what kind of rig are you playing these days?

[psychobillycadillac]

Hey folks, with all the guitarists on this board I thought it might be fun to learn a little bit about the rigs that you're playing through these days. Post up some info about what you got and what you like/dislike and any pics if you have them.

I primarily play acoustic (got sick of lugging around the amps) so my main guitars these days have been
a '96 Taylor 410K that I bought new sitka spruce top and koa back and sides
a '91 Yari DY45 (the tobacco burst finish) I had all but retired this guitar as it had been my main stage guitar for a lot of years but after having Scott Baxendale breath some new life into it she's taken back the job of being my go to girl next to the bed.
also just picked up a tanglewood parlor guitar, it's got a cedar top and mahogany back and sides.

I can go into the electrics and amps if'n y'all would like

[Zip City]

I used to have a '94 American Standard Fender Strat (40th Anniversary Edition) with a starburst finish and black pick guard.

Now I just have a fairly cheap Art & Lutherie acoustic with a rosewood fretboard.

[Clams]

I've got a Fender Malibu acoustic/electric. Dark sunburst with a black pickguard. It's a narrow-body folk-size guitar, which I like because the smaller size makes it easier to get around than a dreadnaught. Plus the smaller size makes it easier for my son to play. It's also got a strat style fretboard and tuners. My son has an Epi Les Paul Standard in honeyburst. It's the one he's playing in that Freebird video I posted last month. I love guitars.

[Razorback]

1995 MIM Fender Standard Telecaster w/Texas Special Pickups. Black, C-shaped, Maple Neck. It's actually my dad's but he's more of a Strat guys, so I'm using it. This guitar has the absolute best neck. No fisish on the neck so it's super fast and it's had fretwork done so, they're perfect. I get all kinds of tones outta this thing. Very, very well made guitar.

2006 Epiphone Les Paul Std + Top. Wine Red. This is my baby. The first guitar I bought myself. I wanted Wine Red and found out it had been discontinued on this model. Found ONE on ebay, brand new. This guitar is my enforcer. It brings the thunder. I've had the stock HB's in it since I got it. The bridge HB is ok, The neck is super muddy. So....since I love Patterson's LP Deluxe's tone so much, but can't afford one, I'm gonna drop a set of Tom Short Undercover Mini HB's in this guitar. Those should take it to a new level.

CHEAP Fender Acoustic. Not horrible, not great. It gets the job done. I will be in the market for an acoustic, soon.

Squier Champ 15W. My first amp. This thing has been a trooper. It's about 11 years old now and I've had ZERO problems from it. 2 Channels. Clean is beautiful, but no reverb. Dirty channel is like a fuzzbox, but it's cool. It's an outstanding amp for effects, other than OD.

Marshall MG15DFX. Great practice and jamming amp. It's like a stick of dynamite. Small, but will kick ass. OD channel is superb for such a tiny, lightweight unit. Clean is suprisingly good, too. It has 4 built-in effects: Reverb, Delay, Chorus and Flange. The Reverb and Delay are nice.

Crate GX-212. Got this dude back in my "more-metal" days. It's pretty versatile now that my tastes have changed and I've actually put the amp to the test. Electronics are cheap. The volume controls are damn jumpy and will blow your drums if you're not careful. 3 channels. Clean, High gain and OD. The High Gain is my favorite. OD setting is fantastic. Best thing about this amp is the spring reverb.

I'm not really a pedal guy but, I have a couple: Digitech RP50, Electra Chorus.

[psychobillycadillac]

Hey Razorback, let us know how the pickup transplant goes on your Les Paul. I've used several of those Champ amps over the years and know what you mean about the lack of reverb on it, I've found that using a good delay pedal makes up for it most times. The last one I had really liked the Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive pedal for those growling yet clean tones that can be tough to get from a small amp.

[Razorback]

Hey Razorback, let us know how the pickup transplant goes on your Les Paul. I've used several of those Champ amps over the years and know what you mean about the lack of reverb on it, I've found that using a good delay pedal makes up for it most times. The last one I had really liked the Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive pedal for those growling yet clean tones that can be tough to get from a small amp.

I sure will. Right now I'm in a dilemma. I'm trying to decide on a new tube amp, a Blackheart, which I really should have or the pickups. Decisions, decisions. It wouldn't hurt me to have a good reverb or delay pedal either.

[Razorback]

And, gawd. I so want an exact copy of Cooley's Baxendale.

[pearlysnaps]

I don't have the time to play as much these days as I used to. Most of my musical time and energy is spent on my band, Dirt Floor Revue, which I play bass in.

My go-to bass lately has been an Eastwood sort-of-replica of the Ampeg with through-the-body f-holes that Rick Danko sometimes played. It has a nice beefy neck on it and sounds surprisingly well for a moderately priced bass. Plus it is light and easy on my back.

My other bass is the first one I've ever owned. It's a Squire P bass from the first year they were made (82 or 83). That bass is the best $200 I ever spent. It sounds great and has served me well for more than 15 years.

Both basses have flat wound strings and foam under the strings at the bridge. I play them through a 100 watt Fender solid state (bxr) that has a big old 15 inch speaker in it.

When I'm picking around the house, it is usually my 73 Gibson SJ Deluxe.

When I crank it up at home, it is either my standard SG in honey burst or the Lite Ash Tele in natural. I play them through a Blues Jr. That has a Jensen Speaker in it. Not much on the effects front: Ernie Ball Jr. Passive volume pedal, Route 66 overdrive and compression pedal, and an Ibanez Tubescreamer.

[psychobillycadillac]

Hey Razorback, have you looked at the Egnater line of amps? I had a Blackheart that I liked for around the house but eventually got tired of and I just recently picked up one of their 15Watt Tweaker series heads. Killer little amp w/ a ton of tone options all at the flick of a switch. They're priced close to the Blackheart line. Just to throw fuel on the fire, Scott Baxendale will build you a Cooleycaster for the right amount of money. He just finished one up for a customer in Australia that was a dead replica (well it looked just like the Cooleycaster did before 6 years worth of gigs gave it its wonderful look that it has today) there were pictures on his Facebook page of Scott playing in through Cooley's rig at the 40 Watt on Tues or Wed sound check before the homecoming run started. He and Cooley even signed the back of the headstock.
I'm saving my pennies to have him build me an acoustic similar to the one he just built for Jimmy Herring of WSP, but I've got to come up w/ some wedding day dough first

Pearlysnaps, those Squire basses IMO were every bit as good as their American counterparts. Nice wood selection and well built for the money plus they had some great necks on those early made ones. I can remember guys bringing them into the shop that I worked at back in the mid 90s wanting to trade them in towards acoustic basses (MTVs unplugged was the hot item of the day) and wondering how long it would take before they showed back up wanting to buy them back!
Sounds like a nice collection of instruments you have there! We really need to put together a jam session at the next homecoming run. I'm willing to bet that some great songs could come of that.

[Razorback]

I have taken a gander at the Egnater stuff before and from what I remember it was a tad too pricey for me. I'm a poor bastard, so. I will give them another look, though. I also would love to have a Bogner 2X12 all tube amp, but it's really too expensive for me to justify buying as a hobbyist. I've played one and I love 'em. I'm a big fan of Laney, as well. Of course, Fender, Marshall, Mesa. I'm trying to explore the "off brands" a little more, I guess. Which really means, for me, less expensive. Jet City is another one I'm interested in beside Blackheart. Blackheart is winning me over with the gritty, vintage tone it seems to be able to achieve. I'm really trying to get a good ballsy, rhythm type sound.

On the Cooley-caster...that is sweet. I could never afford one, but if I could, no question I'd have one. I love, love, love Tele's. Mine is my current go-to. It's so sweet. Thanks for the tips.

[pearlysnaps]

Pearlysnaps, those Squire basses IMO were every bit as good as their American counterparts. Nice wood selection and well built for the money plus they had some great necks on those early made ones. I can remember guys bringing them into the shop that I worked at back in the mid 90s wanting to trade them in towards acoustic basses (MTVs unplugged was the hot item of the day) and wondering how long it would take before they showed back up wanting to buy them back!

I think (or maybe I'd like to think, ha) I may have been a beneficiary of said trading-for-an-acoustic moron. I bought it used in the mid-90s. I haven't played many basses that play as well with such great tone. Stock pickups and all.

[UncleFrank1990]

Weirdly enough, I get the best Truckers sound from my Fender Standard mexi-strat, and a Fender Blues Jr. Especially weird, since none of them, to my knowledge, use any Strats or Blues Jr.'s.

Also got a standard mexi-tele, and a '72 Tele custom reissue. And a Fender Vibro Champ. And an Epiphone PR-350 acoustic.

Love my Fenders, but looking to get something that's NOT Fender in the future.

[psychobillycadillac]

Jason used to play a black Fender Strat back in the days prior to the Decoration Day album and I can remember him playing it on the tour that supported that album but after that he switched to Les Pauls and then on to Duesenberg guitars that he's playing now. Other than that I can't recall Cooley, Patterson or Neff playing a Strat. Cooley does play that Gibson Corvus which if my spotty memory serves me right is the triple single coil model (though the Corvus did come in a dual humbucker and a P-90 option as well) it's the guitar that looks like the offspring of a crow having a one night stand with a can opener. He also has a Reverend guitar that he will pull out of the rack to us the trem bar to do some wiggle tricks on a couple songs. I haven't seem him play this guitar in a while but I did see it in he rack at the homecoming shows.

[RolanK]

Jason used to play a black Fender Strat back in the days prior to the Decoration Day album and I can remember him playing it on the tour that supported that album but after that he switched to Les Pauls and then on to Duesenberg guitars that he's playing now. Other than that I can't recall Cooley, Patterson or Neff playing a Strat. Cooley does play that Gibson Corvus which if my spotty memory serves me right is the triple single coil model (though the Corvus did come in a dual humbucker and a P-90 option as well) it's the guitar that looks like the offspring of a crow having a one night stand with a can opener. He also has a Reverend guitar that he will pull out of the rack to us the trem bar to do some wiggle tricks on a couple songs. I haven't seem him play this guitar in a while but I did see it in he rack at the homecoming shows.

http://shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=43602&sid=8226cc8fbd9607431fa6717047181d1c

Thought I saw humbuckers in the Corvus at the homecomming? Maybe he had his modded it since that pic was taken? Or maybe there is more than one?

According to this the corvus I and II had humbuckers (one and two respectively) and the III had three single coils. If that is the case, Cooley had his (corvus I?) modified.

[psychobillycadillac]

Ha! I told you my memory was spotty! Here I was thinking that it was the triple single coil model.

[UncleFrank1990]

Correction: I've seen Neff play a strat on some videos during the Brighter Than Creation's Dark (or whatever that tour was called) tour. He played one on Three Dimes Down, or so I saw on a Youtube video. But I'm definitely getting a Patterson-like sound from a strat with three single coils. Weird. Maybe it's just because I tuned it down, though.

['Scratch]

I mostly play acoustic and have a few, but the one that always closest at hand is a Crafter TC035 - an OM sized cutaway that sounds great and is fun to play.

When I want to plug in I've got a Highway 1 Tele that I modded by putting in Tonerider Hot Classic pickups, a 4-way switch and compensated brass saddles. Current amp is Super Champ XD.

[Razorback]

Correction: I've seen Neff play a strat on some videos during the Brighter Than Creation's Dark (or whatever that tour was called) tour. He played one on Three Dimes Down, or so I saw on a Youtube video. But I'm definitely getting a Patterson-like sound from a strat with three single coils. Weird. Maybe it's just because I tuned it down, though.

It's because of Patterson's Les Paul deluxe, which has mini-humbuckers. Mini's are known for more mid, high gain and treble as opposed to full size HB's. I kept racked my brain, for some time, trying to figure out how in the world PH got his tone on a LP. Then, when watching the ACL show on dvd, I realised his Goldtop has the mini-buckers and...bingo. I can definitely get close to Patterson's tone on my Telecaster, I've found. It has a little to do with tuning down, but my guess would be it has more to do with the mini-bucker/single coil.

[UncleFrank1990]

What kind of tele are you playing? Straight standard?

[Razorback]

Yep. A 95 Mexican made standard with Texas Specials. Sounds good. I can hit Patterson't tone with the right amount of reverb and some tweeking with the tone knob with the switch on the bridge pickup. Obviously, its much easier to just try to get Cooley's sound with a Tele.

Patterson's tone is just so damn cool and unique. That's why I wanna do a swap from stock HB's to Mini-hb's on my Epiphone LP. I'm trying to capture PH's tone on songs like Days of Graduation, Let There Be Rock, ABAAC and That Man I Shot.

[pearlysnaps]

Patterson's tone is just so damn cool and unique. That's why I wanna do a swap from stock HB's to Mini-hb's on my Epiphone LP. I'm trying to capture PH's tone on songs like Days of Graduation, Let There Be Rock, ABAAC and That Man I Shot.

I may be mistaken, but I don't think he had the Les Paul Deluxe with minis in it when he recorded the earlier tunes you listed. (I think he started playing that post-Dirty South.) It may have been the SG Faded with moon inlays, or it may even predate that axe (I seem to remember he started playing that sometime around Decoration Day).

That being said, you are right that he does have a great sound.

[Razorback]

Patterson's tone is just so damn cool and unique. That's why I wanna do a swap from stock HB's to Mini-hb's on my Epiphone LP. I'm trying to capture PH's tone on songs like Days of Graduation, Let There Be Rock, ABAAC and That Man I Shot.

I may be mistaken, but I don't think he had the Les Paul Deluxe with minis in it when he recorded the earlier tunes you listed. (I think he started playing that post-Dirty South.) It may have been the SG Faded with moon inlays, or it may even predate that axe (I seem to remember he started playing that sometime around Decoration Day).

That being said, you are right that he does have a great sound.

You might be right. I seem to remember Patterson saying he received the LP Deluxe in 2001, as a wedding gift. Of course, that doesn't mean he played it on those earlier tracks. I can definitely see him getting those sounds from the SG, as well. I love what ever it is. Lots of reverb and bark. It'd be interesting to find out what he was playing before those two guitars.

[pearlysnaps]

It'd be interesting to find out what he was playing before those two guitars.

I'm not sure. By the time I started worshipping at the DBT Rock Show altar (between Decoration Day and Dirty South) he was playing the SG Faded. Does anyone know what his arsenal was pre the SG and the Les Paul?

[Sub]

Smitty posted this thread a ways back, that has a lot more info on Pattersons gear and tone then the typical interview.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2254

[lajakesdad]

I have the video of Rockpalast during DD time and Cooley is playing some SG copy and Patterson has the same SG he plays now. Jason is playing a the Gretsch he has in the Dirty South DVD.


On the Rock n Roll Means Well tour Neff was playing a sparkle gold Fender strat.

[bovine knievel]

learning on a Costco geetar

[Clams]

['Scratch]

I've got some bad GAS going on right now. (that's Guitar Acquisition Syndrome)

The objects of my desire are either a La Cabronita Tele or....a Tele with P-90s. I want one NOW. Unfortunately, or fortunately really, I don't have the dough and if I did I should really spend it on a better amp. I'm hoping that much like Hot Rod Girl fantasies the desire will eventually pass and I can go back to my normal, dull life.

For a little while.

[psychobillycadillac]

I love me a tele! I just recently picked up another G&L Asat Classic and have been really happy with it. I've been really impressed with the telecasters that Nash Guitars have been turning out recently, say what you will about a relic guitar or a partscaster but those things play and sound sweet! When it comes time for another tele I'll probably get one of his bluesboy set ups w/ a single coil in the bridge position and a humbucker in the neck (similar to what the setup is on the Cooleycaster)
My latest lady to be added to the stable though is a 1989 Gibson ES-335 that for the most part sat unplayed in the case for the last 20 years. I've been waking up early and staying up late getting acquainted with her

[RolanK]

I've got some bad GAS going on right now. (that's Guitar Acquisition Syndrome)

The objects of my desire are either a La Cabronita Tele or....a Tele with P-90s. I want one NOW. Unfortunately, or fortunately really, I don't have the dough and if I did I should really spend it on a better amp. I'm hoping that much like Hot Rod Girl fantasies the desire will eventually pass and I can go back to my normal, dull life.

For a little while.

Sorry, but there is no real cure for Gear Acquistion Syndrome. It won't go away unless you buy the guitar. Bying it will offer some temporary relief of pain, but after a while the obsession will attach to another object.