The Foos’ guitarist and intrepid Shred With Shifty host opens the guitar garage for his current tour and details his brand-new pedal setup.
The last time PGcaught up with Chris Shiflett, Chris Kies paid a visit to Foo Fighters headquarters at Studio 606. This time, he meets Shiflett in Cincinnati, onstage at Great American Ballpark ahead of the Foos’ July 25 headlining date at the stadium. It was a hot one out there, but that didn’t stop our jeans-wearing Kies and towel-drying Shifty from tackling the guitarist’s new and improved 2024 tour rig. You’ll see some familiar faces, but some new ones too, including a sharp ’80s shredder and a pink partscaster. The biggest change of all comes in the form of a Dave Friedman-designed pedalboard, an impressive rackmount setup with a massive RJM switcher to hit all the set pieces. Plus, Shifty gives some juicy teasers on future signature gear collabs and talks about how hosting Shred With Shifty has impacted his own playing.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Leave It to Clever
The beloved high-end version of Shifty’s signature Fender Telecaster Deluxe is equipped with Lindy Fralin P-90s, a rosewood fretboard, and Shifty’s Arsenal pin on the strap—haters be damned.
Eat the Rich
Shifty was on tour in Washington, D.C., when PG’s Jason Shadrick sent him the Reverb listing for this 1983 B.C. Rich Mockingbird. As luck would have it, the ’bird was just north in Maryland, and the seller agreed to drive the axe down and deliver it in person. Shifty swapped in some Dimarzio Super Distortion pickups, but the wiring was a bit screwy, so the kind folks at B.C. Rich reached out and arranged to fix things up. This one has D’Addario .010–.046 strings.
Pink Partscaster
This simple, eye-catching partscaster is an homage to Shifty’s favorite players from the ’80s, chief among them Eddie Van Halen. It has a single Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Model humbucker, a Floyd Rose tremolo system, and a lone volume knob. The online-ordered headstock has Shiflett’s name on it, just so no one takes it by accident. Eric Chaz at Eric’s Guitar Shop in Van Nuys, California, assembled this pink plucker for Shiflett.
Shifty’s still using this one to workshop pieces of Van Halen’s tapping work on “Eruption,” and the haters can eat their hearts out, because perfect imitation isn’t the goal. “If it’s loud and you do it with some measure of confidence, it kind of works,” he says.
Kickass Korina
This Skynyrd-style Gibson Explorer has been hot rodded with a Seymour Duncan ’59 humbucker and another Duncan SH-4 JB Model.
Original Recipe
This is the original Fender Chris Shiflett Telecaster Deluxe, the guitarist’s first signature model which was designed and priced for accessibility to all players. This one got upgraded with a prized Tom Holmes humbucker. Stay tuned: Shifty teases that a new, American-made Shiflett signature might be coming by end of year….
Sticker Magnet
Shifty picked up this Gibson ES-335 around the tour cycle for One by One, and he’s since decorated it with a few stickers. This one’s got his classic Seymour Duncan ’59/JB humbucker combo, and stays in drop-D tuning for songs like “Monkey Wrench” and “Everlong.”
Fabulous '57
This is Shiflett’s “most vintage-y” vintage guitar: a 1957 Gibson Les Paul. He initially planned to reserve it for studio use, but fellow Foo guitarist Pat Smear convinced him to bring it out on the road. It started out as a goldtop, but now sports a finish that shows the wood and three-piece construction. It’s still loaded with the original pickups.
Stack City
Shiflett runs a beastly quartet of half-stacks, with two Friedman BE-100 heads and two Vox AC30 heads, all accompanied by matching 4x12 cabs. Shifty keeps the Friedmans in 50-watt mode, but look out—there could be a custom Shiflett Friedman amp coming down the line.
Death of the Tap Dance
Shiflett finally got tired of tap dancing around his pedalboard, and called up Dave Friedman for some help prepping a tour-ready rig. “He said, ‘Oh, so you decided to finally get a big boy rig?’” Shiflett laughs. Friedman designed it around an RJM Mastermind GT/22, with all of Shifty’s pedals housed in a rack sidestage. It took some getting used to, but now Shiflett’s built up the muscle memory to navigate the system. For adding new sounds, he’ll text his tech, Mark Lubetski, which settings or sounds he wants for certain “scenes,” and Mark will program them in.
Pedal Playpen
Shiflett’s pedal setup takes up two shelves in this side-stage rack. On the lower shelf, there are two Strymon Decos and two Strymon Timelines—one of each assigned to either the Voxes or the Friedmans—plus an Electro-Harmonix Micro POG, a Boss CE-2w, a Suhr microMIDI Control, and a Friedman Power Grid 10.
On the upper shelf, Shifty keeps the fun stuff: a JHS Muffuletta, Xotic EP Booster, Origin Effects Cali76, Fulltone WahFull, Klon KTR, Andy Green Pedals Seaverb, MXR EVH Phase 90, and MXR Flanger.
Shop Chris Shiflett's Foo Fighters Rig
Gibson Explorer
D’Addario .010–.046
Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Model Humbucker
Seymour Duncan ’59 Humbucker
Gibson ES-335
1957 Gibson Les Paul
Friedman BE-100
Vox AC30
Strymon Deco
Strymon TimeLine
Electro-Harmonix Micro POG
Boss CE-2w
Suhr microMIDI Control
Friedman Power Grid 10
JHS Muffuletta
Xotic EP Booster
Origin Effects Cali76
Fulltone WahFull
MXR EVH Phase 90
MXR Flanger
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Marcus King will return to the road on the Marcus King Band Goes To School: The Tour across North America.
This headline jaunt kicks off on April 2 at Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, NC, canvases the country, and concludes on May 11 at The Cotillion Ballroom in Wichita, KS. A special artist presale launches at 9am local time on December 17 followed by venue presales on December 18 at 9am local time. General on-sale commences on December 19 at 9am local time. Tickets will be available on marcuskingofficial.com.
He's in the midst of a thrilling creative run. Earlier this fall, he and The Marcus King Band appeared on CBS Saturday Morning, performing “F*ck My Life Up Again,” “Hero,” “Save Me.” In addition, his Howard Stern session is now available where he performed the same tracks as well as the Allman Brothers classic “Ramblin Man.”
Not to mention, he recently served up two new renditions of “Hero” (from Mood Swings) and “8 A.M.” (from The Marcus King Band’s Carolina Confessions) featuring Drew Smithers on guitar and recorded live at the legendary Bluebird Café.
King is a Grammy nominated fourth generation musician from Greenville, SC, who started playing guitar at 8 years old following in the footsteps of his guitarist Father and Grandpa. Logging thousands of miles on the road as “The Marcus King Band,” he established himself with unparalleled performance prowess and a dynamic live show. His solo debut El Dorado, garnering a Grammy Award nomination in the category of “Best Americana Album.” In between packing venues on his own, he performed alongside Chris Stapleton (he opens for him once again at U.S. Bank Stadium - Minneapolis), Greta Van Fleet, and Nathanial Rateliff in addition to gracing the bills of Stagecoach and more with one seismic show after the next. He has been open about his challenges with mental health in his songs and throughout his career, and earlier this year, Marcus launched the Curfew Fellowship Fund and partnered with MusiCares and Stand Together Music that will help build a more mentally health aware touring community for himself and other artists to follow. King has also released a mastercourse on in-depth song performances, guitar techniques & styles, songwriting insights and much more
Marcus King’s latest album, Mood Swings takes us in a very different sonic direction to his considerable catalog of studio albums. Combining elements as diverse as modern pop, R&B, aughts hip hop, piano driven classic rock and the warm production and symphonic instrumentation of classic era soul, R&B and jazz. Previously released song “F*ck My Life Up Again” is a considerable departure stadium sized rock, with strings that accent over a smoky jazz beat, while his soulful delivery booms, “Come f*ck my life up again, don’t deserve to live without pain.” A guitar solo “played backwards” channels stark confusion offset by the unshakable hook. On “Hero,” his croon rises over acoustic guitar towards a fluttering crescendo. The same naked emotion defines “Delilah” where over piano led pop rock and innovative tracks such as “Inglewood Motel (Halestorm)” are an alt R&B masterpiece. The album closes with “Cadillac,” steeped in psychedelic symphonic soul it is an arresting tale of dark desires and suicidal ideation.
Despite its often bleak subject matter, Mood Swings is an album with a message of hope. Legendary producer Rick Rubin who has worked with everyone from Adele to Johnny Cash, was instantly drawn to King’s guitar playing, singular voice and songwriting, and after witnessing a King live performance, one day randomly cold-called him to float the idea of working together. Rubin helped King find a new personal and sonic approach and instead of crumbling under the weight of his anxiety, Rubin inspired him to shift his perspective. “He helped me view mental health as a writing partner in a way,” recalls Marcus. “I’ve learned it can give me that creative spark.”
For more information, please visit marcuskingofficial.com.
MOOD SWINGS THE WORLD TOUR DATES
*new Marcus King: An Intimate Acoustic Evening Featuring Drew Smithers acoustic dates
+supporting Chris Stapleton
*December 17, 2024 - Duling Hall - Jackson, MS
*December 19, 2024 - Louisiana Grandstand - Shreveport, LA
*December 20, 2024 - The Hall - Little Rock, AR
*December 21, 2024 - The Caverns - Pelham, TN
December 27, 2024 - Hard Rock Live - Bristol, VA
December 28 – Hard Rock Casino - Cincinatti, OH
December 29 – Victory Theater - Evansville, IN
*January, 23, 2025 - Sheridan Opera House - Telluride, CO
*January, 24, 2025 - Vilar Performing Arts Center - Beaver Creek, CO
*January, 25, 2025 - Strings Pavilion - Steamboat Springs, CO
*January 27, 2025 - Center for the Arts - Jackson, WY
+February 25, 2025 - Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Australia
+February 26, 2025 - Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Australia
+February 28, 2025 - Brisbane Entertainment Centre - Brisbane, Australia
+March 1, 2025 - Brisbane Entertainment Centre - Brisbane, Australia
+March 4, 2025 - Qudos Bank Arena - Sydney, Australia
+March 5, 2025 - Qudos Bank Arena - Sydney, Australia
+March 7, 2025 - Spark Arena - Auckland, New Zealand
+March 8, 2025 - Spark Arena - Auckland, New Zealand
September 15-21, 2025 - Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea - Seattle, WA
“MARCUS KIND BAND GOES TO SCHOOL: THE TOUR” DATES
April 2, 2025 - Durham Performing Arts Center - Durham, NC
April 3, 2025 - Savannah Music Festival - Savannah, GA
April 4, 2025 - Tortuga Music Festival - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
April 6, 2025 - Florida Theater - Jacksonville, FL
April 8, 2025 - Saenger Theater - Pensacola, FL
April 11, 2025 - Ting Pavilion - Charlottesville, VA
April 12, 2025 - Schaefer Center - Boone, NC
April 13, 2025 - Renfro Valley The New Barn Theater - Mount Vernon, KY
April 17, 2025 - Immersive Media PAC - Gulfport, MS
April 18, 2025 - Sweetwater 420 Festival - Atlanta, GA
April 19, 2025 - Greenfield Lake Amphitheater - Wilmington, NC
April 24, 2025 - The Lyric - Oxford, MS
April 26, 2025 - Billy Bobs - Ft. Worth, TX
April 29, 2025 - Montgomery PAC - Montgomery, AL
May 9, 2025 - Avalon Theater - Grand Junction, CO
May 11, 2025 - The Cotillion Ballroom - Wichita, KS
The ’60s Were Weird and So Were the ’90s—Thanks, Santana
Was Supernatural his ultimate gift to the world?
Carlos Santana’s career arc has been a journey. From blowing minds at the far edges of psychedelia at Woodstock to incendiary jazz experimentalism with the likes of John McLaughlin and Alice Coltrane to later becoming a chart-topping star with some of the biggest collaborators in pop and rock, his guitar playing has covered a lot of ground.
On this episode of 100 Guitarists, we’re covering everything about Santana’s playing we can fit in one neat package: How did Santana’s sound evolve? Has any other rock star mentioned John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme on morning network television? Was Supernatural his ultimate gift to the world?
In our new current listening segment, we’re talking about a Bruce Hornsby live record and a recent release from guitarist Stash Wyslouch.
This episode is sponsored by PRS Guitars.
Learn more: https://prsguitars.com.
Lollar Pickups introduces the Deluxe Foil humbucker, a medium-output pickup with a bright, punchy tone and wide frequency range. Featuring a unique retro design and 4-conductor lead wires for versatile wiring options, the Deluxe Foil is a drop-in replacement for Wide Range Humbuckers.
Based on Lollar’s popular single-coil Gold Foil design, the new Deluxe Foil has the same footprint as Lollar’s Regal humbucker - as well as the Fender Wide Range Humbucker – and it’s a drop-in replacement for any guitar routed for Wide Range Humbuckers such as the Telecaster Deluxe/Custom, ’72-style Tele Thinline and Starcaster.
Lollar’s Deluxe Foil is a medium-output humbucker that delivers a bright and punchy tone, with a glassy top end, plenty of shimmer, rich harmonic content, and expressive dynamic touch-sensitivity. Its larger dual-coil design allows the Deluxe Foil to capture a wider frequency range than many other pickup types, giving the pickup a full yet well-balanced voice with plenty of clarity and articulation.
The pickup comes with 4-conductor lead wires, so you can utilize split-coil wiring in addition to humbucker configuration. Its split-coil sound is a true representation of Lollar’s single-coil Gold Foil, giving players a huge variety of inspiring and musical sounds.
The Deluxe Foil’s great tone is mirrored by its evocative retro look: the cover design is based around mirror images of the “L” in the Lollar logo. Since the gold foil pickup design doesn’t require visible polepieces, Lollartook advantage of the opportunity to create a humbucker that looks as memorable as it sounds.
Deluxe Foil humbucker features include:
- 4-conductor lead wire for maximum flexibility in wiring/switching
- Medium output suited to a vast range of music styles
- Average DC resistance: Bridge 11.9k, Neck 10.5k
- Recommended Potentiometers: 500k
- Recommended Capacitor: 0.022μF
The Lollar Deluxe Foil is available for bridge and neck positions, in nickel, chrome, or gold cover finishes. Pricing is $225 per pickup ($235 for gold cover option).
For more information visit lollarguitars.com.
A 6L6 power section, tube-driven spring reverb, and a versatile array of line outs make this 1x10 combo an appealing and unique 15-watt alternative.