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Rig Rundown: Heart

We get the lowdown on the guitars and basses used by Nancy and Ann Wilson, Craig Bartock, and Dan Rothchild.

Nancy also brings three or four Gibson Nighthawks—which she co-designed with Gibson—in various tunings. She uses an early-’90s version for Led Zeppelin covers, and an F-tuned one for Robin Trower’s “Day of the Eagle.” She’s also road-testing a new Epiphone version of the Nighthawk with a prototype Trem King cam-based vibrato.

Premier Guitar’s Shawn Hammond met with Ann and Nancy Wilson’s guitar tech, Jeff Ousley, lead guitarist Craig Bartock, and bassist Dan Rothchild before Heart’s show at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 21, 2015. Ousley—who’s been maintaining the Wilson sisters’ gear (and making them mean cups of coffee) for more than 20 years—walked us through everything from Ann’s custom Martin acoustics to Nancy’s vintage SG and Tele, while Bartock and Rothchild shared their cool customized instruments.

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