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Shortly before a Nashville gig, legendary guitarist Dave Stewart met up with PG's John Bohlinger at the Basement East where Stewart spun stories of songwriting, recording, gear, and torturing truckers with banjos.
Dave left his personal instruments in Los Angeles and had to make due with a backline for this gig, but he found two Duesenbergs very similar to what he has at home. The main guitar for this gig was his signature model Duesenberg dubbed "The Blackbird." The artwork is from his album called The Blackbird Diaries and was inspired by spending some time in Nashville's famed Blackbird studios.
The other Duesenberg is this Mike Campbell signature model which was a gift from the Heartbreaker's guitarist himself. It has become one of Stewart's favorites.
For many of the Eurythmics' biggest hits Stewart reached for this 1976 Cadillac Green Gretsch Country Club.
Who says Strats need to be subtle? Stewart's 1993 Fender Custom Shop Strat is a prime example of some of the most ornate engraved aluminum the company has ever made.
Stewart commissioned luthier Danny Ferrington to make a small-bodied 12-string that had a thin neck and a violin-like scroll top. This one-of-kind axe became an indispensable studio tool.
Although Stewart was gigging with a backline AC30 on the day of the interview, he owns a large arsenal of amps for recording and performance including Fenders, Voxs, Marshalls, and a Divided by 13. His workhorse is an Engl Classic Tube 50.
Like most guitarists, Stewart has a pile of pedals in and out of rotation—everything from vintage Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress flangers to new Ibanez minis. His current pedalboard, which is powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 and was built by Marc VanGool, holds a Dunlop GCB95 Cry Baby wah, a Texas Tremodillo (built by César Díaz), a MXR EVH Phase 90, a TC Electronic Mojo Overdrive, a TC Electronic PolyTune, a T-Rex Replica, and a Blackstone Mosfet Overdrive. Everything except the wah is routed through a Voodoo Lab Pedal Switcher.
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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