Mike Stern is a legendary musician who has worked with Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius, Blood Sweat and Tears, Eric Johnson, Pat Metheny, and David Sanborn, not to mention hundreds of other greats. To this day, Mike Stern, the cat that brought the Telecaster into the jazz world, constantly tours and records with no end in sight. Stern did a pre-gig hang with PG’s John Bohlinger before his sold-out show at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley.
Mike Stern tours with one guitar: his now ancient and well-played Yamaha Pacifica 1511MS Signature model loaded with a Seymour Duncan '59 pickup in neck position and a Hot Rail in the bridge.
Mike Stern uses D’Addario nickel wound strings (.011–.038) and covers his Planet Waves 1 mm pick with wig glue to help keep his grip.
Since Mike Stern’s days of playing with Blood, Sweat and Tears in the mid ’70s, he has for the most part, relied on two Fender Twin Reverbs. These are usually rented for each gig with a preference for the ’65 reissues.
Nothing but Boss on Mike Stern’s board. He runs a cable from his guitar directly into a Boss TU-2 tuner before hitting a Keeley-modded SD-1 Super Overdrive, BD-2W Waza Craft Blues Driver, a MO-2 Multi Overtone, and a pair of DD-3 Digital Delays. All the pedals live in a Boss BCB-60 pedalboard that’s powered by Truetone 1 Spot.
The signal leaves Mike Stern’s board and then hits one of two Yamaha SPX-90 Effect Processors that send the signal in stereo to the two amps.
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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.
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