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PG’s John Bohlinger hung with session ace Kenny Greenberg at Blackbird Studios in Nashville between takes on the latest Kenny Chesney album. Greenberg showed us his considerable arsenal that helps him cover any tone, sound, or effect that a hit record may need.
This 1952 Gibson goldtop Les Paul features a wraparound bridge and its original pickups. Greenberg really enjoys using this as his rhythm guitar in the studio.
Greenberg has owned this ’62 Fender Strat for about 30 years. The previous owner had routed out the body for a Kahler whammy bar and then did some questionable repairs in order to get it back into original shape. Either way, it’s a real workingman’s vintage guitar.
Famed Nashville Luther Joe Glaser collaborated with Gibson to create a Les Paul with a B-Bender. This is the prototype for the resulting Music City Jr. model that Glaser gave to Greenberg.
The session ace was gifted this Gibson ES-335 Joe Bonamassa Signature from his nephew Winston Yellen of the Night Beds and it’s become a real go-to because it has a “real, big fat neck and stays in tune.”
Here is a Fender Custom Shop ’62 Telecaster that he bought off his friend James Pennebaker.
Because he’s based in Nashville, Greenberg knows he needs a baritone axe so he uses this Jerry Jones model.
When the time calls for some subtler tones and layers, he grabs this 1948 Gibson J-45.
The wildest guitar in his studio arsenal has to be this Ovation Deacon XII.
If a producer requires some Gretsch-esque mojo or Richard Bennett vibes, Greenberg favors this ’90s DeArmond by Guild T400.
When Greenberg needs something between a Gretsch and a Les Paul he reaches for this Koll Super Glide Almighty designed to look and sound like Neil Young’s Old Black. It’s loaded with a trio of low-output Lollar pickups.
Greenberg describes this PRS McCarty model as having a strong midrange that cuts through a track. It has a special meaning to him because it was a gift from his high school buddy, David Grissom.
This Matchless HC-30 came from the “Sampson” era of the company’s history. Originally, it was a 2x12 combo but Greenberg had it transformed into a head. The second channel feeds a Category 5 2x12 cab loaded with Celestion speakers.
The previous owner of this low-powered ’54 Fender Tweed Twin recovered the amp in black Tolex.
When Greenberg was 21 he received this ’56 Fender Tweed Deluxe from bandmate Buth McDade. It’s packed with 6L6 tubes and its original transformers.
Greenberg’s board was built by XTS using a Pedaltrain board and Voodoo Lab power supplies. The signal starts with a Boss CS-2 Compressor Sustainer then hits an Xotic RC Booster, Basic Audio Scarab, Paul Cochrane Timmy Overdrive, Klon Centaur, Boss GE-7 Equalizer, and a Boss TR-2 Tremolo. After the signal goes through the drawer of pedals (next photo), the signal runs back to the main board where it hits a Dunlop volume pedal that always sends a tuner-out signal to a Boss tuner and a output signal to a Boss DD-500 Digital Delay, Strymon Mobius, Strymon TimeLine, and lastly a Line 6 M9 Stompbox Modeler.
At this point, a looper on the right side of the board directs the signal to a drawer in the amp rack that contains a Way Huge Fat Sandwich, Analog Man King of Tone, and EarthQuaker Devices Hoof Reaper. The drawer is setup so Greenberg can easily change pedals to fit the session. The drawer also holds an Analog Man Sun Lion, XTS Winford, a trio of stomps from J. Rockett Audio (Animal, Tim Pierce Overdrive, and Blue Note), Electro-Harmonix POG2, Strymon El Capistan and BigSky.
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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