Rig Rundown Best-Ofs: Top 10 Strat & S-Style Guitars
From Robin Trower to Eric Johnson to Tom Morello, Joe Bonamassa, the Edge, Green Day, Eric Clapton, and more—10 S-Styles that’ll give you 6-on-a-side envy!
Here’s PG’s stats on Strats—the top 10 Rig Rundowns featuring Fender Stratocasters and other Strat-style guitars. We’re not giving away who’s number one, but you’re welcome to guess—or simply watch the compelling show-and-tells in this video. You’ll see a slew of signature models close up, with guided tours from Robin Trower and Eric Johnson (who also show off vintage Marshalls), and by Eric Clapton and the Edge’s stalwart techs. Meet the 1958 Fender Strat that John Oates played on virtually all of Hall & Oates’ smash hits. (Can you go for that?) Plus, get the lowdown on Doyle Bramhall II’s hard-played 1964 Stratocaster and the left-of-center pickup configuration employed by Khruangbin’s Mark Speer.
Still want more? How about the super strat rocked by Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, or a demonstration by Tom Morello of his famed scratching technique—with a slide. (Hint: It’s not a kill switch, and he’s an inventive badass.) And Joe Bonamassa tells you why he bought a guitar that was presented to him as the “best Stratocaster” ever, and makes a compelling case for exactly why it’s that, by a good 5 percent. Spoiler alert: There’s a lot more great gear details you’ll pick up along the way. F’rinstance, does Clapton really never change his strings unless they break? How funky do flatwounds needs to get until they’re perfect? How many Flying V’s does the Edge use during a concert? What pickup settings yielded the sounds you’re heard on classic recordings? How many marmots does it take to fill a VW bug? (Just seeing if you’re playing attention.) Sure, the Stratocaster and its variants have been around since 1954, and we’ve heard them played on countless recordings, but you won’t leave this Top 10 Rig Rundown without learning something new about Leo Fender’s greatest hit!
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Marilyn Manson's onstage antics have earned him a reputation that arguably overshadows his music.
Why do musicians have a bad reputation? Because we’ve earned it.
Let's start this column with a tasteless yet germane joke.
Scientists want to know if canines learn by observing human behavior. They borrow the dogs of a physicist, a mathematician, and a musician, and then observe as the dogs are set loose in a room with a big pile of bones. The physicist's dog runs straight to the pile of bones and began arranging them with his snout, eventually spelling E = mc2. The scientists are amazed.
The mathematician's dog then runs to the pile of bones and arranges them on the floor to form π = 3.14. The scientists are astounded and quickly scribble copious notes in their journals.
The musician's dog eventually wakes up from his nap, walks slowly over and eats all of the other dogs' bones, has sex with the other two dogs, takes a crap on the floor, and then asks if he can go home early.
The scientists write “hypothesis confirmed."
Why do musicians have a bad reputation? Because we've earned it. You don't have to dig too deeply to find examples of musicians behaving badly. Be it Ozzy or Izzy whizzing publicly (on the Alamo and in the galley of a commercial flight, respectively), Kid Rock, Axl Rose, or Billie Joe Armstrong randomly attacking fans, or any of the batshit crazy stuff Justin Bieber did in the past 24 hours, you'll never run out of musicians living up to our lowest expectations.
Which makes me wonder: Why does the ability to play music compel some musicians to act so douchey?
One could argue that the salient traits of douchebag musicians are also textbook tells for people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Take a look at this checklist that health care professionals use to diagnose NPD and compare it to the behavior of ego-driven, unpleasant musicians:
- Thinks about himself most of the time and talks about himself a lot
- Craves attention and admiration
- Exaggerate his talents and achievements
- Believes he's special
- Sets unrealistic goals
- Has wide, fast mood swings
- Has a hard time taking others' feelings seriously
- Strives to win, whatever it takes
- Fantasizes about unlimited success, money, and power
Talent goes unnoticed and unrewarded more often than not, but dragging your genitals over the head of a security guard will always get you press.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a mental illness, so to be clear, I'm not diagnosing anybody. (I'm not qualified to. I just like to read the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and think about how messed up my friends, co-workers, and strangers are.) But it's not hard to imagine these NPD traits would be helpful for someone pursuing a career in music. To crave attention, exaggerate your talents, and strive to win above all with no regard for others sounds like the battle cry of many who succeed in showbiz. Also, it's no stretch that narcissists would be attracted to a career onstage that, at the least, can reward you with praise and, at the most, can reward you with praise, money, and power. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, 6.2 percent of the U.S. population has NPD, so it's probable that a few are working and succeeding as performing musicians. Still, NPD remains fairly uncommon, and there's a huge difference between having narcissistic personality disorder and just being a garden-variety douche, or GVD.
It's more likely that the musicians we see regularly in embarrassing TMZ videos are GVDs. In their defense, the music industry encourages it because:
1. Press fuels success.
2. The public loves watching a good train wreck.
Talent goes unnoticed and unrewarded more often than not, but dragging your genitals over the head of a security guard will always get you press. (I'm looking at you, Marilyn Manson.) If your ability does not make you famous, infamous is close enough. Best of all, infamy doesn't require years of practice. By stretching the boundaries of the maxim “there's no such thing as bad publicity," acting like the Supreme Leader of Douchemanistan will garner greater notoriety than working to become a better musician.
Although I love music, I'll scroll through 20 videos of people playing guitar on Facebook, but will stop to watch a video of Kanye West, Billie Joe Armstrong, or the guy from Smash Mouth acting like idiots. Idiocy draws consistently better than talent.
For many performers, being appreciated for your craft is the goal, but, when that doesn't work, being hated is the second choice. Being ignored is the nightmare.
Over 100 years ago, Joseph Conrad wrote about the fascination of the abomination. We all slow down to get a better look at car wrecks, we all feel compelled to read about catastrophes, and we enjoy a good celebrity meltdown. Maybe the compulsion to watch ugly behavior stems from our primitive wiring: We are drawn to cautionary tales because they ultimately aid in our survival. Whatever the reason, the populists love to watch idiots and the shallow with limited talent love to give them a show. “Look at me, look at me, look at me, I'm a celebrity."
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Check out the most popular and talked about RRs from the last year.
5. John 5
Tele master John 5 met with Premier Guitar before taking the stage with Rob Zombie at the Bridgestone arena in Nashville on November 25, 2013, to talk tone, Teles, and what’s really in his “lava-lamp” guitar.
For photos and more details on J5's rig, visit here.
4. Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein
While on tour with Misfits co-founder/ex-lead singer Glenn Danzig in Nashville, Tennessee, former Misfits guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein met with PG’s John Bohlinger to detail his custom rig.
For photos and more details on Doyle's rig, visit here.
3. Meshuggah
PG went on location in Chicago, IL, with Kent Eriksson, Meshuggah's tech for guitarists Fredrik Thordendal, Marten Hagstrom, and bassist Dick Lovgren. He talks about their current live setups including signature 8-string and 7-string Ibanez guitars and Warwick basses, and how each member uses the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx.
For photos and more details on Meshuggah's rigs, visit here.
2. Steven Wilson & Guthrie Govan
Premier Guitar is on location in Chicago, Illinois catching up with Steven Wilson and Guthrie Govan who both personally discuss and demo their live rigs.
For photos and more details on Wilson or Govan's rigs, visit here.
1. Green Day
Premier Guitar went to the NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb, IL, where he catches up with Green Day's guitar and bass techs before their spring 2013 99 Revolutions tour in support of their three latest albums, Uno, Dos, and Tre'.
For photos and more details on Green Day's rigs, visit here.
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