The Icelandic rockers roll with semi-hollows for their hard-hitting blues.
Iceland-born, Nashville-based blues rockers Kaleo released their fourth full-length LP, Mixed Emotions, on May 9 via Elektra. To celebrate the album in their adopted hometown, they threw a party at American Legion Post 82 in East Nashville.
Some of the band’s gear had already been shipped to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where the official release show took place on May 10, but “Kentucky Fried Scandinavian” lead guitarist Rubin Pollock gave PG’s Chris Kies a look at the must-haves loaded in for the legion gig.
Pollock bought this 1967 Gibson ES-345 at Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville, and since then, it has been his closest friend, used on all tours and recordings. He favors its out-of-phase sounds brought on by using both pickups, and though it's equipped with a Varitone knob system, Pollock almost never uses it. He hasn’t changed the strings in years.
The Kustomer is Always Right
It was almost closing time when Pollock saw this Kustom K-200 hanging on a wall in a New York City guitar shop. The shop clerk said there was no time to try it, so Pollock bought it on the spot. It has a darker tone than his 345, which he brightens with a wah pedal. Its strings haven’t been changed since he bought it.
A Fender Mustang, bought in 2016, was treated to new strings recently by Pollock’s tech. He didn’t seem stoked.
Projector Project
With his black-panel Fender Deluxe already making its way to Red Rocks, Pollock opted for this Austen Hooks-built projector amp. Hooks built him one after Pollock fell in love with another of his builds at a Los Angeles studio.
Rubin Pollock’s Pedalboard
Pollock packs light, configuring his board to fit in a shoulder bag that he can carry himself wherever he needs to go. His pedals include a Strymon El Capistan and Flint, JHS Colour Box, DigiTech Whammy Ricochet, Boss TU-3, Fulltone Octafuzz, Chase Bliss Preamp Mark II, and an Isle of Tone “Cookie Monster” fuzz.
Jökull Júlíusson’s Guitars
Jökull “J.J.” Júlíusson couldn’t make it for the Rundown, but Pollock gave us a look at his Gibson ES-330 and his signature resonator, built by English luthier Pete Turner. Behind them sits J.J.’s long-time go-to amp, his Orange AD30, which ran through an Orange 1x12 cab.
Jökull Júlíusson’s Board
Júlíusson’s board includes a Strymon Flint and El Capistan, Boss TU-3, a custom Sounds of Shelby drive pedal, Vemuram Shanks ODS-1, MXR Ten Band EQ, and Radial StageBug DI box, plus a channel switcher for the AD30.
With switches that add germanium transistors and a bass boost to the classic Klon formula, Keeley delivers a more flexible and often more potent overdrive.
The Keeley Manis uniquely combines both germanium NOS transistors and diodes for more compression and saturation. This evolution is unlike any other mythical Klone! Keeley writes the next chapter in the legend of the mythical Klone pedal with several storied upgrades and features. First up is the germanium diode switch. The essential germanium diodes are at the heart of the myth. By transposing germanium diodes with germanium transistors (Cold War-era devices), we increase the sustain and saturation in the pedal. The Manis can give you a softer attack that sounds more like a tube amp. Less mid-forward, more tube-amp like. This feels incredible under your fingertips. Wouldn’t you like to hear a little more of the natural low end from your guitar? The bass boost switch pushes the lower half of the mid-focused response by one octave and increases the output by +3dB. It’s the perfect low end recovery for single coil guitars. You can choose True Bypass or Buffered Silent Switching on the fly. The Manis is built like a tank and is the first Klone you can power with 18 volts for increased headroom. The Manis is an evolution of the original circuit.
The Manis isn't just a mod: it’s an evolution of the mythical overdrive mid-boost pedal.
Ge-Trans Switch offers a welcome difference in feel of the circuit with more of a tube-like saturation and compression.
The Bass+ Switch – Lowers the frequency response by one octave and then pushes 3dB harder
True-Bypass or Silent Switching – Whichever works and sounds best in your rig
Power Protection up to 18 volts for increased headroom - without damaging the charge pump.
Germanium Transistors
Central to the superior tone from the Manis Overdrive is the germanium transistors we select for increased saturation, compression, and sustain. Each transistor is tested for noise and accuracy ensuring you have an incredible tone.
Switchable Low Frequency Cutoff
The Manis Overdrive gives you just the perfect lift in bass response so that your tone is not as mid-focused. Perfect for making single coils fatter, fuller, and more powerful.
Buffered Bypass or True Bypass
The Keeley Manis Overdrive allows you to quickly switch between either mode. Having a great buffer will make your rig sound strong and clear even when the pedal is off. Buffered switching prevents the pops and clicks of true-bypass switching. If you want to turn on true-bypass, simply press and hold the foot switch for two seconds. Holding the switch for two seconds toggle between modes. True Bypass is great if a buffer might affect the tone of a vintage pedal. Enjoy truly silent switching and a better sounding rig with Keeley’s buffered switching mode.
Question:What’s your favorite guitar scene in a movie?
Guest Picker Boyd Holbrook
Boyd Holbrook is a fan of “Dueling Banjos.”Photo by Leo Jacob
A:Deliverance. The dueling guitar and banjo scene for me is the most eerie and unique scene ever in a movie. What a wicked movie. Everyone always thinks the film is set in Kentucky. It comes up a lot once people know I’m from Kentucky, but it’s set in Georgia. Maybe it’s the banjo that reminds people of Kentucky.
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Obsession: I’m obsessed with open-C and open-G tunings right now with Travis-style picking. You can pop and pull all sorts of stuff. My guitar coach, the great Bret Boyer who got me spun up to play Johnny Cash, keeps on blowing my mind with new styles. I think next we’re gonna crack how R.L. Burnside played his sound. That one for me is sacred.
Matthew Wang is a Nigel Tufnel fan!
Reader of the Month
Matthew Wang
A: I love Crossroads with Steve Vai and the guitar scenes in the first Back To The Future movie, but I think Nigel Tufnel doing his Rig Rundown in This Is Spinal Tap is the greatest guitar scene in film. It made me want a Les Paul. For the sustain!
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IK Multimedia’s powerful tone-generating machine.
Obsession: I’m really loving IK Multimedia’s TONEX and u-he’s Zebrify. In terms of other hardware I really want an Industrialelectric RM-1N pedal to make some drones. I’m also obsessively watching video demos of Old Blood Noise Endeavors pedals and really want to get some soon, in particular the BL-44 Reverse.
Our John Bohlinger is a fan of the devil’s guitar player—as portrayed by Steve Vai.
A: The final guitar duel between Jack Butler (Steve Vai) and Ralph Macchio from Crossroads remains the greatest cinematic contribution to guitardom ever. The year was 1986 and Vai, fueled by incredible innate talent and the blessing of Satan, was kicking Macchio’s ass until Ralph whipped out Niccolò Paganini's Caprice No. 5. Of course, Vai played both his parts and Ralph’s Paganini part while Ry Cooder supplied the funky, swampy slide stuff. It was not a fair fight.
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Bohlinger’s current favorite plectrum
Obsession: I’ve been experimenting with different plectrums. It’s amazing how much variety you get from that one tiny ingredient. My current favorite is the V Pick Traditional.
R.L. Burnside backed by our editorial director, Ted Drozdowski.
Ted Drozdowski
Editorial Director
A: It’s the outrageous performance of “Stack-O-Lee” by Samuel Jackson inBlack Snake Moan. a greasy, nasty nod to ’60s/early ’70s exploitation movies. Jackson’s character, Lazarus Redd, is loosely based on my old friend and mentor R.L. Burnside, and while Redd’s foul-mouthed, murderous rap is totally gangster, the music is authentic Mississippi hill-country blues, anchored by R.L.’s old family rhythm section of his grandson Cedric Burnside on drums and “adopted son” Kenny Brown on guitar. And the juke joint atmosphere is thicker than an alligator’s hide.
Obsession: Amps! Again! Recent guests have included a Friedman Plex, StewMac’s upcoming Valve Factory 18, and an Orange O Tone 40. Just plugging in and cranking up is too much fun!
Crank the heat! PG's John Bohlinger plugs into the boutique-built Sterling Vermin, a modern twist on the iconic Rat distortion. Hear it rip through Strats, Teles, and a Les Paul with classic snarl and smooth silicon/BAT41 clipping.
The Sterling Vermin was born from a desire for something different — something refined, with the soul of a traditional RAT pedal, but with a voice all its own.
Built in small batches and hand-soldered in ACT’s Jackson, Missouri headquarters, the Sterling Vermin is a work of pure beauty that honors the brand legacy while taking a bold step forward for creativity.
The Sterling Vermin features the LM741 Op-Amp and a pair of selectable clipping diodes. Players can toggle between the traditional RAT silicon diode configuration for a punchy, mid-range bite, or the BAT41 option for a smoother, more balanced response. The result is a pedal that’s equally at home delivering snarling distortion or articulate, low-gain overdrive, with a wide, usable tonal range throughout the entire gain spectrum.
The pedal also features CTS pots and oversized knobs for even, responsive control that affords a satisfying smoothness to the rotation, with just the right amount of tension. Additionally, the polished stainless-steel enclosure with laser-annealed graphics showcases the merging of the pedal’s vintage flavor and striking design.
From low-gain tones reminiscent of a Klon or Bluesbreaker, to high-gain settings that flirt with Big Muff territory — yet stay tight and controlled — the Sterling Vermin is a masterclass in dynamic distortion. With premium components, deliberate design and a focus on feel, the Sterling Vermin is more than a pedal, it’s a new chapter for RAT.
The veteran Florida-born metalcore outfit proves that you don’t need humbuckers to pull off high gain.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst FenderTelecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
Boyd Holbrook is a fan of “Dueling Banjos.”Photo by Leo Jacob
