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We did a pre-soundcheck hang with singer/songwriter/producer/guitarist Steven Wilson during his recent solo gig at Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom. Wilson, known best for his progressive rock with his band Porcupine Tree, stripped his tone down for his current solo project, which requires two rigs.
The raw sound of a Telecaster plugged straight into an amp has become a signature tone for Steven Wilson’s recent project. To capture that tone, Wilson used his Fender 1963 Relic Telecaster built by the Custom Shop. The Telecaster is strung with D'Addario NYXL Plain Steel .011–.014–.018 on top and D’Addario Nickel Wound .030w–.042w–.052w on the bottom.
Steven Wilson has had a long association with PRS. His main guitar for years has been this PRS Singlecut. This guitar is strung with D’Addario EXL140 Electric GTR XL Light Top/Heavy Bottom Nickel Wound strings.
Steven Wilson’s oldest PRS is “Blue”, his Custom 22 that he keeps in drop-D tuning. “Blue” has had the pickups changed to DiMarzio PAFs. Wilson plays with 1 mm Duralin D'Addario USA picks and uses Klotz cables.
Steven Wilson runs a two-amp setup and one side of his sound comes from this Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 5. It’s a 1x8 combo that is maxed out and mic’d up.
For the past 15 years, Steven Wilson has been using Bat Cat amps for his crunch tones. This Bad Cat Lynx is a 50-watt head that feeds a Bad Cat 4x12 cab. A Bad Cat Unleash attenuator is in the mix so Wilson can control the volume from his board.
The centerpiece of Steven Wilson’s pedalboard is a GigRig G2 Switching System, which makes sense since GigRig guru Daniel Steinhardt wired the board up (and made many of its pedal selections himself). Steven’s array of pedals includes a Boss FL-500 volume pedal, a Source Audio Programmable EQ, a GigRig A/B/Y box, a Dunlop Cry Baby Wah, a TC Electronic PolyTune, a custom GigRig bank selector, an Option 5 Destination Rotation, a Selah Quartz, a Strymon TimeLine and BigSky, two Electro-Harmonix POGs, a Diamond Analog Vibrato, a Moog MF Trem, an Analog Man Price of Tone, an Amptweaker TightRock Jr., an Origin Effects Cali76, an EHX Small Stone, and a wealth of GigRig power accessories.
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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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