Gary Clark Jr.’s longtime tech Dave Holman met with Premier Guitar’s John Bohlinger before their three-night sold-out run at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for a look at Gary Clark Jr.’s simple, yet stellar, setup. Later, JB met with King Zapata (above right) who showed off how he uses his complex rig for layering deep soundscapes.
When Gary Clark Jr. took over the scene with his debut Warner release, Blak and Blu, he did it armed with this 2007 Epiphone Casino packed with the stock P-90s. “Red” stays strung with D’Addario Chromes (.011–.014–.018p–.028–.038–.049).
This ’90s Ibanez Blazer, a gift from Gary Clark Jr.’s mother, is where it all started. The Blazer stays strung with D’Addario Custom Nickel Roundwounds.
Gary Clark Jr. worked with Gibson to help create a Gibson GCJ Flying V prototypes. Clark carries two of them on the road and both rock a trio of Gibson Custom Shop P-90s and D’Addario .011–.049 strings.
Here is Gary Clark Jr.’s second V prototype.
In 2017 Gibson built Gary Clark Jr. this signature SG with Gibson Custom shop P-90s.
Gary Clark Jr. has long been associated with the Fender Vibro-King. Currently, he tours with a 2012 65-watt head version that sports a 100-watt transformer with modded bias points on the back of the amp.
The Vibro-King feeds a Fender 2x10 closed back cab loaded with Fender 10” speakers.
Depending on the venue, Gary Clark Jr. will often add this 2013 Fender Princeton at low volume in rooms when the big amp loses tone from lack of volume.
Gary Clark Jr.’s pedalboard is run entirely through the effects loop of the Vibro-King, so his guitar plugs straight into the front of his amp. Down front he has a TC Electronic PolyTune 2 Noir, Fulltone Octafuzz, Function f(x) The Cannon Dual Fuzz, Strymon Flint, Dunlop Gary Clark Jr. Cry Baby Wah, Function f(x) Clusterfuzz, and a Hermida Audio Zendrive.
This yellow sparkle number is Eric Zapata’s go-to on every gig. It’s a Moollon S-style axe based on vintage ’60s Stratocaster specs. He outfitted it with Don Mare pickups with the bridge pickup reversed. Zapata strings it up with D’Addario EXL115 Nickel Wound strings (.011–.049).
Eric Zapata’s other Moollon is this lefty Esquire-style axe.
For something a bit different, King Zapata plays this 1959 Supro Belmont made by National Valco. The pickup looks like a humbucker but it's actually a hot 9K single-coil. This vintage beauty features a Brazilian rosewood fretboard, solid mahogany body, and a maple neck.
Eric Zapata uses a dual-amp setup where both amps run into a single cab via a Radial Headbone VT. On the bottom is an Amplified Nation Steel String Singer, which was based on a Dumble Steel String Singer S/N #005. It contains four 6550 tubes running at a staggering 150 watts. The power section is articulate, punchy, and stays clean at extreme levels of volume. It also has a cathode follower driver tube, which is an additional 12AT7 located in the power section. The cathode follower adds output with extremely low distortion.
On top is a custom built Royal JPP100. The Royal and the Steel String run into what started out as a Marshall JTM45 4x12 cab, but he converted it to a 2x15 loaded with Electro-Voice 15L speakers.
Eric Zapata combines pedals to create spacious, ethereal effects. On the floor, from amp to guitar, Zapata runs a Carl Martin Headroom Reverb, ’70s MXR Loop Selector, ’90s Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, ’80s Ibanez Analog Delay D-80, Sonus Halo Vibe, Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere, a ’60s Vox 847 Wah, a ’70s Shin-Ei 8tr Fuzz that was rehoused by Analog Man, and a Scott McKeon germanium fuzz. Other than some proprietary power solutions, a Voodoo Lab PP2 supplies the juice. Zapata’s pedalboard was built by Mason Marangella at Vertex Effects.
On top of Zapata’s rack sits a ’70s Roland Space Echo Tape Delay.
American Stage Cables:https://www.daddario.com/AmericanStageRR
It’s almost over, but there’s still time to win! Enter Stompboxtober Day 30 for your shot at today’s pedal from SoloDallas!
The Schaffer Replica: Storm
The Schaffer Replica Storm is an all-analog combination of Optical Limiter+Harmonic Clipping Circuit+EQ Expansion+Boost+Line Buffer derived from a 70s wireless unit AC/DC and others used as an effect. Over 50 pros use this unique device to achieve percussive attack, copious harmonics and singing sustain.
A 1000-watt speaker cabinet crafted for musicians who demand power and precision. Sunn Amps intends to reinvent the standard 4x12 configuration with the introduction of this new cabinet.
The Sunn Amps DoomBox is built to accommodate both guitar and bass, offering an impressive 1000-watt handling capacity—making it the first commercially available 4x12 cabinet with such high power handling. With four specially designed 12” drivers rated at 250 watts each, this cabinet provides clean, unrestrained sound levels that can maintain power integrity across all frequencies, ideal for high-volume performances.
Inspired and developed using feedback from artists and bands who rely on the depth of lower tunings and high volume genres, the DoomBox was engineered to meet the unique demands of professional musicians looking for a robust, high-efficiency cab that can translate the raw power of their sound without compromise.
Premium Craftsmanship and Materials
The Doom Box cabinet is crafted from solid finger-jointed Baltic Birch plywood, ensuring both durability and tonal clarity. Each cabinet is constructed by hand in the U.S.A. using original 1930s machinery, the DoomBox reflects Sunn’s historic commitment to quality, contrasting with some of the mass-produced, MDF-based cabinets on the market today. The cabinet’s aluminum basket, ferrite magnet, and custom Sunn weave Tolex with a custom grill design complete its professional-grade build.
Technical Specifications:
• Power Handling: 1000W
• Inputs: 1 x ¼”
• Impedance: 8 Ohm
• Drivers: 4 x Sunn 12S250
• Construction: Marine Grade Baltic Birch
• Dimensions: 29.25” X 30” X 14”
• Weight: 107 lbs
• Price: $2399.00
With clear low-end punch, even sound response, and ample air movement, the Doom Box ensures that every note reaches the audience with clarity and power. This cabinet is a game-changer for musicians who need high-performance, road-ready equipment that enhances their unique sound.
Does the guitar’s design encourage sonic exploration more than sight reading?
A popular song between 1910 and 1920 would usually sell millions of copies of sheet music annually. The world population was roughly 25 percent of what it is today, so imagine those sales would be four or five times larger in an alternate-reality 2024. My father is 88, but even with his generation, friends and family would routinely gather around a piano and play and sing their way through a stack of songbooks. (This still happens at my dad’s house every time I’m there.)
Back in their day, recordings of music were a way to promote sheet music. Labels released recordings only after sheet-music sales slowed down on a particular song. That means that until recently, a large section of society not only knew how to read music well, but they did it often—not as often as we stare at our phones, but it was a primary part of home entertainment. By today’s standards, written music feels like a dead language. Music is probably the most common language on Earth, yet I bet it has the highest illiteracy rate.
Developed specifically for Tyler Bryant, the Black Magick Reverb TB is the high-power version of Supro's flagship 1x12 combo amplifier.
At the heart of this all-tube amp is a matched pair of military-grade Sovtek 5881 power tubes configured to deliver 35-Watts of pure Class A power. In addition to the upgraded power section, the Black Magick Reverb TB also features a “bright cap” modification on Channel 1, providing extra sparkle and added versatility when blended with the original Black Magick preamp on Channel 2.
The two complementary channels are summed in parallel and fed into a 2-band EQ followed by tube-driven spring reverb and tremolo effects plus a master volume to tame the output as needed. This unique, signature variant of the Black Magick Reverb is dressed in elegant Black Scandia tolex and comes loaded with a custom-built Supro BD12 speaker made by Celestion.
Price: $1,699.