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Tab Benoit has been beating on the same 1972 Fender Thinline Telecaster since he purchased it for $400 when he was making his first album in Texas during the early ’90s. It remains stock with the exception of frets and pots that were replaced as they disintegrated.
Tab’s backup is another 1972 Fender Thinline Telecaster that was painted black by a previous owner. Both Teles are strung with GHS Subzero strings (.011–.056) and sport painfully high action.
The only thing between Tab Benoit’s Tele and his amps is a cable. However, he does have this cool gator head for storing his picks and slide.
Tab Benoit runs a two-amp setup, and both are Category 5 signature models. Here’s his Voice of the Wetlands (VOW) 45, which is a 4x10 combo based on his old blackface Fender Super Reverb.
The smaller side of Tab Benoit’s amp setup is this Voice of the Wetlands (VOW) 90. This 2x12 combo is designed along the lines of a Fender Twin and is fed by the VOW 45. Benoit doesn’t run his amps in stereo but places a Neumann large diaphragm microphone in front of the amps to blend the sound of the two amps together, leaning more heavily toward the 4x10 combo.
A second Neumann condenser mic is placed behind the amps. The two mics are blended in the front of house to mimic the sound on stage.
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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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