April 2012 \ Features \ Rig Rundown \ Rig Rundown: The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach

Rig Rundown: The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach

See the guitars, amps, and effects used on tour with the Black Keys.
Premier Guitar April 2012

PG's Chris Kies caught up with The Black Keys guitar tech, Dan Johnson, to check out Dan Auerbach's live rig. Watch our video below:

Guitars

Auerbach often switches out the guitars he takes on the road, and according to guitar tech Dan Johnson, "What he records with and what he plays live with are rarely the same." When we caught up with him, Dan was playing (right to left) a Harmony H78 with D'Armonds (he favors the bridge pickup), used on most of the two-piece sections of the show; a '64 Guild Thunderbird (his current favorite) that's mostly original except the bridge pickup was restored by Lindy Fralin; a black National with a piezo in the bridge, fiberglass body, crunchy single-coils, and a Bigsby used for "Howlin' for You"; a Harmony Stratotone that was acquired nearly stripped with new Lindy Fralin P-90s and a Bigsby tuned to open G for "Run Right Back"; and a white Supro that's almost identical to his National used for most of the songs on Brothers. Dan uses SIT .011 - .050 gauge strings on all of the guitars.

Amps

Auerbach uses a three-amp setup where all three are on all the time. The amps are a reissue Marshall JTM-45 (cabinet with Jensen speakers), Fender Quad Reverb (with two Celestion Greenbacks and two Vintage 30s), and Victoria Dual Deluxe (with Eminence Red Coats). All three are set slightly dirty - just on the verge of breakup - and the effects run through all three except for a Fulltone Tube Tape Echo which only goes through the Marshall. The amps face 45 degrees away from Dan onstage to control noise and feedback, and a Palmer PDI-03 speaker simulator is also used. He uses a Divine Noise curly cable between his guitar and amps.

Effects

Dan's effects are set in a rack and controlled by an RJM Effects Gizmo and dual Mastermind controllers - a customized one at Dan's feet and a standard one switched by his tech. The MIDI setup allows Dan's tech to make more complicated changes while Dan sings (mostly for newer songs). In the rack is a Boss TR-2 Tremolo, Boss OC-2 Super Octave, and Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter (used for "Tighten Up"), a Radial JX-2 Switchbone that's used only for a warm boost, vintage Shin-ei Companion fuzz wah pedal (only used for the fuzz) run into an MXR Ten Band EQ to replace the mids that the Companion scoops out, and a vintage Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi. He uses Lehle switchers to route the pedals.

On the floor, Dan controls his volume via MIDI with a Mission EP-1 Expression Pedal and Sound Sculpture Volcano volume control. The only pedal on the floor is a Boss PS-5 Super Shifter used for the intro to "Lonely Boy."


     

Related Articles

Rig Rundown: Roger Waters' The Wall Live
Rig Rundown: Johnny Winter
Catalinbread Galileo Pedal Review
Fretboard Implant
GALLERY: Summer NAMM 2011 - Day 3 Editors' Picks


Comments

 (22 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Spanky
on 01/03/2013 		Really nice rig rundown. Nice to see a rig rundown where the tech plays music, is coherent and speaking vs. continually being prodded/pushed along by questions. You can tell why he owns his own company. I've been using greenbacks with V30s for some time and like that combo. The Guild Thunderbird is nice! I don't really like the BC's sound though (nor the WS's) and never bought any of their music. And unlike another poster, I don't feel the Blues roots when I listen to it. Sry.
Juan Sundance
on 12/23/2012 		Auerbach and White both deal in fuzz and raunch but Auerback has one ace White doesn't have.... groove. Oh, and a quality singing voice.
Telemaster52
on 10/29/2012 		Dan Auerbach has DEEP roots in the blues. His music is more on the raw and raunchy side similar to Hound Dog Taylor and, of course, Junior Kimbaugh who was a major influence. To play this music you have to have an understanding of hybrid picking and/or finger-style blues. I really can't believe some of the negative things being said here about them and their music. Do you actually play guitar Alejandro? I've learned about half of their stuff and I'm here to tell you there is technique involved that will challenge players at all levels. If you don't like the real lowdown and raw blues fine. Just don't knock it as bar band material because it is deeply rooted in history and the culture that created the blues. The Black Key's are doing what the Beatles did years ago, exposing Americans' to their own music that won't get played on the radio.
Bo Lerkins
on 10/14/2012 		been listening to "El Camino"and love it. No comparison to White Stripes besides the fact that it's good music. Is the MC5 the same as Iggy Pop? Do we need one and not the other ? Just wondering who the wicked beautiful whore all these songs were written about on El Camino. Also want to see Gary's Toto covers band and am curious to know if he still does the extended version of Asia's ,"Heat of the Moment", in the buff. Awesome on all accounts !
Hovs
on 09/16/2012 		Agree with Alejandro and lets not forget the similarity of the names and the fact that they moved to Nashville just like mr White did. I've been listening the White Stripes continuously since 2001, couldn't listen to the Black Keys for more than a month.
Ronny Pudding
on 06/07/2012 		SIT strings are the best. I don't know why you can't buy them at the big chain music stores. So lame.
RJ
on 05/03/2012 		HEE HAW !
amused
on 04/09/2012 		Gary Jennings is upset that his Toto cover band can't get a decent gig anywhere.
Gary Jennings
on 04/08/2012 		Music for tin ears. Come on, guys. With all the great music out there, you listen to this crap?
Sean on the Tele
on 04/06/2012 		I love Jack White. He's the first hero of mine who's younger than me. But the greatness of the Black Keys has little to do with that. Sure there are massive similarities, but it's the differences that make them both worth paying attention to. Jack's getting plenty of attention ahead of Blunderbuss, but White Stripes are no more. Huzzah to them for forging the loud, analog, exploded blues track anew. That they helped the mainstream make the Keys such a success is nothing but awesome. The Black Keys are a great, great band. It's like that old Stones/Beatles argument. There ain't no better, only different. Long live rock.



Your Comment:  

All comments are subject to editing or deletion by the Premier Guitar staff.

Your Name:  


Please enter the text you see in the image:  
10

5385568B-7D22-4591-BFD4-EEBB8EBB5C8F