PG’s John Bohlinger met with Doug Gillard, Mark Shue, and Bobby Bare Jr. (above left) of Guided by Voices before their Basement East gig in Nashville where the indie stalwarts dished out deets on their gear.
For touring, Doug Gillard leaves his ’67 ES-330 and ’67 Jag at home, traveling with just two road axes. His No. 1 is a long-time favorite, a 1976 Gibson Les Paul Custom with a mid-’70s DiMarzio Super 2 humbucker in the bridge and an unknown brand humbucker in the neck. The LP stays strung with D'Addario XL .011–.052 strings.
Doug Gillard’s next in line is his G&L ASAT Classic. It’s totally stock and is strung up with D’Addario .011-gauge strings. For picks, Gillard uses Dunlop Tortex .60 mm, and he also uses Planet Waves NS Artist capos.
Doug Gillard’s pedals have grown past the board and now spill onto the stage. His signal starts with a Boss TU-3W Waza Craft tuner and from there, the signal hits an EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job, an EarthQuaker Devices Arrows, an EarthQuaker Devices Speaker Cranker, an EarthQuaker Devices Acapulco Gold, two Boss GE-7 EQs, a Boss PS-6 Harmonist, an EarthQuaker Devices Transmisser, a Strymon Flint, a TC Electronic Corona Mini, an EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master, an Electro-Harmonix Canyon, and an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail. A pair of Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 power supplies handle the juice.
Bobby Bare Jr.’s No. 1 is a 1964 Gibson SG Junior with a Badass bridge, a stock P-90 pickup, and a mysterious hole drilled through the top. The Jr is strung with D’Addario .010-gauge strings.
For something a bit more humbucker-y, Bobby Bare Jr. plays this 1973 Gibson SG Custom with the middle pickup removed and a cool collage finish.
For some twang, Bobby Bare Jr. plays his counterfeit T-style guitar that houses a gold-foil pickup harvested from an unknown guitar.
Bobby Bare Jr. travels with two amps, a Mesa/Boogie Transatlantic TA-30 and a ’65 Fender Bassman, which serves as a backup. The amp drives a Marshall 1960a 4x12 with Celestion Vintage 30s.
Bobby Bare Jr. runs minimal effects, just an Eventide H9 with a Barn3 Aux switch and a Jim Dunlop Volume X pedal.
Mark Shue tours with two nearly identical Fender American Special P-basses. Both feature Fender ’62 P-Bass pickups, a Badass bridge, Hipshot tuners, and are strung with DR Hi-Beam strings.
Mark Shue runs an Ampeg SVT-AV head into a matching Ampeg SVT 810-E cab.
Mark Shue runs a cable from his bass to a Boss TU-2 tuner, a Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive, an Electro-Harmonix Bass Clone, and a Boss DD-3 Digital Delay. A CIOKS DC5 pedal power is stashed underneath.
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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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