Lee Brice is well known as a multi-platinum artist, but unless you’ve seen him in concert, you might not know he’s a killer guitarist. Brice invited Premier Guitar into historic Legends Studio in Nashville to see the tools he and his guitar army use. Bonus: PG’s Perry Bean interviews Brice’s pedal-steel player, none other than John Bohlinger!
Brice’s No. 1 is this stock 1964 Fender Stratocaster he acquired through Nashville guitarist Tom Bukovac. It was in immaculate condition when Brice bought it, so he can claim every ding and scratch on it as his own.
This ’55 Fender Telecaster serves as a backup and it cuts through a mix like a hot knife through butter. Both this and his Strat are stung up with Ernie Ball Power Slinky (.011–.048) strings.
Brice’s wife contacted one of his guitar buddies from South Carolina to line up the perfect wedding present. The result was this 1948 Gibson J-45 that he wrote “I Don’t Dance” on.
A Kemper Profiler PowerRack provides all of Brice’s amp models and effects both in the studio and on the road. He uses a Kemper Remote at his feet to control any patch changes. Above the Kemper is a Whirlwind Multiselector 4X and a Sennheiser wireless unit.
While in the studio, Brice uses an old Leslie amp that was converted by Analog Outfitters. (Brice also modeled this amp in his Kemper for live gigs.) He runs this into an Analog Outfitters 1x12 cab loaded with a Warehouse Reaper HP speaker.
Bohlinger plays a 2016 Show Pro E9 Lloyd Green model with four pedals and five knee levers. The Show Pro is strung with D’Addario EPS490 Pedal Steel Strings, with standard E9 tuning (B–D–E–F#–G#–B–E–G#–D#–F#) and copedents. When Bohlinger picks up his Weber mandolin he uses V-Picks.
The stereo delay on Bohlinger’s pedalboard runs into a pair of amps. First is a stock 1964 Fender Vibroverb with an original Jensen 15” speaker. Next up is a ValveTrain Trenton loaded with Weber speakers for a clean, bright shimmer.
Bohlinger runs a Klotz cable from his steel to a Dunlop volume pedal. The Dunlop’s tuner out hits a Peterson Flip strobe tuner set on the E9 Sweetened setting. The Peterson’s output runs into a Boss TU-2 for standard tuning. (Watch the video to see why Bohlinger needs two tuners.) The line out of the volume pedal hits a vintage Ross Grey Compressor Bohlinger bought when he was in 8th grade, a Dr. No More Gary overdrive, MXR EVH Phase 90, Ibanez Echo Shifter, MXR Reverb, and a Boss DD-5 Digital Delay. An MXR ISO Brick supplies the juice, and the pedals live on a DBfX lighted board by GO2 Technologies. Bohlinger uses Dunlop picks and moves between a Dunlop stainless steel bar, a titanium bar by Furious Slides, and ceramic slides by Rocky Mountain Slide Company.
Bohlinger uses Dunlop Brass .018 mm fingerpicks and Dunlop Shell Plastic thumbpicks. Bohlinger trades between Dunlop Stainless Steel Slide Tonebars, Titanium bars by Furious Slides, and ceramic slides by Rocky Mountain Slide Company.
Bettis’ No. 1 is his 1965 Gibson SG Jr. with Grover tuners and a Gibson wraparound bridge.
Keeping with the P-90 theme, next up is Bettis’ 1994 Les Paul Custom ’56 “Black Beauty” reissue.
Next up is a Bad Bart Custom with Wolfetone pickups. Bettis strings his guitars with Ernie Ball Power Slinky (.011–.048) strings and he uses Steve Clayton 1.0 mm picks.
Like Brice, Bettis also goes with a Kemper for his amp tones and some of his effects. He runs a Sennheiser 2000 Series wireless with a Whirlwind Multiselector 4X into his Kemper while on tour. In the studio, Bettis goes with a cable directly into his Ernie Ball Volume pedal that feeds a Boss TU-3.
A Kemper remote board changes between clean, dirty, and dirtier amp tones. For delays and swirly effects, Bettis runs his Boss DD-20 and Line 6 MM4 through the effects loop of the Kemper. All pedals live on a lighted DBfX Sound Effects pedalboard by GO2. A Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+ supplies the juice.
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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.
Perry Bean cut his teeth touring and playing in punk rock and hardcore bands, before he got his start in film. He worked his way up from lowly production assistant to become a producer, art director, and most recently, a music video director nominated for ACM, CMT, and CMA awards. Being Premier Guitar's Chief Videographer was a perfect fit for him, combining his two favorite things—guitars and cameras. Perry doesn't have free time, but his massive dog Beef pays his rent by being Perry's intern.
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