January 2012 \ Features \ Artist Interview \ Ani DiFranco: History on Her Side

Ani DiFranco: History on Her Side

Shawn Hammond

DIY acoustic icon Ani DiFranco reveals how her new Magnatone tremolo addiction, Americana legend Pete Seeger, and her newfound ability to relax inspired the album of her career


Premier Guitar January 2012
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Ani DiFranco’s Gear

Guitars
Two Alvarez-Yairi WY1 Bob Weir signature acoustics with Alvarez System 500 preamps, Alvarez-Yairi DY62C with Alvarez System 600 preamp, Alvarez MSD1 short-scale dreadnought, custom Alvarez baritone, vintage Martin D-28, 1930s Gibson-made Cromwell tenor guitar with Fishman archtop pickup, vintage Epiphone Zenith tenor guitar, “Ted” parlor guitar of unknown make

Outboard Gear
Klark Teknik DN360 rackmount analog graphic EQs for each guitar (live)

Amps
1960s Magnatone Twilighter 260 2x12 combo, Rivera Sedona 15 combo

Strings
D’Addario EJ16 and EJ17 sets, D’Addario phosphor-bronze sets (.070, .056, .042, .032, .024, .016) for C-to-C-tuned baritone

YouTube It

At a 2007 gig, DiFranco rouses an enthusiastic crowd with a wah pedal and snapping and popping techniques so ferocious they’d wow Victor Wooten.

Backed by a stellar pianist and horn section, DiFranco gets infectiously funky at a 2000 House of Blues gig in Orlando, Florida.

At this April 2011 date in London, DiFranco thumps one of her new Alvarez baritone guitars through a Vox AC30 and what appears to be a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier half-stack.


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Comments

 (37 comments) display by
UsernameComment
lily
on 04/04/2012 		Yeah, I agree. Her tone is incredible. And her music tells stories.
Teletwang
on 03/16/2012 		I saw her last year and her tone was incredible. It's a reminder that folks that range from Jeff Beck to Steve Tibbetts have tone from their fingers/nails from both hands. She also reminded me that there is a big connection between time and beat and playing. It is better to ignore the one! Further, she runs in unusual time signatures. I really learned a lot about guitar from the show, picked up some albums and learned more. There are great guitar players, great musicians, but what inspires me are when you are both.
Real Music
on 02/10/2012 		Tom, Ani is one of the most amazing guitarists alive. You need to learn your content before babbling about things you don't understand.
Tom
on 01/25/2012 		Lily, are condescension, confusion and profanity also art forms in your world?
Tom
on 01/25/2012 		longhair, I think you are the one who got lost on your way to rollingstone.com. This is a guitar magazine for guitar players. Thus the Premier Guitar nomenclature. Then again, I'm beginning to think I'm the one who is lost.
lily
on 01/19/2012 		Tom: Music/guitar playing is an art, not a sport. Oh, and fuck you.
longhair
on 01/17/2012 		tom, please quit trolling, thanks.
Tom
on 01/13/2012 		@Don, since the choices apparently must be taken from the self-proclaimed victim classes, a better choice given this framework would be Jennifer Batton just off the top of my head. Or somebody like Carol Kaye who stood on her own quite well before the PC aggrandizing. The list would be short by definition, because I think virtuosity of the guitar isn't the same thing as politically correct choices. And like it or not, guitar playing is a male dominated sport. MY #1 choice would be Steve Hackett, who just put out the finest recording of his long, long guitar-centric career (Beyond the Shrouded Horizon). Not one peep from PG about him or his copious achievements during his 40+ year professional career. Go check it out on iTunes and I'll guarantee you'll be as confused by this as I am.
Tom
on 01/13/2012 		Add "Cat of Bologna" and "longhair" to the ever growing list of commenters who somehow, amazingly, forgot to mention the word GUITAR in their posts.
longhair
on 01/10/2012 		jesus everyone needs to mellow, if you dislike an artist covered dont listen to them, and boobs or not a musicians gender shouldnt factor into anyones judgement of the work. listen to what you enjoy, dont let the individual or groups non musical activites turn you off, josh homme and jack white are pompous twats as people but that wont stop me from listening to the music they make.



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