Somewhere afloat in the Caribbean, PG’s John Bohlinger hung with blues rocker Jared James Nichols before his final show of the 2020 Joe Bonamassa Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea cruise. Nichols played some fierce guitar and led Premier Guitar—and a live audience—through his signature rig.
Nichols’ No. 1 is his signature model Epiphone dubbed “Old Glory.” It’s based on a ’50s Les Paul Custom with a single Seymour Duncan P-90, master volume and tone control. It also sports a rounded C-shape neck, bigger frets, and compensated wraparound bridge. Old Glory stays strung with DR Veritas .010–.046 strings.
“Red” is a late 1953 Les Paul Standard that came to Jared via Charlie Daughtry, owner of the Les Paul Forum. This former goldtop was over-sprayed Dakota Red decades ago. Besides a fret job and paint, everything is completely original.
Nichols exclusively plugs into his signature Blackstar amplifier. The JJN-20RH MkII head usually runs into a matching Blackstar vertical 2x12 cabinet with top-tier Celestion speakers. However, when flying to a gig an unable to carry much gear, Nichols will carry the head on a flight and plug it into whatever backline cabinet is available.
When he uses a pedal, it’s his Klon Centaur, a gift from his friend Dave “Big D” Lamont, who is a tech for Joe Bonamassa.
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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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