Lee Ranaldo's Gear
Guitars: Fender Lee Ranaldo Signature Jazzmaster (third from
left), various Fender “Jazzblasters” (Jazzmasters with Wide Range
humbuckers), Saul Koll Jazzmaster-style semi-hollowbody (far left,
note the behind-the-bridge pickup), Jarrell JZH-1x (second from left),
Fender Telecaster Deluxe (second from right)
Amps: Fender Super Reverb, Fender Deluxe, Ampeg Jet,
ZT Lunchbox
Effects: Ibanez AD-80 analog delay, BJF Electronics Honey
Bee, Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive
Strings and Picks: Ernie Ball strings (various gauges,
depending on tuning), Jim Dunlop picks
YouTube It
For a taste of Lee Ranaldo’s screaming sonic mayhem,
check out the following clips on YouTube.
The fi rst gig with Ranaldo’s new band in Brooklyn in
October 2011. Here the band takes on standout “Xtina As
I Knew Her”. Alan Licht and Ranaldo each take a lead.
“Mote” is one of the strongest Lee Ranaldo songs in the
Sonic Youth catalog. Here the band works out a pretty
screaming version complete with delay and feedback
breakdown at a European festival in the early 2000s.
“What We Know” was a highlight on the last Sonic Youth
LP, The Eternal—a perfect example of how Lee and
Sonic Youth could unite the tuneful and the howling.