What instrument did Peter Buck primarily play in R.E.M.?

Peter Buck primarily played guitar in R.E.M. He was the band's principal guitarist from its formation in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 until the group ended in 2011.

Buck became especially associated with R.E.M.'s bright, ringing “jangle” guitar style. His playing helped define early songs such as “Radio Free Europe” and “So. Central Rain,” while the band's arrangements often paired his melodic guitar parts with Mike Mills's inventive bass lines and Bill Berry's economical drumming.

Although guitar was his main instrument, Buck also played mandolin, banjo, and other stringed instruments. His mandolin is particularly prominent on “Losing My Religion,” R.E.M.'s 1991 hit from Out of Time. The other options represent instruments more closely associated with his bandmates: Berry was the drummer, Mills played bass and keyboards, and keyboards were not Buck's primary role.