During the band’s fall tour supporting critically-praised On Dark Horses, orchestrator guitarist/vocalist Emma Ruth Rundle, along with fellow guitarist (and ERR’s husband) Evan Patterson, took some time at Nashville’s High Watt to hang with PG’s Chris Kies and go through their onstage gear.
From her days in the post-rock instrumental band Red Sparowes and the psych-metal outfit Marriages, Emma Ruth Rundle has been an ardent user of SGs for their light stature and hearty tones. However, when Guild brought back the T-Bird ST in 2017 one of their employees close to the resurrection felt the guitar would be perfect for Rundle and she’s been using it ever since because of the neck’s flatter radius and she digs the darker-sounding humbuckers (LB-1) that still have a balanced, high-end clarity. She has named the T-Bird “The Cloud”—the only one in her collection with such a designation—and the guitar bounces around various opening tunings that typically start in DADGAD.
When things need to get low and rumbly, Emma Ruth Rundle turns to this Fender Jaguar Special Baritone HH and the beast rides in open-G# tuning with D’Addario EXL158 Baritone Light .013–.062 strings.
One half of Emma Ruth Rundle’s amp pie is this Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus that’s been a fixture in her setup for years because of how she enjoys the note retention and clarity it provides her lower tunings and baritone guitars.
The other piece of the pie for Emma Ruth Rundle is this Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III.
Here are Emma Ruth Rundle’s settings for the Hot Rod Deluxe III.
A quick glance at Emma Ruth Rundle’s board and you know she loves reverb. She has three reverb units (Red Panda Context, Boss RV-5, and additional ’verb patches in the Line 6 M9 Stompbox Modeler). In addition, she uses a DigiTech Whammy, EarthQuaker Devices Black Eye and Palisades, Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai, and a Boss DD-6 Digital Delay. Things are kept in tune with the Korg Pitchblack and power is dished out by way of the Truetone 1 Spot.
Evan Patterson was a longtime user of a beat-up Fender Telecaster (neck pickup only) in his band Young Widows, but while supporting Emma he was after the loudest electric guitar that offered the most acoustic qualities, so he’s welcomed the semi-hollow tones of the Fender Coronado II reissue. On this particular run, this was his only guitar and he used GHS Boomers gauged .011–.056.
Just like Emma, Evan Patterson hits the stage with red lights on two amps—the 10th Verellen amp ever made and a Hiwatt Lead 100.
Evan Patterson’s pedal paradise is housed within a SKB PS-45 that holds some filthy stomps including a Red Panda Raster, MXR Micro Amp, Akai Headrush, Line 6 DL4, Red Panda Context, Walrus Audio Voyager, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Excess, and an OBNE Dark Star Reverb. The board powers the pedals and the Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner keeps things stable.
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Chris Kies has degrees in Journalism and History from the University of Iowa and has been with PG dating back to his days as an intern in 2007. He's now the multimedia manager maintaining the website and social media accounts, coordinating Rig Rundown shoots (also hosting and/or filming them) and occasionally writing an artist feature. Other than that, he spends time with his pitbull and enjoys non-guitar-related hobbies. Follow him on Instagram & Twitter.
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