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Rig Rundown: Waddy Wachtel

One of the most recorded guitar players in history takes us behind the scenes while on tour with Stevie Nicks for a look at his bare-bones setup.

John Bohlinger
By John BohlingerFeb 08, 2017
John Bohlinger
John Bohlinger is a Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist best known for leading the band on NBC's Nashville Star, serving as music director for the CMT Awards and specials on PBS and GAC, and of course for his appearances in PG Rig Rundown, Review Demo, Axes & Artifacts, and What Bohlinger Plays videos.
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Wachtel has never relied on effects, instead preferring to plug a guitar straight into the amp. On this tour, he ran a long cable into an Ernie Ball Volume pedal. From there the signal hits his pedalboard which consists of a MXR Smart Gate, Fulltone 2B booster (to bring his Strat up to Les Paul-levels), and an A/B switch by Sonic Solutions that enables him to run into two amps at once. A Radial Firefly DI is used for his acoustic input and it’s all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power.

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Fender Road Worn Strat

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Gibson J-200

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Blackstar Artist 30

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MXR Smart Gate

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Fulltone 2B Booster

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Radial Firefly DI

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Voodoo Lab Pedal Power

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