Premier Guitar's Shawn Hammond is on location in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he sits down for a green-room chat with Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen before this stop on the band's Like Clockwork tour. Van Leeuwen chats at length about his favorite Vox AC30s, his upcoming signature Fender Jazzmaster, his new Echopark guitar, and his multiple pedalboards.
Although bandleader Josh Homme (who's famously elusive when it comes to talking shop about his gear) declined to take part in the Rig Rundown, we did shoot photos of his main guitars and amps (his crew asked us not to show his pedalboard). Pics of Homme's gear, as well as bassist Michael Shuman's main rig, appear after the shots of Van Leeuwen's setup.
Troy Van Leeuwen's Gear
The former Perfect Circle guitarist's QOTSA rig consists of three main guitars—an Echopark T-style, his signature Fender Jazzmaster with a Mastery bridge, and a Burns 12-string (not shown). He plays through two Vox AC30s, a combo and a head driving Vox and Marshall cabs.
Van Leeuwen's Effects
Van Leeuwen's main QOTSA pedalboard has a Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro MIDI controller, a Custom Audio Electronics tap-tempo switch (for his Axe-Fx II, which is primarily used for reverb and delay), a Morley wah, Way Huge Supa-Puss and Pork Loin stomps, what appears to be a fourth-generation DigiTech Whammy, a Dunlop volume pedal, and a Korg tuner.
He also has a rack with two drawers holding Way Huge Green Rhino and Aqua-Puss pedals, an EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master, a Fuzzrocious Demon, and an MXR Q Zone, among other stomps.
Josh Homme's Gear
Longtime QOTSA fans will no doubt be bummed, though unsurprised, to hear that Homme didn't take part in our interview—he almost never gives guitar-oriented interviews. We did shoot pics of his guitars and amps, though. His main stage guitar these days is a MotorAve semi-hollowbody nicknamed Ryder. Another MotorAve semi-hollowbody that gets used quite a bit is Camille. He also recently acquired this Echopark guitar that we wrote about here.
Homme's crew asked us not to show his pedalboard, but to be honest, the old adage about tone being in the hands was largely supported by what we saw: There really wasn't much there that wasn't current-production gear from mainstream manufacturers. We did, however, get a shot of his four vintage Ampeg VT-40 combos, which he connects to via a Little Labs distribution box mounted to the back of one.
Michael Shuman's Gear
Though we didn't speak to QOTSA bassist Michael Shuman in our Rig Rundown, we did get some shots of his gear. His rig consists of two main basses, Fender American Vintage series J and P basses, each with thin custom finishes and pickups wound to '60s specs.
Shuman's Amps
He cranked through two Fender Super Bassman heads, one driving a 1x15 cab and one driving an 8x10.
Shuman's Effects
Shuman's pedalboard features a Palmer Triage amp selector, a Radial Engineering JDI direct box, a Korg tuner, three Way Huge stomps—an Angry Troll, a Swollen Pickle, and a Supa-Puss—a Jim Dunlop volume pedal, and a footswitch to activate an offstage Moog unit.
[Updated 10/7/21]
- Troy Van Leeuwen's Metaphysical Guitar - Premier Guitar ›
- Gear of the Month: Josh Homme's Echopark Custom Crow - Premier ... ›
- Album Review: Queens of the Stone Age - "... Like Clockwork ... ›
- Gear of the Month: Josh Homme's Echopark Custom Crow - Premier Guitar ›
- Inside Emily Wolfe’s Outlier - Premier Guitar ›
- Crobot's Chris Bishop Guitar Rig Rundown Gear Tour - Premier Guitar ›
- Queens of the Stone Age Announces In Times New Roman… Album and Releases Single "Emotion Sickness" - Premier Guitar ›
- Queens of the Stone Age Announce The End Is Nero Tour - Premier Guitar ›
- Emily Wolfe Rig Rundown 2023 - Premier Guitar ›
- Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale Guitar Rig Rundown ›
“The Player II Series represents our continued evolution in design and functionality,” said Justin Norvell, EVP of Product, FMIC. “We listened to the feedback from musicians around the world and incorporated their insights to refine and innovate our instruments. The re-introduction of rosewood fingerboards is a restoration of the ‘original Fender recipe’ and will no doubt be a fan favorite - but we didn’t want to stop there. We’ve also incorporated our rolled fingerboard edges for a broken-in feel, upgraded hardware, and have some new body options as well- which underscores our commitment to providing players and creators with the tools they need to express their unique sound and style. The Player II Series is not just an upgrade, it's a detailed re-imagining of our core silhouettes, highlighting our dedication to quality and the continuous refinement of our instruments.”
Additionally, Player II offers new options for chambered ash and chambered mahogany bodies for the Player II Stratocaster and Telecaster models, which will be available in October. Designed for musicians ready to elevate their craft, the Player II Series sets a new standard for quality and performance in the mid-price range.
Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS Electric Guitar - Coral Red
Fender Player II Jaguar Electric Guitar - Aquatone Blue
The 2018 CCL Deco Custom, in all its Pelham blue glory.
Anyway, we became friends and I started working on him pretty early—my 40th birthday was approaching, and that meant it was time for us to start designing his first solidbody build. If you stopped on this page, it’s because the photo of the finished product caught your eye. Beautiful, right? The 2018 CCL Deco Custom: Never shall there be another.
Old National Glenwood guitars were my design inspiration, but I wanted a slim waist like a PRS and the like. We used a solid block of korina to start, routed like MacGyver to get the knobs and switches where I wanted them. Dale builds all his own lathes and machines (usually out of lumber, y’all), as the task requires. This beast took some creativity—it’s tight wiring under that custom-steel pickguard. Many were the preliminary sketches. Four coats of Pelham blue, 11 coats of nitro. Honduran mahogany neck, Madagascar ebony fretboard with Dale’s signature not-quite-Super-400 inlays. He designed the logo; I just said, “Make it art deco.”
We sourced all the bits and bobs from StewMac and Allparts and Reverb and the like, mostly to get that chrome look I so adore. Graph Tech Ratio tuners, Duesenberg Radiator trem (had to order that one from Germany), TonePros TP6R-C roller bridge. The pickups were a genius suggestion from the builder, Guitarfetish plug ’n’ play 1/8" solderless swappable, which means I have about 10 pickups in the case to choose from: rockabilly to metal. And both slots are tapped, with the tone knobs serving as single- to double-coil switches. I put the selector on the lower horn to accommodate my tendency to accidentally flip the thing on Les Pauls—definite lifesaver.
Reader and guitar enthusiast, Cody Lindsey.
Dale offered to chamber this monster, but I said what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It weighs in at 11 pounds, if it’s an ounce. We carved the neck to match a ’60s SG, so it’s like the mini bat you get at the ballpark on little kids’ day. Easy peasy. 1 11/16" nut, 25" scale, jumbo frets, just 2 1/8" at the 12th fret.
Delivery in its lovely, hygrometer-equipped Cedar Creek case actually happened a month or two shy of my 41st, but hey, you can’t rush these things. We ended up with a studio Swiss Army knife; it does a bit of everything and does it effortlessly. A looker, too. Dale didn’t spend his career doing this kind of thing—he was in IT or some such—and I imagine he’s winding this “hobby” of his down these days, enjoying retirement with a bottle of Killian’s and a lawn chair at Duluth Blues Fest. But this guitar will live on as a marker of his skill and otherworldly patience. It sits at the head of the class in my practice room, welcoming any visitors and bringing a smile to my face every day. And Dale, my friend, I’ll be 50 before you know it....
Cody requested that Dale design an art deco logo for the guitar’s headstock.