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Before Minus the Bear headed out on their farewell tour, Cory Murchy, Dave Knudson, and Jake Snider (above left) opened their SIR rehearsal sessions to PG’s Perry Bean so we could get one last look at their powerfully inventive setups.
Cory Murchy had this Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass in our 2013 episode, and just like back then, he plays with both pickups fully open and ready to rock.
During the 2013 shoot, Cory Murchy was actually using this MIM Fender Jazz bass as his No. 1 because of the J-P mashup with the Jazz stylings and Precision pickups. It has not been relegated to backup duties because the Aerodyne is much kinder to Cory’s back.
Cory Murchy’s other backup is this Fender P, which has been a longtime friend.
“I don’t ever want to play anything but Verellen amps,” states Cory Murchy. “You plug in and it always sounds like bass.” This 300-watt Meatsmoke monster is one of the first-ever models built by Ben Verellen. The head powers an Ampeg 8x10 cab.
Very similar to the 2013 setup, Cory Murchy has just added a Verellen Meatsmoke preamp that stays on most of the time and gives the amp a little bigger, brawnier sound. The Greedtone bass overdrive that adds some filth without taking out the low end. And to harness dynamics, he still employs the Ernie Ball volume pedal.
This is the PRS that started it all—cofounding guitarist Dave Knudson picked up this goldtop McCarty model at Al’s Guitarville in Edmonds, WA, right when Minus the Bear was taking off. He really enjoys it with low action for his tapping parts and he also takes advantage of the coil tapping for more “noisy grit.” And what started Knudson’s desire branching out into tapping? “Just trying to figure out ways to create cool riffs without playing a normal A chord.”
Dave Knudson’s No. 1 for this final run is this PRS Custom 24. We spoke with Minus the Bear in 2017 around their VOIDS sessions, and this is what Dave had to say about his PRS guitars: “Honestly, I pretty much used my two PRSs the entire time—probably 90 percent. There was a lot of mixing of amps and pedal combinations, but those guitars—they’re like home for me because I’ve had them for years. I feel so comfortable playing them, they sound great, and you can get a lot of different tones out of them, whether you’re coil-tapping or at the bridge or the neck pickup. They’re really versatile, they’re easy for me to play—I mean, I love the PRSs.” Both guitars are using Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys (.010–.046).
Dave Knudson was a longtime user of Mesa/Boogie combos, but this final tour he decided to bring out a Vox AC10 because implements gain from his pedals rather than amp distortion.
Because of his love of stereo effects, Dave Knudson has almost always had a two-amp configuration that generally includes a Fender Twin Reverb.
The man of many DL4s, Dave Knudson, has pared down since 2013 when he had four of those green devices. He has since reduced the DL4 population down to three and swapped in a Strymon TimeLine because 2017’s VOIDS features many of the unit’s ambient, washy delays. Everything else has pretty much stayed the same aside from taking one Boss RC-3 off for a Boss RV-3, and swapping an original Ibanez Tube Screamer for a Mini version.
Jake Snider used to travel with a few other guitars including a ’90s Japanese-built Gretsch Roundup with Filter'Trons, but now he’s all Ibanez, all night. His no. 1 is this Ibanez Talman with a striking resemblance of an Esquire with its single-pickup platform.
For some Strat-y vibes, Jake Snider plugs in this Ibanez Talman that has been upgraded with Righteous Sound Pickups.
This Ibanez Talman Roadcore Classic was his first one (and featured in the 2013 episode) and is still outfitted with a Seymour Duncan mini-humbucker and SD tele-style bridge pickup.
“I’ve been chasing down a Vox-style tone for years,” says Jake Snider, so it only makes sense he’s rolling with two British combos. The cream combo up top is a handwired Vox AC30HW2 and the one below is a Vox AC30S1.
Just like in 2013, Jake Snider hits the road with two Line 6 DL4s, but new additions include a EarthQuaker Devices Organizer, Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini, EHX Soul Food & Small Stone, and an Xotic EP Booster.
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Perry 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. Premier Guitar 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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