George Thorogood and the Destroyers have been burning the world up with their blues- and boogie-rock for more than half a century, and before their February gig at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, our Rig Rundown crew met up with Thorogood, tech Rev Jones, and veteran Destroyer Jim Suhler at PRG Nashville for a look at how they cook up their kick-ass riffage onstage these days. PG’s John Bohlinger takes you through all the details in our video, but have a look at some essential pieces of the pie below.
Thorogood’s long been a vintage Gibson ES-125 TDC devotee—the dual-P-90, single-cutaway, semi-hollow design has been his calling card for decades—so Epiphone created the George Thorogood ES-125 “White Fang” Outfit for him so he’d always have a road-ready 125. The instrument has P-90 PRO pickups and Wilkinson Deluxe tuners.
Thorogood’s tech, Rev Jones, cuts and tapes lengths of copper pipe for Thorogood to use as slides in open-G and open-D tunings. Jones uses GHS strings, with .012–.054 for standard tuning and .015–.056 for open tunings.
Paint It Black
Aside from its finish, this black ES-125 is as close as can be to Thorogood’s primary “White Fang,” so they can be switched out at any time with almost no change in feel.
George Thorogood’s Pedalboard
Thorogood uses Electro-Harmonix 22 Caliber Power Amps—which aren’t manufactured anymore—on the road, cranked through Mesa/Boogie 1x12 cabinets. Ahead of that setup, he runs a rack-mounted board operated with a Voodoo Labs PX-8 Plus Programmable Switcher, which includes an MXR Boost/Line Driver, Empress Para EQ, DigiTech FreqOut, Boss BF-3, Boss TR-2, and Boss DD-5.
Goldie Rocks
Longtime Destroyer Jim Suhler likes this goldtop Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro III for touring thanks to its comfort and consistent tone.
Jim Suhler’s Pedalboard
Like Thorogood, Suhler’s sound runs through a combo of Mesa/Boogie cabinets and EHX 22 Caliber Power Amps. Upstream from them, on Suhler’s board, are a TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Noir, Fender Micro DI, TC Electronic Spark Mini, J. Rockett Archer Ikon, and Boss TR-2.
"Jingle" John Osborne is a certified twangin' telemaster. His main squeeze for nearly the Brothers Osborne decade-plus run has been a '68 Tele he bought for $700 when he first moved to Nashville. It already had the B-bender in the body, but Osborne but enough staink and groovy grease on it to wipe away any of the previous owners' DNA. It's become so crucial to his sound that Fender recognized the companionship and honored the master and his tool with a signature model mirroring its inspiration. Here old friend John Bohlinger grabs a Osborne sig and the pair chat about guitar playing, why Teles are the best for country music, and share a couple jams. Enjoy!
The guitarist for the classic rock revivalists proves old amps, paired with even older guitars, is still a recipe for tonal success.
Tyler Armstrong, lead guitarist for St. Louis, Missouri, rockers the Band Feel, recently invited PG’s John Bohlinger out to Smoakstack Studios in Berry Hill, just south of Nashville, for this Rundown of the axes, amps, and effects he’s using to conjure the classic rock ’n’ roll sounds of the ’70s. Aside from his pedals, Armstrong sticks to the tried-and-true recipe: American guitars through British amps. Scroll for some highlights of the Rundown, and watch the video to get the nose-to-tail treatment.
This all-original 1959 Gibson Flying V is on loan from Gibson’s Certified Vintage program. Armstrong secured it for some recent studio work, and attests that out of five he test-drove that were built in the same period, this one is the best of the bunch. He’s gotta give it back, right? “We’ll see what happens,” Armstrong grins.
Friend from ’53
Armstrong acquired this “super messed-up” 1953 FenderTelecaster with the help of a friend in Illinois. The warped neck was heat-treated to make it playable, and the body has been contoured on the back and front to give it a Jeff Beck feeling. It’s kept in open-G tuning for some live performances.
Dynamic Duo
<p>In studio, Armstrong uses a 1965 Vox AC15 2x12 combo and a Marshall JMP Super Bass. When playing live, he runs the JMP alongside a 1963 Fender Bassman.<br/></p>
Tyler Armstrong’s Pedals
<p>Among Armstrong’s select studio weapons are a Sonic Research ST-200 tuner, Mythos Oracle, Electro-Harmonix Small Stone EH4800, Mythos Luxury Drive, EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things, R2R Electric Pre-Amp with an extra knob for EQ, <a href="https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Phase90--mxr-m101-phase-90-phaser-pedal?irclickid=Sy72HhyqAxycWp1UwTUUjyKJUkp2l10ArRo1X80&irgwc=1&utm_source=Impact&utm_medium=Premier%20Guitar&utm_campaign=Online%20Tracking%20Link" target="_blank">MXR Phase 90</a>, vintage Maestro PS-1A, and an <a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/tag/lr-baggs">L.R. Baggs</a> Voiceprint D.I.</p>
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