The legendary country musician and his right-hand man, guitarist Kenny Vaughan, prove that Fender guitars through Fender amps can still take you a long way in this world.
Today, we’re excited to bring you a Rig Rundown that we’ve been chasing for years: country legend Marty Stuart, and his right-hand man in his band the Fabulous Superlatives, Kenny Vaughan. Stuart and the Superlatives hit the road this year supporting their new instrumental record, Space Junk.
PG’s John Bohlinger recently convened with Stuart and Vaughan onstage at the CMA Theater in Nashville, where the duo walked us through the most prized pieces from their bottomless tone trunks. Tune in to get the details and stories in this special Rundown!
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“Clarence is like a band member,” Stuart explains of his iconic Telecaster. “Still, in my mind, it’s Clarence’s band.” Stuart procured the Tele, which belonged to guitarist Clarence White, in the 1980s while playing in Johnny Cash’s band. Stuart has only modified two things on it: He moved the “Scruggs” tuning peg from the fifth string, and added a special, Ralph Mooney-built bender for the low E string. It’s triggered by the black “button” beneath the bridge—Mooney drilled a hole in the guitar and installed the rubber footing from one of the legs of his pedal-steel guitar. The rest of the guitar is stock—well, Clarence White-stock. The Jerry Jones sitar to Clarence’s left runs through the upper Deluxe Reverb, and through the Radial PZ-DI direct to front of house.
Stuart’s backup is a 1952 Fender Esquire, which he guesses is the best electric he owns. He bought it off of dealer and friend Danny Shea in New York City; before it entered Shea’s possession, it belonged to Mick Ronson. “You can tune it and come back a week from now, and it’s still in tune,” says Stuart.
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Stuart bought this mandolin from Roland White for $650, and turned it into a guestbook of sorts. It features signatures from Johnny Cash, Doc Watson, and plenty of others. Miked with an AEA Nuvo Series N22 ribbon mic, it sounds “big as a house,” says tech Mick Conley.
California Dreamin’
The “voice” of Stuart’s guitars is a silver-panel Fender Deluxe Reverb that he acquired in California from rental company SIR. “When I plugged into that amp, I saw palm trees and sunsets, and California popped out of the speaker,” recalls Stuart. He played it for three days, then bought it from SIR when he returned.
An AmpRx Brownie powers the pair of Deluxes.
Marty Stuart’s Pedalboard
Stuart’s main tools are a Boss TU-12EX, JHS Mini A/B, Radial BigShot PB-1, and an MXR Six Band EQ, plus an AEA R92 ribbon mic on his Deluxe Reverb. A JHS Switchback effects loop can engage a Keeley Super Phat Mod for solos; the MXR Reverb is on hand in case the Deluxe’s onboard ’verb fails, and the Flamma FS06 has a Deluxe Reverb emulation that shoots to front of house.
Acoustic instruments run through the Radial PZ-DI, and the Radial BigShot ABY is used for large shows when Stuart runs two amps.
Triple Threat
Vaughan’s principle instrument is this 3Bender T-style, built by Wade Black in Arkansas. Custom-made for Vaughan, it sports a pine body, maple cap, 21 frets, and is capable of bending three strings: the A, G, and B. A Fender Stratocaster is on standby.
Dan, Rick, and Marty
This Danelectro DC-12 is tuned to an open F major 9 chord, and runs through one channel of the Vibrolux with a bit of delay and compression. Vaughan plays it with both pickups engaged, and its flat radius makes it a speedy player.
After recording with Mike Campbell’s Rickenbacker 12-string, Vaughan picked up one of his own from a music store in Berry Hill. But this one is unique: It lacks the model’s classic sound hole, has Martin-style trim down its back, and the neck dates to 1969, while the pickups are from the early ’80s. The best hypothesis so far is that it was made by an employee at a music store in Pennsylvania.
The Martin D-45 dates to 1988, and is equipped with a Fishman Matrix pickup
Special ’67
Vaughan trusts his 1967 Vibrolux Reverb, miked, like Stuart, with an AEA R92.
Kenny Vaughan’s Amp and Pedalboard
Vaughan bought his first pedal back in 1966, and from his collection of hundreds, he’s chosen these special few for his live setup. There’s a Peterson Stobostomp, Dunlop volume pedal, Xotic XW-2 wah, Keeley-modded Ibanez Tube Screamer, Xotic SP Compressor and EP Booster, MXR Smartgate and Joshua, and Keeley Magnetic Echo, Comp Mini, Zoma, and Eccos.
Vaughan’s Rickenbacker runs through the Radial Pro-48 to front of house. A JHS Mini A/B handles switching, and the Radial PZ-DI handles acoustics.
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