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I've had the good fortune to be turned on to some truly great guitars in all the years that I've played. Not all of them have been keepers, but my main guitars - as well as my amps - will keep me in good company until I die. Like most players, in the studio I use a variety of guitars and amps in different combinations to get the sound I'm looking for. For shows, what I work with depends on the type of gig I'm playing. For now, I prefer to keep the live setup pretty simple because I'm still huffing my own gear into back alley stairwells for the most part. Below are photos and details about some of my main guitars, amps and pedals that I use most often. Pretty boring stuff for most people, I would imagine. But, for us "stringers" ...well, it's a mind-numbing, albeit rewarding obsession to say the least.

Kris Olsen Resolectric This is the guitar that gets the most questions, second looks and comments. It's a prototype built by luthier and Roberto Venn instructor, Kris Olsen. I was looking for a Resolectric when my wife surprised me with this one, a gift that left me speechless. It has since become my most traveled guitar, having been the primary sound that gave inspiration the all of the songs written for Salt. However, it took a lot of tweaking to get it to the level of playability it has today. It's an outstanding prototype, all design quirks aside, and, as I understand, the only one that Kris has built. It features a Highlander preamp and piezo pickup under the biscuit, as well as, a Sunrise pickup at the neck. I replaced the cone with a Quarterman following damage inflicted by Delta Airlines. With an obvious nod to the National design, this Olsen is far and away a more unique instrument and I wouldn't change a thing for fear of losing it's one-of-a-kind sonic quality. It is the guitar that I have used exclusively for solo shows and is typically paired up with my '59 Tremolux.
Don Grosh Electratone The Grosh; so devastatingly hip, all twang and growl. It's my gold sparkle Electratone with newly added G-90 pickups (otherwise known as P-90s). This one also gets some looks and questions, particularly from Fender players. A small builder in Colorado, Don Grosh delivers truly remarkable, unforgettable instruments. Equally remarkable, the new Grosh G-90 pickups were handmade with "impeccable craftsmanship" and their tone is beyond words. Don made a very limited number of these Electratones - around 150 of them - and this is number five. The concept is based loosely on his interest in the classic Danelectro design, but yet, with an obvious nod to the Tele. The body is semi-hollow and made of a laminate that was designed for instrument building. The rim and center block are Poplar. Don’s fretwork is legendary; a truly “played in” feel that he was known for long before other builders started offering their variations on the same concept. Nonetheless, there is no other builder in the industry like Don Grosh and this Electratone is my #1 on the Up Against It sessions. It's an honor to be recognized as a "Grosh Artist". Visit Grosh Guitars online
The Heritage 535 The mighty Heritage. Here's the one I go to when I'm not reaching for the Grosh. The Heritage 535 is the guitar that really taught me, as a player, about the fundamentals of "tone"... big tone. I love this guitar for all that it can do from blues to jazz to full blown rock insanity. A session one night might be some heavy business and the next night, strung up with flatwounds and she's a mellow jazz box. Heritage guitars are built by old school Gibson guys who had purchased the original Kalamazoo, MI factory when Gibson relocated. At the time, The Heritage was considered (and may still be) the best modern "Gibson" available. The craftsmanship that Heritage puts into these instruments is, in my opinion, exceptional work well beyond anything from a modern Gibson. Much like a Grosh makes a modern Fender feel, well, sad - The Heritage just simply out classes Gibson at it's own game. Built by veteran Gibson builders, it's no wonder. The feel of this guitar is so hip, so playable and solid. It's all in the little details: the bridge and saddle design, the binding, even the pickguard; all top-shelf. The only thing I changed was switching the pickups to Armstrongs. Again, it's a modern classic - obviously based on the perfect 335 - one that, for me, never fails to inspire.
Gibson ES-150DW I found this Gibson in a pawn shop in Montana. The clerk in the shop that day told me that an old man brought this 150 and his Les Paul in because he couldn't play anymore due to severe arthritis. I bought it right then and there. My only regret now is that I couldn’t afford the Les Paul, too. All of my research suggests that it's either a '72 or '74, though I'm not exactly certain which. The only thing I know for sure is that I am it's second owner. The old man obviously played the hell out of "first position" chords, as the fretboard has fairly significant divots at the first and second frets. A kind of "flaw" that I appreciate because I know this instrument was loved and played a great deal. The finish is a perfect dark chocolate color; or as the "DW" indicates in the name: Dark Walnut. The original Gibson ES-150 was the guitar made famous by the great Charlie Christian. This one, rather different from it's predecessor, is pretty funky with the Bigsby tremelo and a very small neck radius and fretboard width. It’s really hip to play and I've recorded many different styles with it; from jazz to pretty heavy stuff. The heavier the sound, the weirder it reacts with feedback. Overtones caused by the long string span from bridge to tremolo are even spookier with high gain. The case, offering a crushed purple velvet liner, is absolutely killer, too. The Gibson remains a staple of my studio guitars alongside my PRS and a couple acoustic instruments.

'59 Fender Tremolux This is my cherished "Tweed", recapped by the late Jon Bessent at Tonecraft; complete with the original Jensen 12" speaker, tweed and grill cloth. This amp is as good as they get; a perfect design in my opinion. The tremelo is warm and detailed; the tone is legendary Fender - the kind of sound that so many amps are modeled after. I used it while recording Salt and I am using it for the Up Against It sessions. Like a vintage guitar, it delivers a tone that is best described with a rather esoteric term; "soulful". I like to think that its history - the five decades of guitar playing which have pulsed through the wiring, the tubes, the speaker, rattling the chassis and wood - has given this amp its irreplaceable musicality. I am very fortunate to be its current owner.
Rivera TBR-1SL An aggressive two channel, rack mounted, stereo tube amp with a Hammond 6 spring reverb unit. It powers an Ampeg 2x12 cabinet loaded with Celestion Vintage 30's. I have used this amp off and on for years and have gone through many different setups with it. It's a very technical rig, offering a lot of tonal options, effects loops, etc. It's rather over-engineered for what I need, but because of that, it's pretty versatile... and most certainly, loud. I found it used and, at the time, couldn't even look at a Rivera for what little I paid for it. Designed in the mid-eighties, they've long since been discontinued. I would guess it's fairly rare to find one now. I recently began to use this amp as a single channel, "straight- in", rig bypassing my pedalboard; opting for the simplest way to use it. Memorizing my settings is best left to my camera phone. The Hammond spring reverb is absolutely stellar and the amp responds beautifully to adjustments from the volume of the guitar. It's actually a superb "straight" amp despite its "cockpit controls" appearance. I've been recording with it again during the Up Against It sessions and look forward to using it live again.
'64 Fender Vibro Champ This little amp is very hip; a remarkable tone I typically reserve for the studio, though I have toured with it when I know I'm doing some solo shows. It was a great gift from a deeply talented friend . For a while I was using it in combination with my Tremolux, as it adds some spanky top end to the sound. The quality of the tremelo is classic and the eight inch speaker gets a big sound, fuller than one might expect. It's been gone through - again, by the late Fender amp guru, Jon Bessent (Tonecraft - Austin) - recapped and retubed. But, it otherwise remains all original including the grill cloth. It's a gem of an amp - another from the golden age of Fender.

The Signal Chain I've gone through too many gadgets to remember, so many ridiculous variations on this setup that it's impossible to list the experiments that led me to this simple layout. Nonetheless, most of what I've been after has been an attempt to drive the "front end" of my amps with some gain that will break up gently and with detail. I use a *Solid Cable* from the guitar and through the first three pedals (note the red cables). Solid Cable blew me away the first moment I heard my Reso through it; an outstanding tonal upgrade. First I hit a Keeley modified Ibanez TS9, set for the heavier lead stuff. From there it's on to a pedal from Austin based engineer, Alan Durham: the Durham Electronics Zia Drive. This is an absolutely killer front end boost and mild overdrive. Pristine tone from Durham's pedals. Then the signal slams a Line 6 Verbzilla for some fake '69 spring reverb. From there it travels to the effects stuff: delay, chorus and looping. The "effects" have been narrowed down from several pedals to the one on the far left - the Boss GigaDelay. I've always been a fan of Roland/Boss and this pedal is a great example of their engineering expertise. And finally, from there the signal reaches another Durham pedal - the Sex Drive - via a piece of George L cable. The Sex Drive is a really clean boost with the option to add compression which will overdrive it very mildly. I never turn it off. I use it at the end of the chain to regain some detail and as a final gain stage. Out of that to the amp with a run of George L cable (that is, until I can afford to complete the run with Solid Cable exclusively). This system is primarily used in front of my Tremolux to slam the preamp a bit harder, to achieve some break-up and add reverb to the signal. Three of the five pedals are gain staging devices, so it's mostly about shaping the basic tone. During solo gigs I do a bit of looping - creating "drum" grooves and textures or sometimes setting up chord changes to solo over. I'll use delays for rhythmic fill and some reverse delays. I use a Buddha "wah" and an Ernie Ball volume pedal occasionally, too. When using the Rivera I do, however, bypass this entire board and go straight to the amp (though the TS9 hitting the Rivera is superb).


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