Joel Hoekstra is a longtime Les Paul guy. This 2007 Gibson Les Paul Custom is his main axe for the TSO show. It’s totally stock, and like all of his guitars, it’s strung up with Ernie Ball Power Slinky .011–.048 strings.
Joel Hoekstra’s 2017 Gibson Firebird Custom also features an ebony fretboard and 490R/ 498T humbuckers.
Here’s Joel Hoekstra’s 50th Anniversary Gibson Flying V in a Brimstone Burst finish.
This 1991 Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion III was originally purchased for jazz/swing gigs, but Joel Hoekstra finds it works well with the TSO.
Joel Hoekstra also grabs this 2016 Friedman Vintage-T, which is loaded with a Fernandes Sustainer, and decked out in Vintage White to match the holiday theme. Beneath the bridge you’ll notice a small card of text that was taken from David Zablidowsky’s funeral and placed there to honor Joel’s former bandmate. (Zablidowsky was killed when a semi-truck hit the touring vehicle for Adrenaline Mob in 2017.)
This 2010 white Explorer-style guitar was built for Joel Hoekstra by Atomic Guitar Works.
Joel Hoekstra also rocks this 2010 Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 with a DiMarzio DP152 in the bridge, a DP116 in the middle, and a Fernandes PC1 Sustainer Driver in the neck.
Ironically through a Steve Vai hookup, Joel Hoekstra got his hands on this brand-new Ibanez JS1CR Satriani sig with a Fernandes Sustainiac in the neck.
When things get mellow Joel Hoekstra grabs this 2010 Martin 000-16GT armed with a Fishman Matrix Infinity VT preamp. It’s strung up with Ernie Ball 80/20 Bronze strings (.013–.056).
For quicker acoustic changes, Joel Hoekstra uses this early ’90s Gibson Chet Atkins SST.
Joel Hoekstra uses the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL with his tech, Galen Henson, controlling the effects in real-time with an off-stage Voodoo Lab Ground Control switcher. Hoekstra mainly uses two sounds:
- A dry rhythm sound based on the Mesa/Boogie TriAxis model into a 4x12 Recto cab model. This same preset is used with delay programmed to song tempos when needed.
- A lead sound based on the Soldano SLO-100 model into a 4x12 Recto cab model, with a TS808 model in front, delay programmed to song tempo, and a plate reverb.
There’s also a clean sound used in just a couple of instances that’s based on a Fender Vibroverb model into a Bassman cab model with light chorus, delay, and reverb.
The rig itself consists of four channels of Shure UR4D wireless, one channel for acoustic guitar direct to the board and three channels for electric guitar into a Whirlwind Multi-Selector which sends the signal to the Fractal that sends the signal directly to the board.
Chris Caffery recently purchased a trio of matching Gibsons in Hunter Green. The first one is a stock 1992 Custom Shop Flying V. This and all but one other guitar, is strung with GHS .010–.052 nickel strings.
The second matching guitar is Chris Caffery’s ’93 Gibson SG.
Finally, we have Chris Caffery’s ’92 Gibson Explorer. This guitar is kept in drop-C tuning (C–G–C–F–A–D) and uses GHS .011–.056 strings.
Chris Caffery’s Zelinski is a special TSO build with white tiger engraved graphics. The neck is engraved with the company’s patent-pending Z-Glide that’s reminiscent of a diamond pattern for a better feel and smoother movement. It’s loaded with a Seymour Duncan JB set.
This 2001 Jackson V was revamped by Chris Caffery’s tech, Fred Kowalo, who put in a set of Seymour Duncan JB pickups and returned the wiring to the proper specs. It is equipped with an Eddie Van Halen Floyd Rose D-Tuna.
This 2009 Gibson Les Paul is equipped with a TonePro bridge and tailpiece, Grover locking tuners, and a Hipshot GT1 Grover-style drop-D tuner.
The graphics on Chris Caffery’s 2008 Dean are from TSO’s Night Castle album and sports Seymour Duncan pickups and an EVH D-Tuna.
Chris Caffery’s other decked-out Dean is dubbed “The Wizard” and features custom TSO graphics, Grover tuners, and Seymour Duncan JG pickups.
This 2009 Zelinsky DBZ features Beethoven graphics, Seymour Duncan JB pickups, and an EVH D-Tuna.
The centerpiece of Chris Caffery’s rack are his DigiTech GSP1101 units. He rolls with three vintage models and combines them with a Dunlop Cry Baby rackmount wah.
In Chris Caffery’s pedal rack sits a Fulltone GT500, H.B.E. Power Screamer, and a Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble. The whole rig is powered by a Furman AR-15 Voltage Regulator.
And we couldn't forget this one — a curvaceous interpretation of a classic is Joel Hoekstra’s 2018 Gibson Modern V.
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D'Addario XT Strings:https://www.daddario.com/XTRR
When not performing at various festivals across North America in 2024, front man Jakob Nowell immersed himself in the Sublime catalog and found a deep sense of connection to his late father. The band is tapping into the 90s nostalgia, writing and recording the new songs with powerhouse producing duo Travis Barker and John Feldmann, in addition to working with producer Jon Joseph (BØRNS). The first single will be released this Summer via their newly established label Sublime Recordings.
"I grew up on Sublime. ‘40oz. to Freedom’ changed the way I listened to music. I’m so honored to be working with the guys in Sublime. Creating music for this album has been so fun and exciting. Bradley comes through his son Jakob while writing in the studio and performing. Chills every day in the studio when he sings and play guitar. This is going to be really special." – Travis Barker
“Sublime has always been a huge influence on me and to be able work with the band has been inspirational and game changing…It has been a highlight of my life to work on such a seminal record with such talented people. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and to continue the legacy and keep it authentic to what they have historically done.” – John Feldmann
After Jakob Nowell’s debut as Sublime’s new front man at Coachella 2024, he and his uncles Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson continued the momentum of this latest chapter of the band, performing at over 20 festivals and shows across North America by the end of last year. Additional highlights from 2024 include Sublime’s late-night television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a 4-song set on the Howard Stern Show and the band’s first top 10 hit on alternative radio since 1997 with their single “Feel Like That,” featuring the vocals of both Bradley Nowell and his son Jakob together.
2025 is shaping up to be an even busier year for the band, with a handful of headlining shows, high-profile festival appearances to support the release of the new album.
For more information, please visit sublimelbc.com.
Sublime 2025 Tour Dates
- April 5 – LIV Golf Miami – Miami, FL
- April 18 – Red Rocks Amphitheater – Morrison, CO
- May 3 – Beachlife Festival – Redondo Beach, CA
- May 16 – Welcome To Rockville – Daytona Beach, FL
- May 23 – BottleRock Napa Valley – Napa, CA
- May 25 – Boston Calling – Boston, MA
- June 14 – Vans Warped Tour – Washington, DC
- July 12 – 89.7 The River’s 30th Anniversary Show – Omaha, NE
- July 20 – Minnesota Yacht Club Festival – Saint Paul, MN
- September 14 – Sea.Hear.Now – Asbury Park, NJ
- September 19 – Shaky Knees Festival – Atlanta, GA
Price unveiled her new band and her new signature model at a recent performance at the Gibson Garage in Nashville.
The 6-string was inspired by the J-45 she bought at Nashville’s Carter Vintage Guitars after she was signed to Third Man Records, where she made her 2016 ice-breaker album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter. But her affection for Gibson acoustics predates that, going back to when she found a 1956 LG-3 in her grandmother’s home. The guitar had been abandoned there by her songwriter great uncle, Bobby Fischer.
“I played it for years before I found my J-45,” Price recounts. “At Carter Vintage, I tried a lot of guitars, but when I picked up that J-45, I loved that it was a smaller guitar but really cut through, and I was just really drawn to the sound of it. And so I went home with that guitar and I’ve been playing it ever since.”
“Having a signature model was something I had dreamed about.”
Of course, Price was also aware of the model’s history, but her demands for a guitar were rooted in the present—the requirements of the studio and road. The 1965 J-45 she acquired at Carter Vintage, which is also a cherry ’burst, was especially appealing “compared to a Martin D-21 or some of the other things that I was picking up. I have pretty small hands, and it just was so playable all up the neck. It was something that I could easily play barre chords on. I could immediately get everything that I needed out of it.”
If you’ve seen Price on TV, including stops at Saturday Night Live, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, you’ve seen her ’65. And you’ve also seen, over the years, that part of the soundhole’s top has been scraped away by her aggressive strumming. It’s experienced worse wear from an airline, though. After one unfortunate flight, Price found her guitar practically in splinters inside a badly crushed case. “It was like somebody would have had to drive over this case with a truck,” she relates. Luckily, Dave Johnson from Nashville’s Scale Model Guitars was able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
After that, an alternative guitar for the road seemed like a requirement. “Having a signature model was something I had dreamed about,” Price says. Friends in her songwriting circle, including Lukas Nelson and Nathaniel Rateliff, already had them. Four years ago, a tweet asking which women they thought should have signature models appeared, and one of her fans wrote “Margo Price.” Smartly, Price tagged Gibson and retweeted. Codey Allen in Gibson entertainment relations spotted the tweet and agreed.
The double pickguard was chosen for Price’s J-45 because of its symmetry, as a nod to the Hummingbird, and due to her heavy strumming hand.
Photo courtesy of Gibson
“The neck is not quite as small as my J-45, but it is just a bit smaller than many J-45s fives, and very playable no matter what size hands you have.”
“And so we began our journey of building this guitar,” Price says. “I debated whether it should be the LG-3, which I still have hanging on my wall, or the J-45. I went to Montana and visited their [acoustic] factory and sat down with Robi Johns [senior product development manager at Gibson acoustic], and we ultimately decided that the J-45 was my guitar. Then we started talking about the specs. We did pull from the LG-3 in that the body of this signature guitar is a bit smaller. It still has a really loud, clear sound that rings through. The neck is not quite as small as my 1965 J-45, but it is just a bit smaller than many J-45s, and very playable no matter what size hands that you have.”
The pickup that Price selected is a L.R. Baggs VTC Element with a preamp, and she took a prototype of the guitar on the road opening for the Tedeschi Trucks Band. “I am used to playing with a really loud band, with drums and sometimes a couple electric guitars, and I wanted to make sure that this guitar just cut through,” she says. “It was really important to me that it be loud, and it cut beautifully. It’s got a mahogany body and scalloped bracing, which makes it very sturdy. This guitar is a workhorse, just like me.”
The Margo Price J-45’s most arresting characteristic, in addition to its warm sunburst finish, is its double-sided pickguard with an etching of a quartet of red-tailed hawks in flight. It’s practical for her strumming style, but it’s also got a deeper significance.
“We talked about all sorts of things that we could put on the pickguard, and I’ve always been a big fan of the Hummingbird, so what we did is a bit of a nod to that,” Price continues. “I’ve always been drawn to red-tailed hawks. They are supposed to be divine messengers, and they have such strength. They symbolize vision and protection. I would always count them along the highway as I’d be driving home to see my family in Illinois.”
Birds of a feather: “I’ve always been drawn to red-tailed hawks,” says Price. “They are supposed to be divine messengers, and they have such strength. They symbolize vision and protection.”
Photo courtesy of Gibson
With its comfortable neck, slightly thinner body, and serious projection, Price notes, “I wanted my guitar to be something that young girls can pick up and feel comfortable in their hands and inspire songs, but I didn’t want it to be so small that it felt like a toy, and that it didn’t have the volume. This guitar has all of those things.” To get her heavy sound, Price uses D’Addario Phosphor Bronze (.012–.053) strings.
Price says she and her signature J-45, which is street priced at $3,999, have been in the studio a lot lately, “and I have a whole bunch of things I’m excited about.” In mid March, she debuted her new band—which includes Logan Ledger and Sean Thompson on guitars, bassist Alec Newman, Libby Weitnauer on fiddle, and Chris Gelb on drums—in a coming out party for the Margo Price Signature Gibson J-45 at the Gibson Garage in Nashville. “I’ve been with my previous band, the Price Tags, for more than 10 years, and it’s definitely emotional when a band reaches the end of its life cycle,” she says. “But it’s also really exciting, because now, having a fiddle in the band and incredible harmony singers … it’s a completely different vibe. I’ve got a whole bunch of festivals coming up this year. We’re playing Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and I’m so excited for everyone to hear this new iteration of what we’re doing.”
With its heritage cherry sunburst finish and other appointments, the Margo Price Signature Gibson J-45 balances classic and modern guitar design.
Photo courtesy of Gibson
