strong Sad plays this instrument right-handed, adding further evidence of his ambidexterity.

Appearances:

• Debut: Quality Time

Guitar

As heard in "Not Talkin' 'bout Butter," and Lappynapped!, The King of Town plays "guitar, apparently!" The King also claimed in Lappynapped! to own "seventeen guitars, with a combined total of forty-three necks," which would require all his guitars to be "double necked" and at least three to be "triple necked". Such guitars exist, but are not standard production modols, and would have to have been custom made. This is more likely a blatant lie. Assuming The King is telling the truth, most of these guitars would be based on the Gibson V-Factor, as these were the most common custom multi-necked guitars.

Appearances:

• Debut: Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 13.2
• Lappynapped!

Buisine

The Hornblower plays the buisine, including in the K.O.T.H.S. Junior Varsity Marching Band.

Appearances:

• Debut: The King of Town DVD
• King of Town Main Page
• Tis True, Pom Pom, Tis True
• Halloween Potion-ma-jig
• Fall Float Parade
• Email the movies

Saxophone

The Hornblower plays a saxophone as part of All the King's Men!.

Appearances:

• Debut: Email senior prom

Cymbals

The Poopsmith plays the cymbals in the K.O.T.H.S. Junior Varsity Marching Band.

Appearances:

• Debut: Fall Float Parade

Bass Drum

The Knight plays the bass drum in the K.O.T.H.S. Junior Varsity Marching Band.

Appearances:

• Debut: Fall Float Parade

Acoustic Guitar

The Knight plays a classical guitar in The Movie Theater.

Appearances:

• Debut: Email the movies

String Bass

The Knight plays a string bass as part of All The King's Men!.

Appearances:

• Debut: Email senior prom

Drums

The Blacksmith plays a small trap set as part of All The King's Men!. He appears to be left handed, since the snare drum is on the right hand side of the drum set.

Appearances:

• Debut: Email senior prom

Maracas

The Blacksmith plays four maracas in The Movie Theater.

• Debut: Email the movies

Teenage

In the email highschool, the teenage versions of Homestar, Marzipan, Strong Mad, and Strong Bad play in a band. However, Strong Bad's admitted "doodle memory" could mean that these characters were not able to play these instruments.

• Homestar - Guitar (left handed)
• Marzipan - Tambourine
• Strong Mad - Drums
• Strong Bad - Keyboard

Washboard

The Homestar Runner plays "a mean worshboard" (labeled "worsh it!") that Stinkoman assumes is some kind of robot in 20X6 vs. 1936. A washboard is a homemade instrument that is played with a mallet.

In Issue 8, the girls join a battle of the bands as Kissy Boots. Each of them plays an instrument in the band.

• Cheerleader - guitar
• So and So - keyboard
• What's Her Face - bass (left handed)
• The Ugly One - drums
• A Shark - bass

Washboard

In A Folky Tale, Saddy Dumpington is seen carrying a mallet and wears a washboard around his neck.