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

Rig Rundown: Pete Anderson

The neo-twang king demonstrates his signature-model Reverend guitars—and his surprising amp rig.

John Bohlinger from Premier Guitar met with award-winning guitarist/artist/producer Pete Anderson before his March 19th, 2014, gig at the Loveless Cafe in Nashville. Pete provided details on the genesis of his signature Reverend guitars and his no-amp, no-pedalboard rig.

Guitars


After practically inventing neo-country twang in the ‘80s with Dwight Yoakam, Pete Anderson will probably always be associated with Telecasters. For years he played Fender Teles and Tom Anderson Tele-style models.

But when it came time for a signature guitar, Pete had turned a page in his career, and was getting back to playing blues on a hollowbody. Several guitar companies courted Anderson in hopes of making a signature model. Pete eventually went with Reverend, who worked from Pete’s sketch to build the sexy-shaped, Bigsby-equipped, hollowbody Pete Anderson PA-1. This unique guitar features locking tuners, a dual-action truss rod, a compensating nut, uni-bracing, and tons of mojo.

Pete has made a few changes on his personal instrument: Maricela “MJ” Juarez of the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop wound the pickups. (Pete, who has a 30-year history with Duncan, claims that MJ is absolutely the best.) They went through 10 pickup prototypes before arriving at the final noise-canceling version, which features alnico 2 magnets and blades instead of pole pieces. MJ calls these “P-90 Blades.”


After a successful run with the PA-1, Reverend collaborated with Pete again to build the Pete Anderson Eastsider T, a lightweight, Korina Tele-style model with a chambered body, pin-lock tuners, stainless steel saddles, a compound radius fretboard (10" to 14"), and a push/pull phase switch. This sunburst Eastsider also features Duncan Custom Shop pickups: a stacked, noise-canceling Tele-style pickup in the neck, and a Billy Gibbons BG 1400 Esquire Lead in the bridge. This road guitar has also been upgraded with CTS Pots and staggered Gotoh locking tuners.

Pete’s guitars are strung with D’Addarios (.011.5 through .054), tuned down a whole-step. All his guitars feature Dunlop 6105 Tall/Skinny frets and Earvana Nuts. LA-based tech Gil Chavez maintains the instruments. Pete’s guitars have a vintage look, but they’re built with modern parts that can handle the rigors of touring.

Amps and Effects


When Pete plays, you hear vintage Fender Deluxes and Twins. But what you see are two first-generation Line 6 Pods (the old, kidney-shaped ones that many of us have buried in our gear graveyards). Pete worked with Line 6 early in the development of the Pod, and the company recorded and modeled Pete’s actual amps.

Pete’s signal flows from his guitars through a Nady W-1KU dual-rack system into a Lehle P-Split II splitter box, which routes the signal to his two Pods, one wet with reverb and delay, and the other dry save for a whisper of ’verb. From there the signal feeds a Fryette Two/Fifty/Two Stereo Power Amplifier plugged into two Weber Deluxe open-back cabinets, each with a 12" Patriot Cannabis Rex speaker by Eminence (for that smoking tone). These cabs provide the stage volume and vibe, but most of the house sound comes straight from the Pods. A Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 provides the AC.

Pete does not use any pedals with his rig. However, a MIDI cable connects his wet signal with the drummers’ click to keep delays in sync with the band. All other sound variation comes from Pete’s hands and pickup selection.

SWShopTheRigButton

A rig meant to inspire! That’s Jerry Garcia with his Doug Irwin-built Tiger guitar, in front of his Twin Reverb + McIntosh + JBL amp rig.

Photo by Frank White

Three decades after the final Grateful Dead performance, Jerry Garcia’s sound continues to cast a long shadow. Guitarists Jeff Mattson of Dark Star Orchestra, Tom Hamilton of JRAD, and Bella Rayne explain how they interpret Garcia’s legacy musically and with their gear.

Read MoreShow less

Taylor Guitars, one of the world’s leading acoustic guitar brands, has teamed up with Sony Pictures Consumer Products and HBO®to unveil a replica of the acoustic guitar featured in the award-winning HBO Original series The Last of Us, which is now streaming its second season on Max. This collaboration brings fans and musicians alike an exact replica of the guitar Joel gives Ellie in the critically acclaimed show.

Read MoreShow less
GTRS Announces the W902, The Latest Update to its Wing-series of Intelligent Guitars
GTRS Announces the W902, The Latest Update to its Wing-series of Intelligent Guitars
GTRS has introduced the W902, the newest release in GTRS’ Wing-series Intelligent Guitar lineup, expanding on the series’ cutting-edge features while maintaining an accessible price point.
Read MoreShow less

Detail of Ted’s 1997 National resonator tricone.

What instruments should you bring to an acoustic performance? These days, with sonic innovations and the shifting definition of just what an acoustic performance is, anything goes.

Read MoreShow less