Guitarist/frontman Russell Marsden’s longtime No. 1 was his first real guitar—a late ’90s Fender Jazzmaster that his parents got him after graduating high school. It has been featured on all four of the band’s albums and used nearly every night since the band formed. The body and neck on the guitar are original but not much else is as he’s swapped out the original bridge for an upgraded Mastery, put on an aftermarket pickguard designed after the aesthetics of a ’59 Jazzmaster, put in custom-wound P-90s by Monty’s Guitars in London, and updated the tailpiece, switches, and knobs because they’ve all busted over the time he’s owned the instrument.
Rig Rundown: Band of Skulls
The English rock band travels heavy with Fender solidbodies and Gretsch semi-hollows while proving that pedal swaps make a group closer.
By Chris KiesNov 09, 2016
Chris Kies
Chris Kies has degrees in Journalism and History from the University of Iowa and has been with PG dating back to his days as an intern in 2007. He's now the multimedia manager maintaining the website and social media accounts, coordinating Rig Rundown shoots (also hosting and/or filming them) and occasionally writing an artist feature. Other than that, he enjoys non-guitar-related hobbies.