We rummaged through our entire backlog of Rig Rundown footage and photos to compile a guide to some of 2014’s tastiest, most elaborate stomp stations, including boards from the Cult’s Billy Duffy, Keith Urban, the Pixies, the Sword, Carlos Santana, Brent Mason, and more.
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Amyl and the Sniffers are pragmatic. They rock fast and write and record even faster. Legend has it they knocked out their debut EP, 2016’s Giddy Up, from start to finish in just 12 hours in the band’s shared home. And their Australian Recording Industry Award-winning (Best Rock Album) self-titled full-length debut is a sweltering, swaggering, scallywag’s set of 11 songs that clock in at 30 minutes. During Australia’s Covid shelter-in mandate, the frenzied foursome locked themselves in their home once again to pen 13 rambunctious-yet-buffed jams that combine blazers with slow burns. Regardless of tempo, danger lurks in their every note and word. With the disregard of Iggy, the venom of Lemmy, and power of Angus, their live performances are tornadic events. Lead singer Amy Taylor is the charismatic lightning, while guitarist Declan Martens, bassist Gus Romer, and drummer Bryce Wilson are the locomotive thunder.
Hours before Amyl and the Sniffers’ headlining set at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, Martens invited PG’s Chris Kies stage right to chronicle his Hemi-like setup. In this episode, we meet his paired live instruments from Gibson, unwrap the story behind his “Excalibur” pedal, and understand Martens’ MO to work smarter, not harder.
For nearly every show with Amyl and the Sniffers, Declan Martens played a raggedy Strat that was loaded with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge. And on top of that, it’s been featured on all their recordings. That changed in April 2022 when Gibson approached Martens to test drive some of their models. He landed on a daring pair with roots in 1958 that includes this Gibson Explorer in antique natural. It has all-mahogany construction with a rosewood fretboard. The stock Burstbucker 2 (neck) and Burstbucker 3 (bridge) pickups are in place, but the neck humbucker has been disconnected so he can use the selector as a kill switch.
The second gift from Gibson was this brand-new Flying V that employs the same recipe as the Explorer, with a mahogany body and neck in antique natural, a rosewood fretboard, and Burstbuckers 2 and 3. Martens notes in the Rundown that the Explorer has been seeing more stage time and the V has been reserved for backup duties, but admits that could change at any point.
He once went with coated Elixir strings for their longevity, but he’s been trialing .010–.046 sets from the D’Addario NYXL and Ernie Ball Paradigm families. Martens did mention that he played .010–.052s on the Strat, but found that Gibson’s compact scale length allowed him to reduce to standard .10s. They typically stay in half-step-down tuning, but do venture into drop C# for “Capital.”
That’s Martens and Marshall. He prefers plugging into JMPs for his love of ’70s rock and punk, but for this U.S. run he’s backlining with a pair of modern JCM800s. Each head is set to stun and firing through a deuce of Marshall 4x12s (1960AVs on top and 1960BVs on bottom) that are carrying Marshall G12 Vintage by Celestion speakers. Martens remarks that he’d ideally run the heads into Marshall 1960AX and BX 4x12s, because they come with 25W Celestion G12M-25 Greenbacks that are more “AC/DC than Guns N' Roses.”
Before the band’s first international performance, at The Great Escape festival in Brighton, UK, Martens told their tour manager he needed to find a volume boost/gain pedal. As luck would have it, at the end of the street they were staying on sat a pawnshop. In one of its window displays rested this nondescript home-build. A spontaneously serendipitous spark hit Martens and he purchased the stomp. He plugged it into his rig and was floored: “It wasn’t just something that I liked. I was like ‘holy shit, I love this.’”
Declan says he’s deduced from tinkering that this is a hybrid clone combo that sits between a MXR Distortion+ and DOD Overdrive Preamp 250. He describes it as being a “high midrange boost with hectic gain.” He claims it’s the secret sauce for the studio and values it too much to tour with. However, he did have it in a small case for this run and is tempted to put it into action because he’s missing it.
Declan doesn’t need much to party—proven with this baby board that holds a MXR Carbon Copy Mini, an always-on Electro-Harmonix Soul Food, and a clone of his beloved booster/gain gooser. The TC Electronic PolyTune 2 Noir keeps his Gibbys in check and is actually third in line behind the clone and Soul Food. Everything hits the front of the amp, as he doesn’t use effects loops to keep his tech time at a minimum.
The new Les Paul Standard 50s Faded returns to the classic design that made it relevant, played, and loved -- shaping sound across generations and genres of music. It pays tribute to Gibson's Golden Era of innovation and brings authenticity back to life. The Les Paul Standard 50s features a satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish that gives it the look and feel of a long-treasured musical companion. It has a solid mahogany body with an AA figured maple top and a rounded 50s-style mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard and trapezoid inlays. It's equipped with an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge, an aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece, Vintage Deluxe tuners with Keystone buttons, and gold Top Hat knobs with dial pointers. The open-coil Burstbucker 1 (neck) and Burstbucker 2 (bridge) pickups are hand-wired to audio taper potentiometers and Orange Drop capacitors.
The new Les Paul Standard returns to the classic design that made it relevant, played, and loved --shaping sound across generations and genres of music. It pays tribute to Gibson's Golden Era of innovation and brings authenticity back to life. The Les Paul Standard 60s features a satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish that gives it the look and feel of a long-treasured musical companion. It has a solid mahogany body with an AA figured maple top and a SlimTaper 60s-style mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard and trapezoid inlays. It's equipped with an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge, aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece, Grover® Rotomatic "Kidney" tuners, and gold Top Hat knobs with Silver Reflectors and Dial Pointers. The open-coil 60s Burstbucker pickups are loaded with Alnico 5 magnets and hand-wired to audio taper potentiometers and Orange Drop capacitors.
The SG Standard ‘61 Faded Maestro Vibrola returns to the classic design that made it relevant, played, and loved -- shaping sound across generations and genres of music. It features a satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish that gives it the look and feel of a long-treasured musical companion. As the name implies, the Gibson SG Standard '61 Faded Maestro Vibrola also adds vibrato capability. The Maestro Vibrola offers smooth vibrato effects and the classic styling of the Lyre engraving on the tailpiece cover. Standard features include a SlimTaper mahogany neck and a bound rosewood fingerboard. The mahogany body features a deeply sculpted body scarfing, a 5-ply teardrop pickguard, and a 22nd-fret neck joint. The nickel-plated hardware includes an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge and Keystone tuners in addition to the Maestro Vibrola Tailpiece. The pickups are open-coil 60s Burstbucker humbuckers™ for a classic voice with added power and top end. Controls feature audio taper potentiometers and Orange Drop capacitors.
The J-45 is Gibson's best-selling acoustic of all time. Nicknamed "The Workhorse" and first introduced in 1942, this iconic acoustic has become the cornerstone of its round-shoulder, dreadnought line. World-renowned for its full, balanced expression, warm bass, and excellent projection, the J-45 has been refined to carry this legacy to new heights. The Gibson J-45 50s Faded delivers full-spectrum sound with incredible dynamic range, warm mids, and tight, punchy bass. Now available with a faded satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish that accentuates the guitar's vintage vibe and equipped with a modern LR Baggs pickup and electronics package for studio and stage use. A hardshell case is also included.
The J-35 evolved from the Jumbo in 1936, a time when the Great Depression was still wreaking havoc on Americans. Gibson developed the J-35 to be a pared-down model that still offered musicians a warm and balanced instrument. The J-35 30s Faded delivers every bit of the seasoned, vintage look, feel, and sound of our iconic J-35, with a satin nitrocellulose finish that only adds to its rich legacy and undeniable vintage vibe. Discerning flattop players will love the rich, full-bodied tone from this vintage-inspired, round-shoulder beauty, along with its superb playability and simple aesthetic charm. Includes a hardshell case.
The unmistakable Gibson Hummingbird is followed by the masses as one of the most remarkable acoustic guitars ever built. The new Hummingbird Faded blends vintage appointments and today's modern, high-quality build construction. The Hummingbird Faded is outfitted with gold Gotoh Keystone tuners, a traditional Hummingbird truss rod cover, and a bone nut and saddle. The built-in LR Baggs VTC electronics make this guitar stage and studio-ready, right out of the included hardshell case.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
