Fort Wayne, IN (May 31, 2008) -- After a taxing seven and a half hour drive through the finest Illinois and Western Indiana had to show us, we arrived in Fort Wayne, Indiana for Sweetwater’s second running of GearFest. We really hoped the event would get to a better start than ours – after losing 1000 magazines; tolerating four hotel fire alarms; missing the final three minutes of the Eastern Conference Finals as the Direct TV signal went out; and enduring one severely pissed-off thunderstorm, we were hoping for a miracle. Not even the soul-drenched stylings of GearFest’s kickoff concert, Tower of Power, could raise our spirits.
Fortunately, on Saturday morning, the clouds cleared and dulcet tones of the electric guitar began rolling out of Sweetwater’s newly minted facility – GearFest ’08 was underway and it was good. A day of deeply discounted gear and hour-long workshops in Sweetwater’s spacious headquarters, it was more than enough to boost morale. To celebrate the changing of our luck, we thought we’d pass along a few highlights, along with links to videos from the event.
Getting Started
Legendary producer Bruce Swedien opened up the
show with the keynote address, recounting his studio exploits with heavy
hitters like Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Quincy Jones. One particular story
that taught the importance of exploration: he was working with Count Basie and
decided to record the trombone solo in a corner of the studio, without any
direct mics. One of the studio owners showed up to see what was going on and
grew furious when he saw Swedien’s plan. “You can’t record a musician off-mic
like that,” the owner said. “It just isn’t done.” When Swedien insisted, the
studio owner threatened to fire him if the stunt didn’t work. The band then
recorded “Night Time is the Right Time,” and the trombone solo sounded
fantastic. Ingenuity 1, Establishment 0. “It ended up making my career,” he recounted.
 Koch had the audience in stitches with his Fender demos. |
Major Manufacturers
Manufacturer gear demos were the norm, but some were more entertaining than others. Bart Walsh, billed in the schedule as David Lee Roth’s guitarist, gave a spirited demo for Gibson by playing a series of classic rock licks billed as “classic Gibson moments.” We identified riffs from STP, Pearl Jam, the Eagles, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy and Metallica. A bit cheesy? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. He was playing a 2003 LP Standard stocked with Burstbucker Pros and signed by Les Paul himself, all through a POD 2.0. The closing argument? “Buy a Gibson guitar and chicks will dig you.” Sold.
Also entertaining was Fender’s afternoon demo, hosted by none other than Tele comedian Greg Koch. He showed off Fender’s new American Standard Tele, the VG Strat and the Super-Sonic amp, featuring a great blend of Vibralux clean and Bassman balls. He wowed the audience with some quick pickin’ on an off-the-rack Tele before taking everyone through the always impressive VG. If you haven’t played with it yet, do yourself a favor – from open tunings to convincing 12-string acoustics, it does it all without breaking a sweat.
Deal Central
 The flea market was a draw for deal-seekers. |
Audiophile Paradise
The Pro Audio tent had a great breeze and lots of goodies for recording fans – we quickly lost count of the Cinema Displays and high-powered laptops on display. One of our favorite stops was at the Manley Labs booth, where the “TUBES RULE” stickers were handed out like candy at a parade. While they specialize primarily in super high-end, overbuilt studio gear like mic pres, their VOXBOX was of extra interest. Originally designed as a combo vocal processor, bassists quickly fell in love with its ability to produce the roundest, fattest tones around. If you’re not familiar with the company, check them out at manleylabs.com. And start saving your pennies – prices start at $4000.
 Seymour Duncan and friends closed out the day with a jam session |
Seymour Duncan was everywhere, and not just in the guitars. He gave an illuminating talk in the afternoon, detailing his upbringing in South New Jersey and his discovery of the instrument, including instructional books from Mel Bay himself. Among the names dropped in his talk were Roy Buchanan (who he sat in with at 15) and Jeff Beck (whom he created the JB for, before a little album called Blow by Blow). One of the best bits was related to his early learning of an essential technique: “My soldering iron was my mom’s butter knife heated over the gas stove,” he recalled. A great image, but the Premier Guitar legal team has instructed us to discourage readers from trying it. He also enjoyed an hour-long jam session in Sweetwater''s acoustically perfect Performance Theatre. Lots of blues, and at the apex of the jam we counted five guitars on stage, including help from Johnny Hiland and Greg Koch.
Here''s a list of our videos so far from GearFest:
- Fender Demos with Greg Koch
- Gibson Pickup and Robot Guitar Demos
- Martin Guitars
- Million Dollar Mic Vault
- Stories with Seymour Duncan
- Acoustic Mic''ing Tips and Techniques
- Free Guitar Restringing
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 [director of sales and marketing 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
There’s a good chance that if you’re a guitar fan, you’ve seen Nathaniel Murphy’s gear demos—either on his Instagram account, where he goes by @zeppelinbarnatra, or on the Chicago Music Exchange page. His solo arrangements of classic tunes display his next-level technique and knack for clever arranging, and he makes our jaws drop every time he posts. When we learned that the Irish guitarist is a huge fan of U2’s The Edge, we knew he had to be our expert for this episode.
Together with Nathaniel, we’re decoding our favorite eras of the Edge’s tones—from his early Memory Man days through his expanding delay rack rig, into his 1990s Achtung Baby sounds, and all the way through to his Sphere rig. How does he get those amazing delay tones? And what are those cool picks he uses?
