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One could argue that Uli Jon Roth invented neo-classical electric guitar and brought it to the masses through his work with the Scorpions in the ’70s. PG’s John Bohlinger caught up with Roth during his tour with Jennifer Batten and Andy Timmons for a look at his high-powered setup.
Originally a Strat man, Uli felt limited by the instrument and wanted something with more frets and a wider range of tonal options. The solution came in the form of the Dean Sky Guitar. Above the 27th fret, this scalloped-fret monster switches to whole-step fret spacing. The Sky Guitar's pickups are a custom four-coil humbucker with a second pickup hidden under the 24th fret. The electronics run off of phantom power via a stereo 1/4” inch input cable from a proprietary power source.
Roth also tours with his Mighty New Dawn, a double neck with a 7-string nylon on top and a 7-string guitar on the bottom that’s strung up as a 6-string. (Roth swapped out the nut and doesn’t use the lowest tuning peg.) The Mighty New Dawn behemoth was built by Boris Dommenget in Balje, Germany.
Roth carries two Blackstar Artisan 100-watt heads and four Blackstar 4x12 cabinets rated at 300 watts. Depending on the venue, Roth might only use one Blackstar head with the clean channel on 1 into the cabs.
In addition to the Blackstars, Roth carries two Amp1s by BluGuitar that sit on the floor next to his stomp station.
On his pedalboard, Roth uses a DigiTech Whammy DT, Boss CH-1 Super Chorus, Ibanez TS9DX Turbo Tube Screamer, Jam Pedals Red Muck, and a pair of Dunlop MXR Carbon Copy delays. The power is supplied by a Palmer PWT05.
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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