Guitarist Grace Bowers is a 17-year old California transplant tearing it up in Nashville. Currently working on her first album with producer John Osborne of the Brothers Osborne, Bowers invited John Bohlinger and the PG team to walk through her studio and live rig.
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Mostly Stock Special
Bowers’ number one is her mostly stock 1961 Gibson SG Special. The P90s and the skinny neck are a perfect fit for her style. The tuners were changed at some point, and the whammy is no longer attached, but the rest of the axe is original. This guitar and all others are strung with D’Addario .010s.
Osbourne's ES
For PAF humbucker tone on the album, Grace plays John Osborne’s all-stock 1960 Gibson ES-335.
With a Little Help From Her Friends
The one acoustic on the album is this 1968 Gibson 12-string acoustic, on loan from a friend.
It's Not a Phase, Mom!
Bowers’ pedal setup includes a Dunlop Cry Baby Wah, Grindstone Audio Solutions Night Shade Overdrive, EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job, MXR Phase 90, MXR Phase 95, and Boss DD-2. Bowers powers them with a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power ISO-5.
Shop Grace Bowers' Rig
Gibson SG Special - Vintage Cherry
Gibson ES-335 Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar
Gibson Acoustic J-45 12-string Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb 1x12" Combo Amp
Dunlop CBJ95 Cry Baby Junior Wah Pedal
MXR Phase 90
Boss DD-3T
EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job V2
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power ISO-5
D'Addario NYXL1046 NYXL Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings - .010-.046 Regular Light
John Osborne
Guest Picker John Osborne
Pioneering psychedelic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
A: If music is a conversation and the song is the subject matter, then solos are the stories. Some stories require bravado and bombastic detail. Some stories need dramatic pauses. Either way, the story has got to be interesting, contextual, and add to the conversation. Nothing is worse than ruining a good conversation. When telling a story, there is a beginning, an arc, and a punchline. Improvising should be no different.
Melissa DeGood Magazine Production Coordinator
A: My take on improvisation is that it’s all about going with the flow and letting creativity run wild. I’m all about being spontaneous and tuning in to what’s happening around me. It’s like a jam session, where you trust your gut, and keep your ears wide open. Mistakes? They’re just part of the ride, helping you learn and grow. In the end, improvisation is about keeping it real and having a blast, whether it’s in music, art, life, or tackling everyday challenges.
Jason Shadrick Associate Editor
A: There might not be a more difficult feat in music than to create something in the moment that connects with the audience. One of the biggest myths in music is that improvisation is only for jazzers. While they might be the biggest advocates of instant composition, you don’t need to shred bebop to participate. Here’s a hands-on exercise: Each morning record yourself playing for a minute. It could be anything. Try something new. After a month, collect the snippets and listen. Maybe there’s a song, maybe there’s not. But creating music as a therapeutic ritual will undoubtedly help you as a musician.
K. Spurgeon Reader of the Month
The inimitable bebop saxophonist Charlie Parker.
Photo by William P. Gottlieb
A: “Philosophy” is a term I don’t apply to my playing: too grand. But from the most abstract level, I try to be open to referencing any music I’ve heard in my life: genres, moods, styles, eras. Ideally, I want to sensibly put a bit of any of the musical ideas I like into my playing, but not necessarily by quoting. Though I remember hearing Charlie Parker quote the opening phrase of the Woody Woodpecker theme in the middle of a typically ingenious, otherworldly solo. That example is a bit on the nose, but basically: play absolutely anything as long as it’s music.