Artists Who Play Red Monkey

Richie Faulkner

Richie Faulkner performing with Judas Priest with his Gibson Flying V and Red Monkey leather guitar strap.

Richie Faulkner is a British guitarist best known as one of the twin-guitar forces behind Judas Priest, one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time. Since joining Priest in 2011, Faulkner has become a defining part of the band's modern era, combining traditional British heavy metal, blues-rooted phrasing, aggressive riffing and high-energy lead guitar work.

Onstage, Faulkner is instantly recognizable with a Gibson Flying V in his hands and the larger-than-life presence demanded by a Judas Priest performance. Red Monkey is proud to be part of that stage setup with handcrafted leather guitar straps built for the realities of professional touring.

Richie Faulkner and Judas Priest

Faulkner joined Judas Priest in 2011, stepping into one of heavy metal's most demanding guitar positions and quickly establishing his own identity within the band rather than simply recreating what had come before.

His arrival began a major new chapter for Priest. Faulkner has since contributed to the band's studio albums Redeemer of Souls, Firepower and Invincible Shield, while touring internationally alongside Rob Halford, Ian Hill, Scott Travis and Glenn Tipton.

His playing balances the precision and harmonized guitar language associated with classic Judas Priest with a more modern attack informed by blues, hard rock and the heavier guitar music that followed Priest's original rise.

Richie Faulkner's Guitar Style

Faulkner's playing is rooted in the foundations of classic heavy metal, but his influences reach well beyond a single genre. His approach draws from players and bands including Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne and later generations of hard rock and metal guitarists.

That mix can be heard in his combination of powerful rhythm guitar, wide vibrato, melodic soloing, blues-based phrasing and fast, technically precise lead work. It is equally at home inside the tightly structured twin-guitar arrangements of Judas Priest and the looser, bluesier material he explores through Elegant Weapons.

The Gibson Flying V

The Flying V has become closely associated with Richie Faulkner's stage identity. Its aggressive shape fits naturally alongside Judas Priest's visual language, but for Faulkner it is also a serious working instrument designed for the demands of touring and high-volume performance.

A substantial electric guitar played through a full arena set places real demands on a guitar strap. Width, balance, strength and dependable construction all become more important when the instrument is being worn night after night on tour.

That is exactly the environment Red Monkey guitar straps are built for.

Richie Faulkner and Red Monkey

Red Monkey has spent more than three decades building handmade leather guitar straps for professional musicians, touring players and performers across rock, metal, country, alternative and pop music.

Richie Faulkner represents the kind of player Red Monkey was built around: a guitarist whose equipment is not decorative studio gear, but working stage equipment that must perform reliably under the lights, night after night.

A Red Monkey strap is designed to become part of the instrument and part of the performer's stage identity — something that looks right with the guitar while providing the durability, stability and comfort needed on tour.

Elegant Weapons

Outside Judas Priest, Faulkner leads Elegant Weapons, a heavy metal project that gives him room to explore another side of his playing and songwriting.

The band's music draws heavily from the traditions of classic '70s and '80s hard rock and heavy metal while retaining a contemporary sound. Faulkner has described Elegant Weapons as a place where some of his Hendrix, Sabbath and broader hard-rock influences can surface more directly than they might within Judas Priest.

Elegant Weapons released its debut album, Horns for a Halo, in 2023 and followed it with Evolution in 2026. The current lineup includes vocalist Ronnie Romero, bassist Dave Rimmer of Uriah Heep and drummer Christopher Williams of Accept. citeturn269061search0turn269061search6

Surviving the Stage

One of the most extraordinary chapters in Faulkner's career occurred on September 26, 2021, when he suffered a life-threatening cardiac emergency while performing with Judas Priest at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

Faulkner completed the band's performance before receiving emergency medical treatment and undergoing major heart surgery. His recovery and return to performing became an important part of his personal and musical story, reinforcing his commitment to both Judas Priest and the music he continues to create outside the band.

Built for Heavy Metal

Judas Priest helped define what heavy metal looks and sounds like. Richie Faulkner carries that tradition forward with a style built around loud guitars, aggressive performance and an unmistakable visual identity.

For Red Monkey, seeing one of our leather guitar straps alongside a Flying V on a Judas Priest stage is exactly where this gear belongs.

Follow Richie Faulkner

Follow Richie on Instagram and visit Judas Priest for current music and tour information.

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