Hot on the heels of their 12th studio record, Into Oblivion, American metal giants Lamb of God tore off across the continent on a tour that took them to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. That’s where PG’s Chris Kies reunited with Mark Morton, the band’s lead guitarist and one of the genre’s most influential riffers. In this new Rig Rundown, Morton walked us through the trusty tools he’s taken out on the road this spring. Tune in to the video for our interview with Morton, and scroll down for some key rig highlights.
This is one of Morton’s own, a Gibson Mark Morton Les Paul Modern. It’s got a gorgeous satin quilt top, slim taper neck, locking tuners, and custom pickups designed by Jim DeCola—at the moment, they’re only available in these LPs.
Morton strings his guitars with signature packs of Stringjoys. For drop D, he uses .0095-.050; for drop C#, .010–.052; and for drop C, .012–.054.
Custom Crusher
This 2022 Gibson Custom Shop ’60 Les Paul has seen plenty of playing time onstage.
Morton’s Mesas
<p>Morton blends Mesa/Boogie Mark V and Badlander amp heads. The Badlander is favored for its low-end response, while the Mark V brings out mid-range frequencies. They run to Mesa/Boogie 4x12 cabinets equipped with Vintage 30 speakers. An ISP Decimator Pro Rack G keeps out unwanted noise.</p>
Mark Morton’s Pedal Rig
<p>Onstage, Morton keeps only a TC Electronic PolyTune 3 and a Dunlop wah pedal. Backstage is where most of the magic happens. On one rack shelf sits a Neural QuadCortex used for switching, while another hosts a Maxon OD808 Overdrive, MXR Stereo Chorus, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, <a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/tag/boss?utm_source=website&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Smartlinks">Boss</a> NS-2, and an Ebtech Hum Eliminator.</p>
Sadler Vaden is a jack of all trades. He's a consummate pro musician that's spent nearly 15 years as Jason Isbell's stage-right, guitar-slingin' sideman. He's released four solo albums under his own banner [ 2012's Radio Road, 2016's Self-Titled, 2020's Anybody Out There? & 2024's Dad Rock] solidfying his spot as singer-songwriting, guitar-playing bandleader. He's becoming a fixture in the Nashville producer community including overseeing firebrand Morgan Wade's releases Reckless & Psychopath. And now acknowledging his talent, dedication and grind, Gibson has honored Vaden with his own SG that was based on his longtime No. 1 that was a gift after his previous Solid Guitar was stolen. PG host John Bohlinger explores all this in Sadler's journey while also picking his brain about slide guitar.
Introduced in 1951, the FenderTelecaster changed the course of music with a design that was bold in its simplicity. Unlike anything that came before it, the Telecaster was built from the ground up around the needs of working musicians — Leo Fender famously sought direct feedback from the players themselves, shaping every detail of the instrument around what artists actually wanted. The result was a guitar built with everything a player needed, unlocking a new level of expression. Its cutting tone, unmistakable silhouette, and workhorse reliability quickly made it the instrument of choice for artists across genres.
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Nashville guitarist Jack Ruch has made a name for himself on YouTube and Instagram, where he shares lessons and instructional videos that help guitarists take their playing to the next level. But he can be found performing all the time on stages around Music City, too, and back in March, he appeared at 3rd and Lindsley. That’s where PG’s John Bohlinger caught up with him for this Rig Rundown, which covers Ruch’s tasteful, tone-ful live rig. We’ve summarized the highlights below, but tune in to the video for all the details and sound samples.
Ruch depends on this trio out on the road. The 1963 Gibson ES-335 is his favorite, and his main instrument. It features original nylon saddles, which he says help mellow the brightness of the neck pickup (where he spends most of his playing time).
To its left is a Danocaster T-Style, built by Dan Strain in West Nashville specifically to look like Robben Ford’s Telecaster. It’s used for “Tele things,” and features ThroBak pickups, providing a neutral, versatile sound. Again, the neck pickup is Ruch’s home turf.
On the right is Ruch’s Historic Makeovers Les Paul, which he acquired earlier this year at Historic Makeovers, just north of Orlando, Florida. This LP was modified with a Brazilian rosewood fretboard and a reshaped neck. Ruch ordered it online without playing it, and so far, he couldn’t be happier with the decision.
All of Ruch’s guitars have D’Addario NYXL strings (.010–.046).
Dynamic Duo
Ruch runs a classic combination of a Fender Princeton Reverb (circa 1966, Ruch believes) and a boutique clone of a Fender tweed Deluxe, built by Lazy J in England. The Princeton has an old 10" Eminence speaker, and the Lazy J has a Celestion Blue. Both are set for clean rhythm tones.
Jack Ruch’s Pedalboard
Ruch’s tidy board was assembled by the gurus at Nashville’s XAct Tone Solutions. It includes a TC Electronic PolyTune 2 Noir, Analog Man King of Tone, Vemuram Budi-G, Analog Man Boss TR-2, Strymon Brigadier, and Catalinbread Topanga.
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