Sure, collectible gear can be important to rock stars, but for this mayhem-filled gig, Paul Wiley and Juan Alderete opt for loudness and durability.
This Schecter Custom II got some lovely burn marks thanks to Paul Wiley and bandleader Marilyn Manson. This one normally gets busted out for drop-D songs.
Enter to win replicas of Juan's two pedalboards.
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ĀBilly Strings has become one of the biggest drawing guitar players out on the road these days. His music brings bluegrass fans and jam band scenes together, landing him on some of the biggest stages around. Your 100 Guitarists hosts have brought in guitarist Jon Stickley to help them work out their differencesāone of us is a jammer and the other ā¦ is not.
Stickley goes way back with Billy, spotting his talent early in the young guitaristās career. The two have worked together since, and recently, when Billy had to dip out of his own festival as his wife headed to the hospital to deliver their baby, it was Stickley who was called to jump on stage and fill in at last minute notice. Stickley recounts the story of not only getting on stage, but strapping on Stringsā guitar, plugging into his space station, and taking off with Billyās band.
We called the right guitarist to guide us through, navigating Stringsā work, the way he brings together influences from genres outside bluegrass, and what makes him a guitarist you need to know.
This episode is sponsored by Grace Design.
Learn more at https://gracedesign.com.
Amythyst Kiah began learning guitar at the age of 13, then later attended a creative arts high school, where she found her people among all the āmisfits and weirdos.ā
The Americana singer-songwriter, known for supporting her vocals with intricate fingerpicking, found herself simplifying her process for her latest full-length, which, in turn, has led to more personal and artistic growth.
Folk singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah is a formidable fingerstylist. When asked about her creative process, she explains how sheās come up playing a lot of solo showsāsomething thatās inspired her to bring out the orchestral range of the guitar for her own vocal accompaniment. Over the years, sheās taken her high school classical training and college old-time-string-band experience to evolve her fingerpicking skills, developing three-finger technique and other multi-dimensional patterns influenced by players like Mike Dawes. And for her latest full-length, Still + Bright, sheās only continued to grow in her musicianship, but by stepping back to square one: rhythm.
Amythyst Kiah - "God's Under the Mountain"
āIāve stayed away from writing songs where Iām just strumming for a really long time,ā she prefaces, ābecause I was worried that it was going to be too boring to not do fingerstyle. But then I realized, thereās so many [strummed] songs that are super powerful, and you can still make it interesting rhythmically.
āI started to listen to more rhythm guitar players, like Cory Wong, and reconfigured how I was viewing rhythm guitar,ā she continues. āIt was a matter of finding a way to do it that was exciting and interesting to me. Now, itās really expanded the songs that I can write.ā
All of the demos for Still + Brightbegan with strumming, says Kiah. When working on ideas, she would āplay rhythmically as much as I could,ā then open GarageBand, choose a tempo she felt comfortable playing to, and add programmed drumsāoften going with a modern R&B pattern. But when she brought her songs to the studio, she discovered that she was struggling to replicate the guitar parts sheād recorded at home.For Kiah, whoās always had a very strong sense of self and vision for her sound, that was a bit discomforting.In the making of Still + Bright, Kiahās fifth full-length album, the songwriter strengthened her skills as both a rhythm guitarist and a vocalist.
āI had a moment of, āI can either spend way too long trying to replay this part that Iāve been playing from muscle memory at this point,āā she shares, or hand it off to her session player, Nashville guitarist (and, coincidentally, Premier Guitarcolumnist) Ellen Angelico, and focus on her lyrics and vocal delivery instead. āI used to be very much like, āI have to be playing guitar on everything.ā But thereās a team of people here that can help, and make things go along more smoothly. My ego shouldnāt be getting in the way.ā
She did, ultimately, play guitarāacoustic or electric, or bothāon five out of 12 tracks, and banjo on two. Angelico performed on each track, alternating between mandolin, dobro, pedal steel, and acoustic, electric, and baritone guitar. (Youāll also hear Billy Strings, with his unmistakable, rapid-fire bluegrass licks, on āI Will Not Go Down.ā)
The finished album exudes a spirit of triumph. It rings as one extended anthem, beginning with āPlay God and Destroy the World,ā a reflection on a childhood rejection of religious hypocrisy, and ending on āPeopleās Prayer,ā an avowal of humanistic compassion. āS P A C E,ā one of the more pensive songs in the collection, features Kiah playing clawhammer banjo. āGodās Under the Mountainā builds and undulates with a communion of syncopated vocal melody, fiddle, pedal steel, dobro, and background vocals by producer Butch Walker and Avi Kaplan. Then, the waltzing āDead Starsā unwinds with simpler, judicious instrumentation supporting a mournful theme, before swelling with Morricone-like eloquence as it closes. āThis is the first album where I really had a concept about everything, from the logo to the color palette, and everything else,ā says Kiah, āand I had an incredible team who was able to really bring to life what I was envisioning.ā
āAmythyst Kiahās Gear
Some of Kiahās building blocks for her fingerpicking abilities came from classical training in high school and old-time studies at East Tennessee State University.
Photo by Tim Bugbee/tinnitus photography
Effects
- L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic DI
- TC Electronic Polytune
Strings, Picks & Accessories
- Acoustic: DāAddario light
- Electric: Ernie Ball medium
- Dunlop .73 mm picksPaige capo
Throughout the record, Kiahās propulsive singing voice is the glowing flame to the hearth, acting as a centerpiece to the already luminous, Americana-fueled full-band arrangements. Like rhythm guitar, voice was another essential element that she cultivated while creating Still + Bright.
āI kind of diminished that power of having a voice,ā she admits, explaining how sheās always been preoccupied with measuring up on guitar, and has long held multi-instrumentalists such as Prince in high esteem. But something shifted when a sentiment expressed by her manager, Dolph Ramseur, years ago, finally sunk in. āHe said, āAmythyst, you know, you could just stand in a room and sing a cappella, and people would sit there and listen, and they wouldnāt get up and leave, and they would not be bored.ā And then it really dawned on meāitās a powerful thing, people that can just sing; thereās a power and strength there, too. Itās just understanding where the power lies, and then embracing it, as opposed to feeling inadequate.
āItās just understanding where the power lies, and then embracing it, as opposed to feeling inadequate.ā
āI have this ongoing obsession in the back of my mind that Iām never doing enough,ā she continues. āSo, anytime I remove something from the equation, I worry. That stems from social anxiety, and being overly concerned with, like, āAm I making the right decision?ā But it doesnāt matter how long I agonize or rethink or redo something; at the end of the day, the decision I make is still going to be spontaneous. Because thereās only ever ānow.āā She adds, laughing, āIām a big Alan Watts fan.ā
Now, sheās started doing vocal warmups before shows, āand through that, Iāve expanded my range and Iāve also been able to gain even more control over my voice. It also means that I can write more challenging songs. Those two thingsāexpanding [rhythm] guitar and expanding voiceāhave let me open a whole new side to my sound.ā
Spiritual themes appear frequently on Still + Bright, in both Kiahās song titles and lyrics. The opening lines of āEmpire of Loveā include, āMy religion is none at all / I build my own cathedrals and let āem fall.ā On āLetās See Ourselves Out,ā she sings, āSo many matrices we create to escape / Sometimes I wonder if weāre just a mistake.ā And, on more than one song, thereās mention of how āweāre all made from stars from above,ā alluding to the scientific evidence that the elements of the human body were created by stars that went supernova.
Kiah was raised in a predominantly white, Christian suburb in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as part of a Black family who didnāt attend church. She identified as an āalternativeā kid, vacillating between agnosticism and atheism, shopping at Hot Topic, and drawing inspiration from The Matrixās theme of breaking free from societal constraints. (She remarks on her younger selfās ācognitive dissonanceā of buying āāalternative clothesā at the mall.ā) As a self-proclaimed introvert, she dealt with social anxiety, and spent a lot of her time at home alone on the computer. But when she began learning guitar at 13, and later started attending a creative arts high school, she finally felt like she fit in: āācause everybody there was misfits and weirdos.ā
Spirituality is a common theme in Kiahās music. Her current beliefs draw mainly on principles of Zen Buddhism and Taoism.
Photo by Kevin King
Though still adamantly individualistic, her spiritual views evolved when she took courses in both Western humanities and Eastern religion in college: āI realized that people have created narratives about how to live our lives for thousands of years. So, this idea that only one group of people got it right and everyone else is wrong; that threw all of that out the window.ā Today, she says that Zen Buddhism probably best captures her personal belief system, but, āI hesitate to call myself a Zen Buddhist because I feel like I still have more to learn,ā she says. She also rereads the Tao Te Ching by Laozi āpretty regularly,ā lauding the principles of Taoism as another strong influence on her philosophies.
At the beginning of our 1 p.m. Zoom call, Kiah shares that she typically spends her mornings alone and in silence, meditating, writing, and reading, and lightheartedly apologizes for enthusiastically āgoing onāāsaying sheās had a lot of time to think before speaking to another person. When I ask her about what modern artists sheās listening to lately, she has more to say about what sheās been reading. One of the books in her current rotation is The Lost Art of Silence by Sarah Anderson.
Growing up, Kiah identified as an āalternativeā kid, and was something of an āanime mall gothā who often shopped at Hot Topic.
Photo by Tim Bugbee/tinnitus photography
āIt goes along really well with meditation and learning to live in the present,ā Kiah says. āItās been interesting to explore those different perspectives on silence, and make more of an effort to find time in my life to be quiet. I find that Iām getting more and more comfortable with myself and my thoughts, and I feel less like I always have to block out anxious thoughts. Or, if I have anxiety about something, I can come up with an idea of, āOkay, well, how can I alleviate this? Can I do anything about it?ā, and solve the problem as opposed to starting the spiral.
āImpostor syndrome was the big driver for my social anxiety, and now, I feel like Iām on the other side of being an impostor,ā she reflects. āIām doing what Iāve been wanting to do for the past 12 years, making a living doing this. Thereās stressful things that happen, but you have to decide, what are you willing to be stressed out about? To try to seek a perfect, happy life where nothing ever upsets youāthatās called emotional repression and itās really unhealthy. Itās just about accepting the fact that, hey, some days, some weeks are gonna be shit, and to find ways to take care of yourself that are as least self-destructive as humanly possible.ā
āIt doesnāt matter how long I agonize or rethink or redo something; at the end of the day, the decision I make is still going to be spontaneous. Because thereās only ever ānow.āā
And while sheās outgrown a lot of her social anxiety, she says itās been a challenge adapting to the stress that comes with the unpredictability of touring. āWhen I would be at home, I would establish this really tight routine, and then I got completely knocked on my feet when I would leave,ā she explains. āI had to get to this point where I would just be focusing more on the present and less on trying to micromanage how my dayās going to be, because itās not gonna always go the way that I want things to go.
āThatās been also helpful in my creative process, because then Iām not as anxious and worried about all these other things that I donāt have control over, and Iām able to just ā¦ enjoy the process of living.ā
Ellen Angelico's Gear
Guitars
- Dismal Ax Barnstormer
- Cervantes Telecaster
- GFI Expo S-10
- 1980s Kentucky KM-250S mandolin
Amp
- 3rd Power Dream 50 Plexi
Effects
- Peterson StroboStomp HD tuner
- Line 6 HX Stomp
- 1981 DRV
- MXR Timmy Overdrive Mini
- Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy
- Strymon Flint
Strings & Picks
- DāAddario NYXL
- Wegen picks
YouTube It
On WDVXās Blue Plate Special, recorded in Knoxville, Tennessee, Kiah performs an evocative, stripped-down version of āEmpire of Loveā from Still + Bright.
Designed with versatility and innovation at its core, the St. James 100 features four channels and six modes, alongside a suite of cutting-edge connectivity options
Blackstar Amplification has introduced the St. James 100 Head and Combo, the companyās flagship series in valve amplifier technology.
These include a built-in reactive load, CabRig IR-based speaker simulation, MIDI control, and USB-C connectivity making it the ultimate tool for the gigging professional and studio player alike.
Continuing the legacy of the acclaimed St. James series, Blackstarās St. James 100 Head is the worldās lightest 100 Watt valve head, while the St. James 100 Combo claims the title of the lightest 100 Watt2x12ā valve combo. By blending traditional craftsmanship with modern technology, these amplifiers set a new standard in high-performance amplification.
The St. James 100 introduces a suite of groundbreaking features that distinguish it from the competition. At its core is the innovative switchable and mixable power valve configuration, which incorporates two distinct power valve types, 2x 6L6 and 2x EL34. These can be toggled between or combined using a front-panel switch, allowing players to select 50-watt operation for specific tonal flavors or engage all four valves for the full 100-watt experience, unlocking a wide range of tonal possibilities.
The amplifier also features continuously variable power reduction, enabling the output to scale down to 5% of its maximum while preserving the signature valve tone, feel, distortion, and compression, making it ideal for any environment. Adding further versatility, the patent-applied-for āCutā selector offers a 3-position toggle to fine-tune the highest octave audio range (10kHzā20kHz) at the speaker outputs adjusting high-end frequencies for anything from aggressive clarity to warm, vintage tones.
The effects loop is equally flexible, switchable between +4dBu and -10dBV for compatibility with professional or stompbox-level devices, and offers both series and parallel routing options.
Additionally, a rear-mounted potentiometer provides fine control of the foot-switchable Solo Boost, adjustable between +2dB and +6dB, ensuring you get the kick that you need for standout lead moments.
The St. James 100 is a testament to Blackstarās dedication to pushing the boundaries of amplification. With one patent secured and another pending, this amplifier showcases the ingenuity of Blackstarāsengineering team and delivers groundbreaking solutions for guitarists worldwide.
Pricing for the new amps:
- St. James 100 head - $1999
- St. James 100 combo - $2499
For more information, please visit blackstaramps.com.
The Bristol bashers are back with an arsenal of new noisemakers on this updated Rundown.
Between 2016 and 2024, Bristol outfit IDLES have gone from being snarling, post-punk underdogs to being snarling, post-punk champions. Their debut LP, Brutalism, was an immediate hit, and since then theyāve turned out a string of full-length records that have expanded their creative vocabulary while increasing their popularity. Itās all come to a head this year with Tangk, their Grammy-nominated fifth album, which dropped in February.
Along the way, IDLESā sound has mutated into experimental offshoots and outgrowths, so itās little surprise that the rigs of guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan, along with bassist Adam Devonshire, have done the same. While they still tour with some of the gear they showed off on our 2021 Rig Rundown, each player has fun new trinkets that contribute to their run of shows this year. But even with all the new toys, they keep an element of danger in the mix, and certain variables mean the set sounds different every night: āPeople come to see an IDLES show ācause it almost falls apart all the time,ā grins Bowen.
Brought to you by DāAddario.Bowen's Bari
Bowen had a baritone neck matched with this Dacota red FenderĀ Stratocaster body. Itās got stock pickups, which split the difference between the twang of a Strat and the bassy tones of the bari. This one is tuned to either B standard or drop A#.
Triples Make It Safe
Bowenās signal is blasted out via a trio of amplifiers: a Vox AC30, Orange AD200B MKIII, and a Hiwatt Custom 100. A Hiwatt and Orange cabinet duo lend different textures to the soundwaves.
Mark's Mothership
Bowenās board setup is largely the same as he had in the 2021 Rig Rundown, but there are a few tweaks.
His primary guitar pedalboard remains mostly the same, with Death By Audio Reverberation Machine and Echo Dream 2, Adventure Audio Dream Reaper, Moog MF Delay and MF Ring, Death By Audio Waveformer Destroyer, Electro-Harmonix POG2, 4ms Pedals Mini Swash Full, Red Panda Particle and Raster, and a JHS Haunting Mids. His new tuner, though, is a Walrus Audio Canvas. It all still runs through a GigRig 3 switcher. Under the hood resides three signal sweeteners including an EQD Acapulco Gold and a pair of ZVEX boxesāa Lo-Fi Junky & Super Duper 2-in-1.
Next comes his modulation station, equipped with Moogās Moogerfooger MF-107 FreqBox, MF-102 Ring Modulator, MF-108M Cluster Flux, and CP-251 Control Processor, in addition to another no-name glitch/synth device. The Electro-Harmonix 95000, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Minim, and EHX POG2 are still in the mix, but the Strymon TimeLine has been swapped for a Vongon Paragraphs. An Akai MPC One+ helps with sampling, and a Sequential Prophet-5 synth ties it all together. A pair of Strymon Iridiums are hidden under the Moog units, which handle all the signals from this electric jungleāas well as signal from Jon Beavisā drums! āItās the tension between the space-age mad stuff and the AC/DC guitar,ā says Bowen. āI want bothā
A third board, beneath the modular materials, is loaded up to with three Mission Engineering EP-1 expression pedals, a Walrus Canvas Re-Amp, a Moose Electronics Dobsky Fuzz, a GigRig Three2One, and another GigRig G3.
Tape Measures
Lee Kiernanās Fender 70th Anniversary Esquire has become his go-to, a very versatile guitar which heās left unmodifiedāsave for the gaffer tape, of course. Despite the presence of strap locks under the tape, Kiernanās learned you canāt be too careful.
Jackson Shredder
Kiernan calls this Jackson Soloist āone of the best-playing guitars heās ever felt.ā Enough said.
Triples is Best
This time around, like Bowen, Kiernan is running a trio of amps: a Hiwatt DR88, Marshall 1987x, and Peavey Deuce, which still has the original, square-magnet Peavey speakers. (A backup 2x12, loaded with Eminence Swamp Thangs, is on-hand in case things go wonky.) At this point, shouldnāt he just get a Kemper? āNope,ā he responds shortly.
Have You Met Gary?
Kiernanās board has many of the same stomps as last time, but itās been configured into a double-decker layout rather than a sprawling, side-by-side affair, and the newest addition is the EarthQuaker Devices Gary, a distortion/fuzz combo he made with the Ohio effects company from the green side of their now-discontinued Gray Channel. Aside from his new buddy Gary, Kiernan runs a Boss TU-3S, EQD Tone Job, Red Panda Raster, Death By Audio Micro Dream and Reverberation Machine, Eventide H9 Harmonizer, Warm Audio Ringer Bringer, Boss DM-2w, EQD Organizer, Montreal Assembly Count to Five, Drolo Twin Peaks and Stamme[n], Death By Audio Interstellar Overdriver Deluxe, Boss PS-5, Moog MF Chorus, Xotic EP Booster, Intensive Care Audio Vena Cava Filter, EQD Data Corrupter, and GigRig Remote Loopy 2. A smaller separate board is home to a DigiTech Whammy, two Mission Engineering expression pedals, a third expression pedal for the Drolo Twin Peaks, and a Mission Engineering Expressionator.
Out of sight, Kiernan also has a EQD Acapulco Gold, and ZVEX Effects Instant Lo-Fi Junky and Super Duper 2-in-1.
(American) Ultra Mono
This Fender American Ultra Jazz bass was made specially for Adam Devonshire. He was stoked about this unique colorway, but wanted it paired with a thin C-profile neck. Fender made it happen, bolting it onto the body. Devonshire strings it with Rotosounds.
Lollapalooza Lincoln
When IDLES was in Chicago to play Lollapalooza, bass builders Serek invited him to check out their shop. After a few minutes with this Lincoln bass, Devonshire had put in an order.
Fane Versus Fullerton
Taking a 33-percent-less approach than his bandmates on 6-string guitar, Devonshire runs just two amps: a Hiwatt DR201 and a Fender Super Bassman.
Sweaty Stomps
Devonshire has a problem: He sweats a lot. Thatās not a big problem if your job doesnāt involve standing over rare, expensive electronics while dripping liquid onto them. So, heās got a big fear that heāll flood his favorite effects.
That said, these are the ones he feels are worth the risk: a Boss TU-3W, GigRig QuarterMaster, Darkglass Electronics NSG and Microtubes B7K Ultra, EHX Pico POG, Death By Audio Fuzz War, Baltimore Sonic Research Institute FZZ, Moog MF Chorus, Source Audio Spectrum, two Strymon Flints, Tronographic Rusty Box, and Tech 21 SansAmp Programmable Bass Driver DI.
Shop Idles' Rig
Electro-Harmonix POG2 Polyphonic Octave Generator Pedal
Moog Moogerfooger MF-104M Analog Delay
Moog Moogerfooger MF-108M Cluster Flux
Electro-Harmonix 95000 Performance Loop Laboratory 6-Track Looper
Mission Engineering Expressionator
EarthQuaker Devices Acapulco Gold
Darkglass Microtubes B7K Ultra
Tech 21 SansAmp Programmable Bass Driver DI
Fender American Ultra Jazz Bass
EarthQuaker Devices Gary Automatic Pulse Width Modulation Fuzz/Overdrive Pedal
EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job V2 EQ and Boost Pedal
EarthQuaker Devices Organizer V2 Polyphonic Organ Emulator Pedal
EarthQuaker Devices Data Corrupter Harmonizing PLL Pedal