Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

Rig Rundown: Manchester Orchestra

Observe how the Atlanta-based rockers keep instruments in the family and take a pragmatic approach by hitting the road with everyman gear to morph between their brutal heavy riffs and beautiful, cinematic soundscapes.

Guitarist Robert McDowell’s main squeeze for the last few years has been the “Sheriff”—a Fender ’72 Telecaster Deluxe reissue. It originally belonged to bandmate Andy Hull, but McDowell really gravitated towards it at the same time Hull was falling out of love with it. Both Robert and Andy use Ernie Ball Power Slinky .011–.048 strings.

Click to subscribe to our weekly Rig Rundown podcast:



Do you overuse vibrato? Could you survive without it?

Read MoreShow less

The author dials in one of his 20-watt Sonzera amps, with an extension cabinet.

Photo courtesy of PRS

Knowing how guitar amplifiers were developed and have evolved is important to understanding why they sound the way they do when you’re plugged in.

Read MoreShow less

Lenny Kravitz’s lead-guitar maestro shares how his scorching hit solo came together.

Read MoreShow less

Tobias bass guitars, beloved by bass players for nearly half a century, are back with the all-new Tobias Original Collection.

Read MoreShow less