Tim Carroll's amp "A," one of his fleet of trusty Vox Pathfinder 15Rs, miked and ready to rock.
Nashville is a land of musical shamans. And in all lands of such potent magic, there is an inner circle that includes the most respected members of that class. Typically, they're not widely known to the outside world, but among their peers they are revered. Tim Carroll is such a shaman—a songwriter of such depth that John Prine chose to cover his work, and a ferocious rock 'n' roll guitarist whose ability to improvise around his writing's chiseled backbone is seemingly limitless.
Beginning in 2008, when Carroll was off the road or outside the studio, he began a semi-regular Friday evening Rock 'n' Roll Happy Hour residency at East Nashville's indie-rock mecca, the 5 Spot. For the last eight years or so—save for the pandemic lockdown—he's taken the stage there weekly, delivering two-and-a-half hours of steamrolling rock 'n' roll … nearly all original songs and no break. And with an almost preternatural blend of intensity and joy, and a tone so bold and raw it would ring right in an arena. As Broadway Danny Rose might say, he's dynamite.
The one I bought in Portland, Oregon, to stash at my brother's house, came in the box, and on the outside it said 'Practice Amp.' And I thought, 'Oh my god! This amp is so much more than that!"
Here's the rub: Carroll's amp is a Vox Pathfinder 15R. You might not know that model, since it was discontinued seven years ago, after a dozen-year run. The 15R is, of course, 15 watts, and the R stands for reverb. It also has tremolo, with the usual speed and depth dials, plus volume, reverb, gain, treble, and bass knobs.
There's also a gain-boost button. The speaker is a 1x8 Bulldog, and the amp measures 15"x14"x7". And Carroll has used the solid-state model—he owns five of them—for solo coffeehouse-style gigs, his residency and other club shows, outdoor sheds, many Grand Ole Opry appearances, and even, as a sideman, on the Late Show with David Letterman—twice.
Besties: Tim Carroll and his Vox Pathfinder 15R during soundcheck at East Nashville's indie-music mecca, the 5 Spot.
"I leave the gain button on and the master all the way on 10, and I nudge the gain up about an eighth of an inch for a gnarlier sound, and move it back to clean it up," Carroll explains. "The treble and bass point towards each other at 10 and 2 o'clock, and I never use the reverb, because rooms have their own natural reverb and I don't want to muddy it up." Occasionally, for slower tunes with his trio or for solo gigs, he uses tremolo, with each dial turned to less than halfway, just to add character. Carroll typically plugs a 2012 Gibson Les Paul Traditional strung with D'Addario .011–.049 sets into his tiny titans, and if you want to hear exactly how titanic he sounds, check out the full-length Tim Carroll Rock 'n' Roll Happy Hour video on YouTube. Three of his Pathfinders have a mod: He's had their plastic 1/4" jacks replaced with metal ones, for obvious reasons.
Carroll fell for the Pathfinder 15R at a rehearsal for a gig where multiple artists were backed by the same band. "They had a Pathfinder there for everyone to use, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is just great—so simple and perfect." He set about acquiring one, and then another, and more. "They were only $110 or $115 new, so I figured this is almost a throw-away amp. Well, not a throwaway, but I was touring a lot at the time and I figured I could buy a few and stash them in different towns, for when I flew.
For a humble 1x8, this amp has a lot of flexibility in its control set: gain, a boost button, volume, treble, bass, tremolo speed and depth, and reverb.
Sometimes, I would put one in my suitcase and pack clothes around it, and just check it as luggage. I bought one used, from Craigslist, for $55. I name all my amps something really simple, like A or B, so that one is 55. The one I bought in Portland, Oregon, to stash at my brother's house, came in the box, and on the outside it said 'Practice Amp.' And I thought, 'Oh my god! This amp is so much more than that!"
If you're still skeptical about the Vox Pathfinder 15R, consider that they're now commanding prices from $275 to $400 online. Better yet, if you can find one, plug in, turn it up, and rock the hell out.
Tim Carroll Rock'n Roll Hour
The 5 Spot on a Friday night with Tim Carroll and his rock'n roll band.
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Initially released in 1977, the Gibson RD model has been a cult classic for years. It is famous for its unique appearance, which takes inspiration from both the Gibson Explorer and Firebird designs, as well as its functionality and use by several popular guitarists across multiple genres.
Now, the iconic RD Custom joins the Gibson Custom core lineup for the first time. Not only is this the first Custom Shop-built RD model, but it is also the first 25.5” scale length solidbody core model offered by Gibson Custom. Complete with the classic and comfortable RD body shape, including a rear tummy cut for extra comfort, this model also features a mahogany body with multi-ply top binding, Gibson Custom aesthetics, including gold hardware and mother-of-pearl block inlays on the neck, and a mother-of-pearl Custom split diamond headstock inlay. The RD Custom also has a 25.5” scale mahogany neck with a Medium C profile and long neck tenon, a bound ebony fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets, and a bound headstock with Grover Rotomatic tuners. The updated electronics include 490R and 498T pickups, CTS potentiometers, and a hand-wired harness.
The Gibson RD Custom is designed to help players stand out from the crowd with its longer scale length, curvaceously elegant body, and classic design. Now is your opportunity to experience the unique and comfortable playing experience of the cult-favorite Gibson RD Custom for yourself. A Custom Shop hardshell case is also included.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Along with contemporaries like MGMT and Passion Pit, Greenwich, New York, duo Phantogram’s experiments crosspollinating hip-hop, indie, and punk rock helped cement and elevate a new era of electronic-influenced alt-rock and indie music. At the start of the 2010s, you’d be hard-pressed to find a college radio station or dorm-room playlist that didn’t include a Phantogram hit.
Sixteen years after the release of their debut record, band leaders Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, who started Phantogram in a town of just a few thousand people, are touring behind their latest full-length, 2024’s Memory of a Day. The tour included a sold-out stop at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium—a different sort of barn than the kind they used to perform in back in Greenwich—where PG’s John Bohlinger caught up with Carter and Barthel. Courtesy of some help from their tech, the duo showed us how they’re pulling off their theatrical live experience.
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Music Mantogram
Carter is endorsed by Ernie Ball Music Man guitars, so all three of his road axes are variations on his current favorite Cutlass model. This one, first among the trio, is finished in black with a gold pickguard, and like its stablemates, it bears the Phantogram logo inlaid on the first fret. Carter removes the vibrato bar and uses his hand to pull the bridge up to nail the warbles. Aside from that, this one is all stock, and strung with Ernie Ball Paradigm .010s. While he sometimes grabs a pick, Carter plays most of the set with an acrylic nail on his index finger.
Brown Sound
This first backup Cutlass is finished in brown with the woodgrain peeking through and a burgundy tortoiseshell pickguard. It has a Seymour Duncan single-coil-sized humbucker in the bridge position for a hotter output than its black counterpart.
Step It Up
This natural finish Cutlass has had the same pickup mod as the brown one, but this one stays tuned a half-step up for special deployment.
Clean Business
Carter uses a wireless system to run to this Neural DSP Quad Cortex at his feet. His tech has set it up to emulate many of the pedals Carter uses in the studio. Carter appreciates the tactile and flexible nature of the system; it can take MIDI programming so Carter can focus on performing, or it can be rigged up to function like a traditional pedalboard. He uses a mix of amp emulations, including AC30-, 5150-, Fender tweed-, and Jazz Chorus-style patches.
A Boss volume and expression pedal alongside the Quad Cortex give Carter some extra control over the setup.
Josh Carter's Pedalboard Playground
While Carter carried a compact stomp station for tour, he’s addicted to stompboxes and uses them for inspiration when writing and sound building during studio sessions. Here’s what a small selection shared from his collection:
“The most prominent pedals I used for years onstage before switching to the Quad Cortex were the Line 6 DL4, Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail, Boss
DD-6 Digital Delay, Boss OC-3 Super Octave OC-3, Fulltone OCD, Wampler Ego Compressor, and Route 66 American Overdrive.
My go-to studio pedals are the MXR Joshua Ambient Echo, Line 6 DL4, Death By Audio Reverberation Machine, Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail, Chase Bliss Generation Loss MkII, Chase Bliss Mood MkII, Boss DD-500 Digital Delay, Chase Bliss Audio Automatone CXM 1978, Old Blood Noise Mondegreen Delay and Reflector Chorus.
And some honorable mentions for pedals I’ve been really digging as of late would be the Neon Egg Planetarium, Roland Space Echo, and various vintage & new spring reverbs.
Silver Stunner
Sarah Barthel initially played keys in Phantogram, but she learned bass and mimicked her synth parts on the instrument so she could move about freely and interact more with Carter. This custom-made sparkle-finish Fender Mustang is the perfect size for her, and she just recently started playing it with a pick. She runs into a Quad Cortex, too, but the Fender Bassman stack lurking behind the bass serves as an onstage monitor.
Jazzmaster
Barthel isn’t confined to the bass, either. At some points in the set she jumps onto this prized Jazzmaster, which she’s had for 15 years.
Gary is not exclusively a destruction machine. Its distortion/overdrive section is a very streamlined take on EarthQuaker’s Gray Channel, a versatile DOD 250-derived double distortion. Like any good circuit of the 250 ilk, Gary’s hard clipping OD/distortion section bites viciously in the high- and high-mid frequencies, supported by a tight, punchy low-mid output. You can play anything from balanced M.O.R. studio crunch to unhinged feedback leads with this side of Gary. But it’s the envelope-triggered pulse-width fuzz—which most of us will hear as a gated fuzz, in many instances—that gives the Gary its werewolf duality. Though practice yields performance patterns that change depending on the instrument and effects you use around the Gary, its fuzz ultimately sputters and collapses into nothingness—especially when you throw a few pitch bends its way. The cut to silence can be jarring, but also compels a player to explore more rhythmic leads and choppy riffs that would sound like sludge with a Big Muff. The Gary’s unpredictable side means it won’t be for everybody, but its ability to span delicioso distortion and riotous splatter fuzz in a single unit is impressive.
EarthQuaker Devices Gary Automatic Pulse Width Modulation Fuzz/Overdrive Pedal
