“I consider that a flashy guitar solo—
that’s the big guitar moment for me,”
Broemel says. “Being flashy just isn’t that
important to me. I remember thinking,
‘There’s plenty of space for me to play a
solo in this song . . . I could do that and
that and that.’ When we were done with
the main tracks, everybody went, ‘I think
we’re done,’ and I was like, ‘Wait a minute—
I was just trying to get stuff together
during that. That can’t be it!’ I was totally
bummed. We finished that session, went
home, reconvened, and tried to record the
song again, but we just couldn’t redo it—
I’d grown accustomed to the solo I played
and I was like ‘Thank God it is what it is!’
Jim’s vocal vibe, the weird piano notes, all
the things that happened in that moment—
they can’t be replicated. I don’t think it’s the
most unbelievable guitar solo ever played,
but it’s something I’m glad we caught.
“And that’s been the huge lesson of this
record,” Broemel continues. “It’s all about
intent versus just letting it happen. If you
try to play it well, it’s terrible! If you’re just
playing for the sake of playing—if you
can somehow get to that place where you
get something neat that you didn’t intend
to do—that’s better than something you
would’ve come up with logically.”
Broemel listens to the atmospheric kerrang of an 11th-fret power chord ringing out through
his ’88
Les Paul Standard’s bridge pickup. Photo by Chris Schwegler
Carl Broemel’s Gearbox
Guitars
Duesenberg Starplayer TV, Duesenberg Double Cat 6/12, 1988
Gibson Les Paul Standard with Bigsby, Gibson goldtop Les Paul with
P-90s, reissue Gibson Les Paul Junior, GFI S-10 pedal-steel guitar
Amps
Carr Rambler, Carr Vincent, vintage Fender Vibrolux, vintage Fender
Princeton Reverb, vintage Fender Vibrasonic (for pedal steel)
Effects
Keeley Compressor (two-knob), Electro-Harmonix Micro POG,
Electro-Harmonix Freeze (“My new favorite pedal!”), Fulltone Fulldrive
2, Fulltone PlimSoul, Fulltone Tube Tape Echo, Durham Electronics
Sex Drive, Eventide ModFactor, Eventide TimeFactor, SIB Mr Echo,
Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb, Hilton Volume Pedal (for pedal steel),
Fulltone Fat-Boost (pedal steel), SIB Mr Echo (pedal steel), Boss DD-6
Digital Delay (pedal steel), Eventide ModFactor (pedal steel)
Strings and Picks
D’Addario EXL 115s (electric), Jim Dunlop Tortex .73 mm
Jim James’ Gearbox
Guitars
Custom 2008 Breedlove Revival 000, ’50s Martin
000, Gibson J-185, Gretsch Super Axe, 1999
Gibson Flying V, 1975 Fender Strat, two Gibson
ES-335s
Amps
3 Monkeys Orangutan head and 2x12 cabinet,
Mesa/Boogie Tremoverb head
Effects
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/
Delay, Boss TU-2 Tuner, SIB Mr Echo, Z.Vex Box
of Rock, Z.Vex Woolly Mammoth, EarthQuaker
Devices Monarch overdrive, EarthQuaker Devices
Ghost Echo, Malekko Spring Chicken reverb
Strings and Picks
D’Addario EXL115 sets (electric), and D’Addario
EJ17 sets (acoustic), Jim Dunlop Tortex .88 mm