Rig Rundown: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

The influential “riot grrl” Rock and Roll Hall of Famer keeps it simple, but that doesn’t mean she’s not picky about her Gibson Melody Makers, Red Rhodes Velvet Hammer pickups, and Music Man amps.

Needles runs his guitars into a 100-watt Marshall JCM900 Dual Reverb head driving a 4x12 cab loaded with Celestion Greenbacks. Both the 900’s channels are at about 4 on volume, with presence on 0 and the 3-band EQ cranked. A duplicate half-stack serves as backup.

Premier Guitar’s Shawn Hammond met with Zach Nagy, guitar tech for Joan Jett, lead guitarist Dougie Needles, and bassist Hal Salzer before the Blackhearts’ show at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 21, 2015.

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Rig Rundown: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

The influential “riot grrl” Rock and Roll Hall of Famer keeps it simple, but that doesn’t mean she’s not picky about her Gibson Melody Makers, Red Rhodes Velvet Hammer pickups, and Music Man amps.

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