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

Rig Rundown: Thunderpussy's Whitney Petty

The guitarist of Mike McCready’s favorite new band uses a straightforward setup that proves a swaggering, punk attitude and greasy rock ’n’ roll isn't just a man’s game.

After talking about federal court battles and copyright protection, PG’s Chris Kies turns the conversation with Thunderpussy’s sole guitarist Whitney “Shreddy” Petty back to gear where she explains how Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready gifted her a Custom Shop Les Paul in the men’s room of the Showbox in Seattle. The interview at Nashville’s High Watt then details how Whitney turned McCready onto a new amp company, and lastly, she puts on her’59 Les Paul reissue to show the increasing levels of filth on her pedalboard and how she cascades them into prime grime.

Building a grassroots buzz for over five years and being based out of the Seattle area, Thunderpussy quickly earned the fast friendship of Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready. The PJ cofounder has been a mentor to Whitney Petty, signed them to his Stardog Records, and laid down some guitar tracks on songs “Velvet Noose” and “The Cloud.” While recording the song “Velvet Noose,” McCready let Whitney use his stock 1959 burst (among other dream-list guitars during tracking). After Thunderpussy opened for his UFO cover band Flight to Mars at Seattle’s Showbox Theater, McCready had Whitney follow him into the men’s room and gifted her this Gibson Custom Mike McCready ’59 Les Paul. Ever since that fateful restroom rendezvous it’s been her No. 1. The guitar is mostly stock to the scan of Mike’s OG ’59, although during a concert-ending-jam Whitney was embracing the feedback of the instrument and let it drop to the floor resulting in a headstock snap. Luckily, she knew Mike Lull and he hooked her up with some neck surgery and gave the Les Paul a clean bill of health.

“Shreddy” Petty’s first electric guitar was a red Strat that her dad bought her for Christmas and is called “Old Reliable.” While hitting the road hard over the last few years, it’s proven to be more of a home guitar and she’s upgraded to this Fender American Original ’50s Stratocaster. She is not partial to any brand of strings (although she wasn’t a big fan of the .009s on this Strat), she prefers to play .010s in a heavy-bottom/light-top configuration.

Another fan of Thunderpussy is amp builder Derek Springer who is behind Rola Amplification and Union Jack Audio. Springer approached Whitney about building her a custom, handwired amp and the result is this one loosely based on two popular circuits (with a switch between them)—a JTM and plexi.

On most nights, Petty will go with a stereo setup, but before the Nashville gig her Marshall Club and Country died so her Radial BigShot ABY was just running her signal through the Rola. (Typically, she runs the effects through both amps.) Her pedalboard currently is home to a Roland Double Beat AD-50 Fuzz Wah, Electro-Harmonix Black Finger, ProCo Rat, MXR Phase 90, an Xotic EP Booster, and a pair of EarthQuaker stomps—an Afterneath and a Disaster Transport SR. A TC Electronic PolyTune2 Mini keeps everything in check.


Click below to listen wherever you get your podcasts:

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on Google Podcasts
Listen on StitcherListen on Spotify

D'Addario Micro Tuner:https://www.daddario.com/MicroTunerRR



Billy Corgan shining with his Reverend Z One.

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman balances a busy creative life working as a wrestling producer, café/tea company owner, and a collaborator on his forward-thinking, far-reaching line of signature guitars. Decades into his career, Corgan continues to evolve his songcraft and guitar sound for the modern era on the band’s latest, Aghori Mhori Mei.

“Form follows function,” explains Billy Corgan when asked about the evolution of his songwriting. These three words seem to serve as his creative dictum. “Early Pumpkins was more about playing in clubs and effecting a response from the live audience, because that’s where we could get attention."

Read MoreShow less

The effect of ecommerce on CopperSound's shipping room.

Our columnist ponders the business-to-consumer model, and how the design of online stores might be more crucial to the stompbox industry than we’d like to admit.

Let’s open things up with a TV/movie trope. The character on screen has a speech that they’ve been preparing for once they’re called up onstage to address the audience. When they finally get up to the lectern to deliver it, they pause, give the attendees a look over, and rip up their script in a dramatic fashion before pursuing an off-the-cuff, heartfelt message that goes on to invigorate the crowd and inspire a roaring ovation. For right now—I’m at least doing the first part of that. I’m abandoning my planned topic. Consider this me ripping up my finely curated index cards.

Read MoreShow less

Loud, evil, searing hot, and unexpectedly versatile, the Fuzz War’s demented bass cousin has a bold and more-complex personality all its own that sounds radical with guitar, too.

Evil. Just plain evil. Unexpected and vast variation. Responds interestingly to bass volume and tone attenuation. Wet/dry mix control. Sounds amazing (and extra evil) with guitar.

None.

$195

Death By Audio Bass War
deathbyaudio.com

5
5
4.5
4.5

If you like your fuzz measured in megatonnage, the Death By AudioFuzz War is one of life’s great joys. And if you’re a bass player with similar predilections and accustomed to watching guitar players have all the fun, the new DBA Bass War will be sweet revenge.

Read MoreShow less

Originally introduced in 1975 as part of the Schaffer-Vega Diversity System (SVDS) wireless system, this mini boost pedal originated from a 1/4” headphone jack intended for monitoring purposes.

Read MoreShow less