Pavement’s 2026 reunion run brought them to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for a two-night stand, and PG’s Chris Kies caught up with Stephen Malkmus, Mark Ibold, and Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg before the second show to look over the road rigs. Have a look at some quick highlights below, and tune into the new Rig Rundown for all the details.
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Knobody’s Business
A friend pointed Malkmus toward this Les Paul Gold Top in the mid ‘90s, and the volume and tone knobs have been pulled out of it ever since—he’d rather think about singing. The finish checking came from a night in a van in Wyoming at 10 below, which he doesn’t recommend.
High-Voltage Riffing
Malkmus also carries this Guild S-100, which he notes looks a lot like an Angus Young SG. He bought it beat up for a grand, which he considers the right way to buy a guitar since he’ll wreck anything nice.
Carry-On Crunch
Malkmus’ sound is powered by a Benson amp, built in Portland, where he used to live. He likes the switchable wattage, the onboard reverb, and that it fits in an overhead bin.
Stephen Malkmus’ Pedalboard
Malkmus keeps it to a Boss TU-2, an EarthQuaker Devices Hoof Reaper, a Diamond J-Drive MK3, a Strymon El Capistan, and a T-Rex Replica. He’s fitted plastic guards over the Hoof Reaper’s footswitches so he can’t kick one on by accident mid-song.
Classified Information
Ibold found this Precision in a free classifieds paper in the ‘90s and bought it in the seller’s kitchen out on Long Island. It’s the only bass he’s ever really played, it’s very light, and the finish cracked in that same Wyoming freeze. He uses Ernie Ball mediums (.050–.105). A backup P sits nearby, kept in a raised tuning for a couple of numbers.
Mark Ibold’s Pedalboard
A Peterson StroboStomp HD and an Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi, and that’s it. The part Ibold is proudest of is the little gooseneck lamp the band’s tech, Chopper, mounted on the board.
Deluxe Accommodations
Kannberg found this 1974 Fender Telecaster Deluxe in Berkeley in 1995, and it’s been his companion since—the first “good guitar” he owned. He wanted one because Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo had one. Strings are .010s.
Double Deluxe
Kannberg carries two Fender Deluxe Reverbs, run dual mono, on a suggestion from his L.A. studio collaborator, Dan Long. One of them came free from Fender.
Scott Kannberg’s Pedalboard
The Crowther Audio Hot Cake is what Kannberg calls the band’s secret weapon. Alongside it: a Boss TU-2, a Diamond J-Drive MK3, an EHX Octavix, a Boss RV-5, a “Klone” pedal that stays on to brighten the amps, and an EHX Deluxe Memory Man that Chopper handed him to make a mess with. An MXR A/B box switches amps, an MXR DC Brick supplies power, and a Radial box handles utility duties.
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