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Rig Rundown: Silversun Pickups

The L.A. rockers explain how they weave and manipulate their boundless tones with some classic Gibson ’birds and a mix of tube power and digital modeling. Plus, we find out guitarist Brian Aubert’s secret weapon.

Starting out on the Fender P bass, Nikki was never quite satisfied with her tone until taking a Gibson Thunderbird for a ride and enjoying its power and sustain. Her No. 1 is a ’90s model that is completely stock except the Thunderbird logo was converted into a giraffe for Nikki. This one is named after the Bond character Pussy Galore. This one is in standard tuning and all her 4-strings are equipped with Ernie Ball Slinky .050–.105 strings.

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See and hear Taylor’s Legacy Collection guitars played by his successor, Andy Powers.

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Ernie Ball, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium guitar strings and accessories, proudly announces the launch of the all-new Earthwood Bell Bronze acoustic guitar strings. Developed in close collaboration with Grammy Award-winning guitarist JohnMayer, Bell Bronze strings are engineered to meet Mayer’s exacting performance standards, offering players a bold new voice for their acoustic guitars.Crafted using a proprietary alloy inspired by the metals traditionally found in bells and cymbals, Earthwood Bell Bronze strings deliver a uniquely rich, full-bodied tone with enhanced clarity, harmonic content, and projection—making them the most sonically complex acoustic strings in the Ernie Ball lineup to date.

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The Irish post-punk band’s three guitarists go for Fairlane, Fenders, and a fake on their spring American tour.

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Milkman’s Jerry Garcia-style JG-40 combo.

Grateful Dead-inspired gear from Milkman and Scarlet Fire helps to keep the guitarist’s sound alive.

Guitar players wanting to catch the Grateful Dead’s particular lightning in a bottle exist along a spectrum. Some are content to take inspiration from Jerry Garcia’s playing but make their own way regarding guitar choice and signal path. Others strive to emulate Garcia’s sonic decisions down to the most minor details and create signal paths as close to Jerry’s as possible. In recent years, an ecosystem of gear has developed around fostering Jerry Garcia’s electric tone, including everything from guitars, amps, and stompboxes to on-board preamps and speakers.

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