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In early May 2015, Premier Guitar crashed Dashboard Confessional’s rehearsal in Nashville and met with Chris Carrabba between songs. Carrabba revealed the acoustic/electric rig that drove Dashboard from emo obscurity to the soundtrack of Spider-Man 2.
Carrabba loves old guitars. For electrics, he tours with a 1961 Gibson Les Paul Jr. and a racing striped 1967 Fender Mustang with a matching headstock. Both are strung with D’Addario EJ21.
For acoustics, Carrabba goes with his beloved and beaten 1970 Martin 0-18 and his 2014 custom-made Martin 00-18 with 3-piece back. The acoustics are strung up with D’Addario EJ17 strings and Carrabba prefers Dunlop Shell Plastic thumb picks and Paige capos.
Carrabba tours with one mighty Vox AC15.
As a back up, Carrabba carries an 80-watt Bogner Shiva loaded with EL34s.
A pair of pedalboards with a few essential stomps helps Carrabba balance his acoustic and electric duties. His electric board holds a TC Electronic PolyTune 2 Noir, MXR Micro Amp, and a coveted sliver Klon Centaur. A Whirlwind Selector A/B box splits the signals and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+ provides the juice.
The acoustic board holds a TC Electronic Spark, Radial JDI, Fishman Aura, and a TC Helicon VoicePlay (which is used to improve his in-ear mix). Again, a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+ keeps things powered up.
A special thanks to Carrabba's tech Dane Poppin for helping us sort out all the details.
John Bohlinger is a Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist best known for leading the band on NBC's Nashville Star, serving as music director for the CMT Awards and specials on PBS and GAC, and of course for his appearances in PG Rig Rundown, Review Demo, Axes & Artifacts, and What Bohlinger Plays videos.
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