KingTone’s The Duellist is currently Ariel Posen’s most-used pedal. One side of the dual drive (the Bluesbreaker voicing) is always on. But there’s another duality at play when Posen plugs in—the balance between songwriter and guitarist.
“These days, I like listening to songs and the story and the total package,” Posen told PG back in 2019, when talking about his solo debut, How Long, after departing from his sideman slot for the Bros. Landreth. “Obviously, I’m known as a guitar player, but my music and the music I write is not guitar music. It’s songs, and it goes back to the Beatles. I love songs, and I love story and melody and singing, and there was a lot of detail and attention put into the guitar sound and the playing and the parts—almost more than I’ve ever done.”
And in 2021, he found himself equally expressing his yin-and-yang artistry by releasing two albums that represented both sides of his musicality. First, Headway continued the sultry sizzle of songwriting featured on How Long. Then he surprised everyone, especially guitarists, by dropping Mile End, which is a 6-string buffet of solo dishes with nothing but Ariel and his instrument of choice.
But what should fans expect when they see him perform live? “I just trust my gut. I can reach more people by playing songs, and I get moved more by a story and lyrics and harmony, so that’s where I naturally go. The live show is a lot more guitar centric. If you want to hear me stretch out on some solos, come see a show. I want the record and the live show to be two separate things.”
The afternoon ahead of Posen’s headlining performance at Nashville’s Basement East, the guitar-playing musical force invited PG’s Chris Kies on stage for a robust chat about gear. The 30-minute conversation covers Posen’s potent pair of moody blue bombshells—a hollow, metal-bodied Mule Resophonic and a Fender Custom Shop Jazzmaster—and why any Two-Rock is his go-to amp. He also shares his reasoning behind avoiding effects loops and volume pedals.
Brought to you by D’Addario XPND Pedalboard.
Blue the Mule III
If you’ve spent any time with Ariel Posen’s first solo record, How Long, you know that the ripping, raunchy slide solo packed within “Get You Back” is an aural high mark. As explained in a 2019 PG interview, Posen’s pairing for that song were two cheapos: a $50 Teisco Del Rey into a Kay combo. However, when he took the pawnshop prize onstage, the magic was gone. “It wouldn’t stay in tune and wouldn’t stop feeding back—it was unbearable [laughs].”
Posen was familiar with Matt Eich of Mule Resophonic—who specializes in building metal-body resonators—so he approached the luthier to construct him a steel-bodied, Strat-style baritone. Eich was reluctant at first (he typically builds roundneck resos and T-style baritones), but after seeing a clip of Posen playing live, the partnership was started.
The above steel-bodied Strat-style guitar is Posen’s third custom 25"-scale baritone. (On Mule Resophonic’s website, it’s affectionately named the “Posencaster.”) The gold-foil-looking pickups are handwound by Eich, and are actually mini humbuckers. He employs a custom Stringjoy set (.017–.064 with a wound G) and typically tunes to B standard. The massive strings allow the shorter-scale baritone to maintain a regular-tension feel. And when he gigs, he tours light (usually with two guitars), so he’ll use a capo to morph into D or E standard.
Moody Blue
Another one that saw recording time for Headway and Mile End was the above Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt ’60s Jazzmaster, made by Carlos Lopez. To make it work better for him, he had the treble-bleed circuit removed, so that when the guitar’s volume is lowered it actually gets warmer.
"Clean and Loud"
Last time we spoke with Posen, he plugged into a Two-Rock Classic Reverb Signature. It’s typically his live amp. However, since this winter’s U.S. run was a batch of fly dates, he packed light and rented backlines. Being in Music City, he didn’t need to go too deep into his phone’s contacts to find a guitar-playing friend that owned a Two-Rock. This Bloomfield Drive was loaned to Ariel by occasional PG contributor Corey Congilio. On the brand’s consistent tone monsters, Posen said, “To be honest, put a blindfold on me and make one of Two-Rock’s amps clean and loud—I don’t care what one it is.”
Stacked Speakers
The loaner vertical 2x12 cab was stocked with a pair of Two-Rock 12-65B speakers made by Warehouse Guitar Speakers.
Ariel Posen’s Pedalboard
There are a handful of carryovers from Ariel’s previous pedalboard that was featured in our 2021 tone talk: a TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Noir, a Morningstar MC3 MIDI Controller, an Eventide H9, a Mythos Pedals Argonaut Mini Octave Up, and a KingTone miniFUZZ Ge. His additions include a custom edition Keeley Hydra Stereo Reverb & Tremolo (featuring Headway artwork), an Old Blood Noise Endeavors Black Fountain oil can delay, Chase Bliss Audio Thermae Analog Delay and Pitch Shifter, and a KingTone The Duellist overdrive.
Another big piece of the tonal pie for Posen is his signature brass Rock Slide. He worked alongside Rock Slide’s Danny Songhurst to develop his namesake slide that features a round-tip end that helps Posen avoid dead spots or unwanted scratching. While he prefers polished brass, you can see above that it’s also available in a nickel-plated finish and an aged brass.
Photo 1
My goal with this little series was to show you what’s possible and how you handle such a project, step by step, and in a sensible order. In time, you can adopt and develop your own techniques, getting better from guitar to guitar.
To enjoy a little humor before we start, check out one of my favorite videos about aging guitars from Chicago Music Exchange (“CME Custom Relic’ing: Add Years of Abuse to Your Brand New Guitar!” on YouTube). But please, do not take it too seriously!
“You can decide if you only want a slightly aged look or if you want to bash it up like hell for a heavy-used relic look.”
When it comes to dings and dongs, you don’t need much for a good result. I usually only use a round metal bar and a collection of old and obsolete keys (Photo 1). The metal bar should be a massive one—hollow ones don’t work well because of their kickback behavior. I prefer a small but heavy one because it gives me a lot of control when using it. In my key box, I have a mix of mortice and cylinder keys in different sizes. I found this collection of old and obsolete keys on eBay for virtually nothing many years ago and it still works great for me.
Photo 2
Let’s start with the metal bar. Hold the guitar in playing position and start tapping on the edges with the metal bar to create a random pattern of dents. It’s easy to control the effect with your hand. If you hit the edges slightly, you create a slight dent. The heavier you hit, the deeper the dents, and with some very hard hits you can crack the lacquer to create the typical spots exposing bare wood (Photo 2). Start tapping the edges slightly and see if you like the effect. Work your way up to more damage if you want more. Don’t forget: Less is more if you want to make it look authentic.
I receive the best results when tapping in a rhythmically constant pattern of about 45 degrees with the bar. If you want to get a cheap used-guitar body on eBay, it’s a good idea to get some training on this. It’s not difficult to do, but it helps to have some experience before tapping the real deal. Please do yourself a favor and wear goggles and gloves, because if you crack and burst the lacquer, it can jump off with high speed, and you don’t want to get any in your eyes. Just as you don’t want any splinters of wood in your fingers. Tap the body, the headstock, and the neck if you like.
Photo 3
If you’re done and satisfied with your work, it’s time to bring in the keys (Photo 3). If you want to leave some spots on the guitar free of dings and dongs, you’ll need to cover and protect this area with strong cardboard or the like. A piece of paper or thin cotton won’t work; the keys will win. Because the keys will jump off the guitar, it’s a good idea to lay the guitar flat on a carpet or somewhere that the keys can’t disappear. You know the “confetti effect” after a New Year’s Eve party? No matter how often you clean your room, you’ll still find some confetti right before Easter. It’s the same with the keys; they’ll jump off in any direction and gone they are.
Anyway, the process is very simple. Your guitar is lying flat on the ground, and you simply drop the keys on the guitar. You can do this one by one or all at once. I usually use the individual keys first, followed by some massive shots of several keys at once. You can simply hold them above the guitar and let them fall, or you can smash them. Be creative and see what you like best. I usually leave out the fretboard with this, covering it with a piece of carpet. But if you like, you can also treat the fretboard this way.
Photo 4
Don’t be in a hurry. It will take some time to do it right, so don’t stress yourself. You can see some of the dings and dongs I made with keys while treating the Harley Benton in Photo 4.
Photo 5
Remember the wood-aging dye from the last part of this series? You’ll need it now to add 50-plus years to the exposed wood. Depending on the size of the spot, you can use a small brush or a Q-tip to put the dye on. Before doing this make sure you remove all loose parts from the lacquer. I simply use a small flat screwdriver and a brush for this. Depending on how dark you want the exposed wood, you’ll need to repeat the process with the dye. Because the body of the Harley Benton guitar is already a dark mahogany, you won’t need much of the dye (Photo 5 and Photo 6).
Photo 6
Congratulations, you’re done aging your first guitar all alone with your bare hands. If you have the chance to look at some vintage guitars, you should. Over time, you’ll get an eye for how old guitars look and you’ll find typical signs of age and wear that you can duplicate for your own projects. This relic’ing guitar project will soon be available as a Premier Guitar eBook, with all steps in one place and downloadable as a PDF.
Photo 7
Our finished Harley Benton DC-Junior double-cut that we used to demonstrate the individual relic’ing steps is a cool-looking and great-sounding guitar (Photo 7). I decided to auction it, donating all the money to my local animal shelter, which is usually bursting at the seams this time of the year.
Next month, we’ll have a deeper look into some typical Gretsch wiring basics, so stay tuned. Until then ... keep on modding!
Photo 1
A column about strings? Now he’s crazy, you might say. Believe it or not, on eight out of 10 guitars with tuning problems, it turns out this is caused by the strings themselves and/or the way the strings were installed. For some guitars, the nut or the saddle/tremolo is causing problems; others have problems with the tuners or worn-out bridge pins on acoustic guitars, string trees, etc. But bad strings and exotic ways to install them are reason No. 1 for tuning problems. Let’s have a deeper look into what happens here and what can be done.
“The more windings you have on your posts, the greater the chance for tuning problems.”
Over the years I’ve seen the craziest things people do with their strings. Here are some simple guidelines for you to combat tuning problems, whether it’s an electric or acoustic guitar, or if it has steel or nylon strings.
Possible Problem No. 1: The Strings Themselves
You all know this “problem” when setting up new strings on a guitar: After getting them in tune and playing for a minute, you need to tune them again, and this will last for some time, depending on the material of the strings. This is normal when strings are getting stretched for the first time; they’ll stay in tune after they’ve settled. Here are some hints to get around this:
1. Stretching the strings several times after setting them up by simply pulling them upwards with your hands will speed up this process noticeably. There are also tools for this called string stretchers, but you can simply do it with your hands. This is called pre-stretching and is very simple to do. As a rule of thumb, steel strings will settle sooner than nylon strings.
2. A customer bought “pre-stretched strings” and brought them in so I could try a set of these in the shop. I could notice no difference other than the price, but I wanted to mention that such sets exist.
3. Cryogenic-treated string sets may stay in tune faster right from the start. This treatment is widely used to remove tension, especially out of metal parts—like on high-precision components for racing engines. This might work on steel strings, but I have my doubts that it will work on nylon strings. Funny enough, I’ve never read about tuning improvement on any cryogenic-treated string set, but a lot is mentioned about how good they sound, how long they will last, etc. It’s up to you if these strings sound any different from other string sets. Give it a try. In time, each string set should stay in tune without any problems, no matter what method you use to speed things up.
“Cryogenic-treated string sets may stay in tune faster right from the start.”
Some time ago, I had a British-made Burns guitar from the ’60s on the workbench that was still equipped with the original flatwound string set it came with from the factory. These strings were perfectly in tune after almost 60 years. If the strings aren’t damaged, there should be no problem. A problem I regularly see is that completely new string sets have a rotten egg under the hood, caused by problems during manufacturing. From my experience, it’s mostly steel strings of certain brands and very often the G string, but I’ve also had bad D and B strings out of the box. With such strings, no matter what you try, you can’t get them in tune, and you’ll see they have an unnatural pattern of movement. I have no idea what causes this problem during manufacturing, but just keep this in mind if you run into tuning issues with a new set of strings. The solution is simple: Replace the bad string or the whole set with a new one.
Possible Problem No. 2: The More, the Merrier
Many people think it’s right and important to wind up the complete string length so it can stay in tune better because of the many windings, adding stability (Photo 1). Exactly the opposite is true. The more windings you have on your post, the greater the chance for tuning problems. Getting as few windings as possible on the post is the way to go. Have a look at a locking tuner. They have zero windings on the post for the best possible tuning stability. We’ll talk about how to do this in a minute. The best and funniest statement I’ve heard over the years was from a customer, when I tried to explain that it’s not a good idea to wind up the complete string length. He explained he’ll continue doing this because the manufacturer has good reasons to choose this length. I suppose somebody must do whatever makes somebody happy.
Possible Problem No. 3: Loose Tuners
Whenever you change your strings, make sure all screws and hex nuts from your tuners are tight. With a loose and moving tuner you’ll not only have tuning problems, but it’s also a common source for strange noises you can even hear in the amplified tone of a guitar. Sounds trivial but it’s important.
Possible Problem No. 4: Improper String Installation
This is by far the most common problem, and everyone has their own way of stringing up guitars. Some are superior to others. I don’t say my method I use in the shop is the best and only way that works. But over the years I tried a lot of different methods and the one I want to show and recommend to you is the best-working one for me. It incorporates what we just talked about: putting the least windings possible on the post for maximum tuning stability, mimicking the way a locking tuner works. This works on all standard tuners and is very easy to learn, so give it a try.
If you don’t want to compromise, there is no way around using locking tuners on your guitar. But if locking tuners are 10/10, the winding method that follows is 8.5/10, which is not bad at all.
I’m showing the winding method on an acoustic guitar with a 3/3 tuner configuration, but it also works with a 6L or 6R tuner configuration. It won’t work with the ’50s vintage Kluson types you often see on Stratocasters and Telecasters because there is no string hole on the post other than the one on top.
1. Position the post of the tuner so the string hole will be in line with the corresponding string slot for a string on the nut.
Photo 2
2. Guide the string through the string hole of the post and leave only a little slack. As a guideline, if you can put the fingers of your right hand underneath the strings, that’s enough. Now, use a finger of your right hand and lock the string after the nut, leaving a little slack lying on the fretboard (Photo 2). I like to snip off a good portion of the rest of the string at this point, to make the following process easier. But you can also leave it full length until you’re finished—whatever you like best.
Photo 3
3. Bend the rest of the string around the post sharply so it will form a “V.” Don’t forget to still keep the string locked with a finger (Photo 3).
Photo 4
4. Next, put the rest of the string underneath the string, pressing it firmly against the post, still locking the string with your finger, and bend it over the string (Photo 4 and Photo 5).
Photo 5
5. Tune up your string and release the finger you used to lock the string. You’ll only need a very small movement of the tuner to get the string up to tune, so this is something you’ll have to get used to. Cut off the rest of the string and you’re done (Photo 6).
Photo 6
On a 6-in-line tuner configuration, you can proceed with the other strings as shown. With a 3/3 configuration, you’ll have to mirror the process with the G, B, and high-E string. The rule of thumb is the rest of the string is always bent towards the middle of the headstock to create the “V.”
It’s very simple to do and very effective. It’s also important to lock the string with your finger during the whole process until it’s up to tune.
When you have a guitar that won’t stay in tune, chances are good that this is all you need to do. If this doesn’t help, at least you did everything that could be done before consulting your local luthier. And your luthier will be impressed about your troubleshooting, for sure. It will save them some time troubleshooting and it’ll save you some bucks, too.
Next month we’ll finally finish our DIY relic’ing project, so stay tuned.
Until then ... keep on modding!
This time, we’ll focus mostly on the controls of the standard Jaguar, instead of focusing on the numerous switches and additional pots as I covered before. I’m always happy about receiving requests to write something about such guitars, as I really like these outlaw buddies and I don’t think they get the attention they should. So here we go.
Today we’ll dissect the Johnny Marr Jaguar wiring found in the Fender Johnny Marr signature Jaguar model. My PG colleague Charles Saufley recently did a great interview with Johnny Marr, so definitely read it if you want to find out more about him.
The U.K.-born Marr is best known as the guitarist and songwriter behind the Smiths, who redefined and ruled British pop in the 1980s. He’s also known for playing with The The, Modest Mouse, the Cribs, and, of course, his solo work as well as playing on countless sessions. Rolling Stone listed Marr at No. 51 of the 100 Greatest Guitarists and No. 67 on the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. What else can one say?
Sound familiar? It is! The 4-way pickup switch is the 4-way switch from the series Telecaster wiring and the bright switch is the good old mid-tone cut switch (aka “strangle switch”) from the original Jaguar wiring but in a doubled version.
Marr started playing a Fender Jaguar around 2005 and used it during his stay with Modest Mouse, resulting in his signature model, released in 2012. The guitar and its wiring underwent several changes since then, and today we’ll talk about the actual version built by Fender (model #0116400705).
Regarding the electronics, you can spot the differences at first glance: Instead of the typical three switches on the lower-horn chrome plate, the Johnny Marr Jaguar sports a custom chrome plate with a Fender-style 4-position pickup selector switch. On the upper-horn chrome plate, the two additional pots were replaced with a second slide switch in a custom chrome plate, which sports two slide switches. In addition, the guitar has several hardware upgrades, custom-wound pickups, and the original master volume/master tone configuration.
Let’s look under the hood as to what these elements are doing on the Jaguar, here, in Fender’s own words:
Four-Way Pickup Switch:Rather than traditional slide switches, Marr’s signature Jaguar has a special four-way blade pickup switch on the lower horn, delivering the bridge pickup alone, the bridge and neck pickups in parallel, the neck pickup alone, and the neck and bridge pickups in series.
Two “Bright” Slide Switches:In an extra-special design element, the upper horn of the Johnny Marr Jaguar features two slide switches—a “universal” bright switch that kicks everything up a notch or two, and a separate bright switch that only affects the “series” pickup switch position.
Sound familiar? It is! The 4-way pickup switch is the 4-way switch from the series Telecaster wiring and the bright switch is the good old mid-tone cut switch (aka “strangle switch”) from the original Jaguar wiring, but in a doubled version.
In addition to this switching matrix, we find the typical vintage Jaguar master volume/master tone controls under the hood: two 1M audio pots with a 0.01 µF tone cap and a single 56k resistor on the tone pot.
Fig. 1
Before we dissect the wiring in Fig. 1, please note that it’s in an optical simplified version for a much better overview. The two switches are the typical Jaguar on/off switches—the ground of the bridge pickup is connected to common ground and not to the pickup-selector switch, same as for the Telecaster 4-way wiring.
Replacing the pickup switches with a standard pickup-selector switch not only makes operating the guitar a lot easier, but it enables an additional tone a standard Jaguar doesn’t have—both pickups together in series for a very fat and loud lead sound. It’s the same 4-way switch that you all know from the Electroswitch company (formerly Oak Grigsby) that’s used for the Telecaster. The downside of this mod is that you need a new custom chrome plate for the switch, but this type is available from several companies for a decent price. Fitting the switch can be a problem regarding the depth of the routing in the body. I’ve done this modification to several Jaguars, and in all cases I had to reroute the body to make it fit. It’s not a big deal with a good handheld router tool, but you should know about this problem. If you order a new Jaguar body, you should mention that you need a deeper routing at this location, so it’s a trouble-free operation.
Replacing the two additional pots with two switches on the upper horn also means that you need another new custom chrome plate, but this one is also available without any problems. The adaption of two individual strangle switches looks confusing, but, for whatever reason, Marr wants a general one influencing the whole wiring plus a special one only for the pickup position with both pickups in series. I can think of several applications for this wiring but it’s a matter of personal choice and preferences. If you have the playing chops of Marr, you’ll sound excellent with every guitar and every wiring inside. Us mere mortal pickers need some support from the wiring, so it’s no crime to mod it, but more about this later. In general, the bright or strangle switch uses a 3000 pF cap forming a fixed high-pass filter. In other words, it cuts bass, so the sound gets much brighter.
Using two 1M audio controls for master volume and master tone follows in the heritage of the Jaguar, same as for the single 56k resistor on the tone control together with the 0.01 µF tone cap. Nothing new here.
The combination of all this works, at least for Mr. Marr. But let’s break it down in sections.
The 4-way switch we all know from the Telecaster 4-way mod works perfectly and is a great addition to any guitar with two pickups, not only for a Jaguar. The switching order is the same as on the Telecaster (bridge only / bridge+neck in parallel / neck only / bridge+neck in series), so it feels like home. I don’t think there’s a useful variation for this mod: It’s perfect the way it is.
It’s up to you if you need a strangle switch, or if you need two of them. I think you should give it a try and play it for some time to see if you like it. Personally, I don’t need or like this feature, and in my own Jaguar I would use the two switches to add a kill-switch and phasing like we did with the Duo Sonic guitar in 2021. The series feature is already present in the Marr wiring, so the second switch would be my kill switch in this wiring. You can also tinker with the value of the bright caps on the two switches. Reasonable values would be from 1000 pF up to 6800 pF and everything in between. I think Marr’s concept behind the two switches was that he wanted to play a fat rhythm part without the bright switch, but when switching to solo mode (both pickups together in series) the sound gets very loud and fat and the dedicated bright switch helps to cut through the mix in this situation. So, it’s a kind of preset sound you can dial in—a concept that has tradition at the Fender company.
I really like 4700 pF on a Jaguar to dial in some fine nuances of warmth.
Regarding the two pots using 1M audio pots, this strictly follows the Jaguar vintage route and is boon and bane at the same time. The benefit is that with the pots fully opened, they’re close to a no-load pot with full high end. The downside is that in the Jaguar’s pure passive system the useable range of the pots is close to zero, acting like an on/off switch rather than a useful control with an effect over the whole rotation of the pot. Personally, I would change out both pots for two 250k audio pots or a 250k volume and 500k tone pot if you want a tad more high-end. The useable range is much better compared to the 1M pots, but this is also a matter of personal choice. Marr seems to like it, so it’s worth a try.
The standard volume control is perfect the way it is. I would add a treble-bleed network to keep some treble alive when rolling back the volume. For more info about this please have a look at “Mod Garage: Deep Diving into Treble-Bleed Networks.”
And last, the tone control. Choosing a 0.01 µF tone cap clearly shows the Jaguar was not designed for dark jazzy tones and that the tone should still have some good portion of treble when using the tone control. A 0.01 µF cap is a good choice, but if you need darker tones, go up to 0.015 or 0.022 µF and beyond. If 0.01 µF is still too dark for you, go down to 6800 pF and beyond. I really like 4700 pF on a Jaguar to dial in some fine nuances of warmth.
The 56k resistor on the tone control is a wired construction and there has been countless debates about it for decades. The physics behind it are very complex and I think Fender wanted to offer something new and versatile, but, as it often goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Meaning, it works on the drawing board but not so good in reality. In very simplified words, it’s a mixture of limited tone control and a little bit of Gibson ’50s wiring. With the tone control fully opened, everything is normal and as you know it from other guitars like a Strat or Tele. When you start to close the tone pot, the 56k resistor is slowly pushed into the signal path, forming a low pass together with the 0.01 µF cap, resulting in attenuating the tone and the resonance peak. With the tone pot fully closed, it acts like a ’50s wiring and there is no resonance shift.
It’s not a bad design per se—some like it while others don’t. An interesting detail is that when you start to close the tone pot, the pickup’s inductance will be decoupled from the cable capacitance, resulting in a glassy and ice-picking tone, and I think this was exactly what the Fender designers had in mind. In reality, this effect is completely offset because of the following high-end roll-off caused by the guitar electronics. Maybe Fender wanted to try something new, putting as many tonal features as possible into the Jaguar. It shall remain a secret and a mystery.
I would remove the resistor and rewire volume and tone as in a standard Telecaster for a traditional control. Give it a try and see if you like the Jaguar method better. Who knows? You can also experiment with the 56k resistor; reasonable values are from 22k up to 100k.
That’s it for now! Next month we’ll cover something you’ve asked for a lot: a mod for both electric and acoustic guitars to enhance tuning stability.
Until then ... keep on modding!