10. The Sword [2021]
Chris KiesThere's no doubt ZZ Top trademarked Texas boogie. And over 30 years later, the Sword furthered the Lonestar shuffle's legacy by darkening it.
9. Ariel Posen
Chris KiesAriel Posen entered as a sideman. His scintillating work with the Bros. Landreth made him a guitarist’s guitarist. He’s since stepped out on his own to show he’s more than just shadowy specialist.
8. Kurt Ballou
Chris KiesIf you’ve thought to yourself, “this is the most vicious-sounding record I’ve heard,” chances are Kurt Ballou’s fingerprints are on it. Since officially starting in 1995 inside his parents’ garage and eventually opening GodCity Studio’s doors in 2003 (in “Witch City” Salem, MA, no less), Ballou has chiseled out granite tones for bands like Every Time I Die, High on Fire, Torche, Cave In, Old Man Gloom, American Nightmare, and Kvelertak. (“He brings a lot to the table, and he’s been pretty important in terms of how our sound got formed,” Kverlertak’s Vidar Landa in a PG interview on working with Ballou.) Oh, and we can forget his genre-shaping band Converge, that he’s played guitar in since 1990, co-produced since 2001’s hardcore pillar Jane Doe and been the console captain since 2006’s No Heroes.
7. RJ Ronquillo
John BohlingerHe's played with Santana, Stevie Wonder, and a host of other greats, and his lessons and demos on YouTube have garnered more than 15-million views—so there's a good chance you already know this Nashville-based guitarist.
6. Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger [2021]
John BohlingerLzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger of the Grammy-winning rock band Halestorm recently took a break from rehearsals for their 2021 tour to talk rigs with Premier Guitar's John Bohlinger.
5. My Chemical Romance's Frank Iero
Chris KiesThe 2000s were an odd period for music sales. The decade was a tale of polar opposites. Songs and albums never exchanged hands faster (thanks to file-sharing services like Napster and LimeWire), and thus the industry's sales plummeted.
During the aughts, one of the few acts growing through the free-streaming floodwaters, were the dark, theatrical rockers My Chemical Romance who melded punk, post-hardcore, indie, and glam. Singer Gerard Way started the band in late 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. He recruited drummer Matt Pelissier (replaced by Bob Bryar in 2004), lead guitarist Ray Toro, his brother Mikey Way for bass, and in early 2002 Frank Iero joined.
4. IDLES
Chris KiesDo you hear that thunder? That’s the sound of strength in numbers. Specifically, it's the sound of four 100-watt stacks. (Actually, one is a 200-watt bass tube head.) IDLES’ guitarists Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan finally have the firepower to match their fury. (Original members singer/lyricist Joe Talbot, drummer Jon Beavis, and bassist Adam Devonshire fill out the band. Kiernan took over for guitarist Andy Stewart after 2015 EP Meat was released.)
3. Brent Mason [2021]
John BohlingerIt's impossible to overstate Brent Mason's impact on country and, arguably, even rock guitar. Over the course of his more-than-35-year career, Mason has perfected a tone that's inspired an untold number of players, and there's even a Tele mod that bears his name. He's also a highly respected and successful producer and solo artist, a member of the Musicians Hall of Fame, has won the Academy of Country Music's Guitarist of the Year award 12 times, and there's a Grammy on his mantle.
2. Eric Clapton
John BohlingerAt age 76, Eric Clapton remains a major presence in guitar. He's touring again rather than simply resting on nearly six decades of laurels, and with Slowhand's blessing, Dan Dearnley—the legend's tech for a dozen years—showed us his boss' setup before a September 21 concert at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Three Signature Strats, Martins, and not much else. Dig in!1. Greta Van Fleet [2021]
John BohlingerFew rock bands have made a bigger splash over the past five years than Greta Van Fleet. Since their first full-length, From the Fires, won a Grammy for Best Rock Album, Jake and Sam Kiszka have constantly dug deeper to expand their band's sonic scope. GVF's latest, The Battle at Garden's Gate, is packed with deep, nuanced sounds that all need to be created live by a classic rock-trio lineup with an amazing singer.
![Rig Rundown: Greta Van Fleet [2021]](https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/rig-rundown-greta-van-fleet-2021.jpg?id=27419507&width=1245&height=700&quality=85&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0)
The guitar-and-bass-playing team of brothers showed PG the gear they use to make it happen, at a recent tour stop at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee. And special thanks to Greta Van Fleet's tech Bryan Manley for helping with the details.
[Brought to you by D'Addario XPND Pedalboard: https://www.daddario.com/XPNDRR]
Jake Kiszka’s No. 1
Jake's top dog hasn't changed from the band's first Rig Rundown in 2018. What is different about this guitar is that the crack around the control cavity he showed us then has been repaired, so duct tape is no longer this 1961 Gibson Les Paul's sole mod. (By the way, the SG name was adopted for this model in 1963.) Note the old-school sideways Vibrola whammy bar.
The Understudy
As a backup, Jake purchased a second all-stock 1961 Gibson Les Paul that has negligible signs of road wear or abuse.
Triple-Gainer
The updated whammy is the giveaway that the new, third Les Paul/SG you're looking at is a 1962 reissue. Jake uses Cleartone .010–.046 strings on all his electrics, plus Dunlop .60 mm picks and brass slides.
The Workhorse
Jake's main acoustic is a Gibson J-45 from the Bozeman, Montana, custom shop—a limited edition tobacco burst. This classic model has been a favorite for working musicians since back when Dylan hadn't plugged in yet.
High Flyer
His backup acoustic is a recent-year Gibson Hummingbird. This model was Gibson's first square-shouldered dreadnought, and debuted in 1960.
You Can See Us...
Onstage, Jake has a Marshall JCM800 and two matching 4x12 cabs, plus a vintage Selmer Zodiac Twin 30 amp that was once owned by Guns N' Roses' Richard Fortus. Looks good, sounds good!
...But Not Us
Onstage, Jake has a Marshall JCM800 and two matching 4x12 cabs, plus a vintage Selmer Zodiac Twin 30 amp that was once owned by Guns N' Roses' Richard Fortus. Looks good, sounds good!
The Keys to the Kingdom, Pt. 1
Here's where Jake keeps his Marshall Astorias set.
And zoom in to see how his Bletchley amps are dialed.
The Big Bad ’Board
First stop is a Dunlop Cry Baby wah wired to pan a wide sweep in stereo, in the PA and monitors. After that, an RJM Music Technology Mastermind GT controls the routing for all effects.
The Drawer-bridge
The bulk of the effects Jake needs to recreate his catalog of sounds live in three drawers. In the fullest, there are two TC Electronic Flashbacks, a Danelectro Back Talk, a EHX Mel9, a Jext Telez Range Van Lord, and a EXH Micro POG—all powered by an MXR Iso-Brick.
Inside Drawer Two Is...
The next drawer down includes an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail, an MXR Micro Amp, a Fractal Audio FM3 Amp Modeler/FX Processor, and an MXR Iso-Brick.
Acoustic Doesn't Mean Unplugged
The final drawer is dedicated to acoustic effects—MXR Reverb, another EHX Holy Grail reverb, and a Line 6 HX Stomp.
Sam Kiszka’s Green Hybrid
Sam Kiszka's main axe is still his green Fender P bass with a Jazz bass neck. This bass stays strung with D'Addario flatwounds, .050–.105.
Plus One-Half
Fender built Sam a bass aiming to give him the same feel as his No. 1. This black P also features a Jazz bass neck, and it's tuned up a half step. For that higher tuning, the D'Addario flatwounds are a bit lighter: .045–.100.
And Plus One
As a backup, Sam tours with this 'burst finish Fender Jazz bass, in standard tuning, and strung with D'Addario flatwound .050–.105s.
Ready to Rumble
Sam thinks two heads are better than one. So here's his Fender Super Bassman, for starters. It's 300 watts and comes loaded with four 12AX7s and six 6550 power tubes. The Super Bassman hits a matching Fender Bassman 810 Neo 8x10 bass cabinet.
Here Comes the Sunn
His other head is a classic: a vintage Sunn 2000S, with a potential total of 280 watts. It has a solid-state rectifier and four 6550 tubes. The 2000S runs into a vintage Sunn 2x15 cab.
Stage Dressing
Onstage, Sam stands in front of a trio of cool-looking Acoustic cabs and, when fully set up, an Acoustic 361 head. Currently, they're not actually being played through for shows.
Personal Effects
Down on the floor, Sam runs a Neo Instruments Mini Vent II rotary pedal, a Mooer Tender Octaver, and a TC Electronic PolyTune powered with an MXR Mini Iso-Brick.
All Keyed Up
Sam spends almost half the show on keyboards, running bass pedals with his feet. The pedal rig's a Hammond XPK-200GL.
The Right Spin
That Hammond runs through a Leslie 122 rotary speaker—perfect for classic '60s and '70s rock tones.
The keyboard rig is completed by a Mellotron M4000D Digital Mellotron on top of a super-versatile Nord Stage 3 keyboard. Down below there's another set of bass pedals, so he can make the bottom rumble from either keyboard deck.