Renowned amp builder and pickup designer (holding three patents), Dylana Nova Scott speaks with John Bohlinger about her pursuits of creating responsive systems of guitar tone that inspire music, explains that a circuit is never perfect or complete, recalls being in the hair-metal scene when the Nirvana bomb dropped, and surviving the gear industry through perseverance and innovation.
Back in April, southern-rock staples Gov’t Mule rocked the Pinnacle in downtown Nashville, and before the festivities, PG’s Chris Kies hung out with bassist Kevin Scott to take a closer look at the low-ender’s rumbling rig. Later, Kies also sat down with bandleader Warren Haynes for an extended yarn session; that interview forms part two of this special Rig Rundown. Check out the highlights of Scott’s gear below, and queue up the video for all the details!
This is Scott’s signature Aluminati Guitar Co. Helios bass. Scott puts Avedissian Pickups, built in Atlanta, in all of his basses, including this one. It has a P-bass-style neck pickup in a T-Bird housing, and a T-Bird Soapbar in the bridge. He uses Dunlop strings, including nickel, flatwounds, and hybrid sets.
Slammer From ’62
This Korea-made Moollon P bass, modeled after a 1962 Fender, has an ebony fretboard and era-correct appointments, down to the amount of zinc in the metal, according to Scott.
Double-Headed Beast
<p>Scott runs through an Ampeg SVT-VR head and matching cab, with a Jad Freer Audio Sisma head on hand in case he wants more control over his EQ that the SVT offers. An Osiris PHILter pedal lives on the amp setup and helps fine-tune the sound.</p>
Kevin Scott’s Pedalboard
<p>Scott’s board packs a D’Addario Chromatic Pedal Tuner, Radial DI, <a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/tag/boss?utm_source=website&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Smartlinks">Boss</a> OC-2, Electro-Harmonix Frequency Analyzer, Way Huge Pork Loin, MXR Sub Octave Bass Fuzz, MXR Ten Band EQ, and MXR Reverb. Off board, there’s an East Sound Research Carl Martin Match Box and an Ernie Ball VP JR.</p>
Tom Butwin digs into the MG-50Li, a new modeler/profiler from NUX that packs an impressive amount of capability into one floor unit. The MG-50Li runs NUX's TS-AC4K technology, which models the physical components of an amp circuit rather than just its output. Crank the treble and it affects gain and output the way a real amp would. The Deep Imaging gray box system lets you capture profiles of your own pedals and amplifiers up to six layers deep. Hardware-wise, it covers a lot of ground: built-in XLR DI outs, dual effects loops, USB-C recording interface, and a 5-inch LCD with five tactile knobs that make dialing in tones straightforward. Plus, the MG-50Li has a built-in lithium-ion battery good for six hours of playing time, ready for you to just show up, plug in, and play.
NUX
NUX MG-50Li Modeler & Profiler
Best of both worlds: Modeler & Profiler. The MG-50Li combines two core technologies: NUX TS/AC-4K white-box physical modeling technology & NUX DEEP IMAGE multi-layer profiling technology.
– NUX DEEP IMAGE multi-layer profiling technology contains black-box pre-amp models with white-box power amp and EQ sections. It's a "Gray-Box".
– DEEP IMAGE profiling also allows users to capture any amps & pedals. You can capture 6 layers, and merge them into 1 DEEP IMAGE file, in order to replicate real parameter changes.
– NUX Cyber IR engine delivers stereo cabinet emulations with adjustable Microphone, Position, and Distance parameters. You can use 2 different IRs for Left and Right.
– 2 effect chains with up to 2 amps & 4 cabs (Cyber IR).
– Combines up to 14 simultaneous effects blocks with ultra-flexible routing options.
– Exceptional sound quality with 24-bit AD/DA, 32-bit floating-point processing, and 48 kHz sampling rate.
– 5-inch high-definition color LCD display.
– NUX Audio App control (Mobile, Win/Mac).
– Dual Send/Return loops let you route your favorite pedals.
– Built-in USB audio interface enables straightforward sound customization, patch management, and computer-based recording.
– Built-in rechargeable battery offers convenience for practice and performance.
This spring, the revered death metal band Dethklok—the very definition of TV turned reality, after the band jumped from the show Metalocalypse onto real stages nearly two decades ago—has been on tour with Swedish melodic death-metal giants Amon Amarth. Last month, they blew the roof off of Fenway’s MGM Music Hall, and PG’s Chris Kies joined Dethklok leader Brendon Small, bassist Pete Griffin, and tech Robb Philpotts before the gig for this new Rig Rundown. We’ve gathered a few highlights below; watch the video for the complete picture.
Small’s main machine is this early-2000s Gibson Explorer with jumbo frets and Burstbuckers. It’s tuned to C standard with D’Addario strings (.011–.052), and he plays with Dunlop Tortex Sharp .73mm picks.
Zebra
Small also travels with this Ernie Ball Music Man Jason Richardson Cutlass in custom matte black, which has white stock Ernie Ball pickups and Lumenlay side dots.
Brendan Small’s Rig
Small uses a Neural DSP Quad Cortex for all of his core tones, which come from a Peavey 5150 amp model. He keeps two Dunlop expression pedals on hand: one for volume control, one for wah and whammy effects.
Question and Answer
Brosh’s primary picker, at right, is her signature Ibanez guitar, dubbed “the Answer.” Introduced earlier this year, this RG-style electric has a basswood body, maple neck with exclamation mark inlays, and a Lo-Pro Edge trem system. It carries EMG H1 and S1 passive pickups, and Brosh plays it with Ernie Ball Burly Slinky strings (.011–.048) and Dunlop Big Stubby 3mm picks.
The Ibanez RG5170B Prestige at left is a backup, primed with active pickups.
Nili Brosh’s Rig
Brosh runs through a HeadRush Flex Prime unit, programmed with rhythm and lead patches.
Up Against the Wall
Griffin’s go-to bass is his Dingwall D-Roc Standard (left) with fanned frets, tuned to C standard. The Dunable on the right is on hand for backup service. Griffin uses Dunlop Heavy Gauge (.055–.115) strings and Dunlop Flow Standard 1.14mm picks.
Pete Griffin’s Rig
Like Small, Griffin runs through a Neural Quad Cortex, primarily using a patch modeled on his Ashdown amps. Also on his board are a Dunlop Justin Chancellor Cry Baby wah, a Sushi Box FX Finally tube DI, and a top-secret prototype of a distortion stomp that will be coming out in the future.
In January of this year, PRS launched the SE Ed Sheeran Cosmic Splash Limited Edition. The exact same model but now in catalog colorways instead of Cosmic Splash, the SE Ed Sheeran Hollowbody I Piezo Baritone is available in exclusive finishes Kaleidoscope and Pink Ombre, along with Orange Tiger Smokeburst. This model will also feature birds on the fretboard.
“Metal guitarists will absolutely shred on this, jazz guitarists will love this, and it will be able to fit into so many great scenarios. For all the guitar people out there who look at me as not an electric player, don’t let the person behind the guitar fool you. This is an incredible instrument and will fit in many, many guitar players’ collections,” said Ed Sheeran.
Designed in collaboration with Ed Sheeran, the 27.7" scale length model is built with a maple top and mahogany back, and features a fully hollow body with a center-block design for added resonance and controlled feedback. Equipped with PRS 85/15 “S” pickups and a PRS/LR Baggs piezo system, the guitar offers the ability to blend the piezo’s acoustic voice with electric power or isolate either signal for stage or studio flexibility.
“Artists are such an important part of our product development,” continued Higginbotham. “The relationships we have with new artists is one of the amazing, energizing, motivational, inspirational things that we get to do as a company. Developing this guitar with Ed Sheeran is a great example of what these types of relationships are, and how we can collaborate with a world-renowned artist to create something new. Further, it highlights how the SE Series in general is studio and stage ready for even the biggest artists.”
PRS
SE Ed Sheeran Hollowbody I Piezo Baritone
Hollowbody Baritone Electric Guitar, Signature, with Maple Top, Mahogany Back and Sides, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 2 Humbucking Pickups, and Active Piezo System - Kaleidoscope
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