The guitar great who influenced Eddie Van Halen and Yngwie travels with just a Fernandes goldtop once owned by Gary Moore, a versatile Engl, and a prog-rock pedal playground to recreate the Genesis masterpiece Foxtrot.
“I always apologize to the two Erics [Clapton and Johnson], ‘You have no idea how much I’ve ripped from you,’” joked Joe Bonamassa during a recent video with YouTuber Rick Beato. The Grammy-winning bluesman followed that up with a gracious response: “We all get it from somewhere.”
That “somewhere” is a muse that molds every guitarist’s individualistic style and voice. For example, Eddie Van Halen shook the world and confounded guitarists with his explosive two-hand, finger-tapped “Eruption” performance on Van Halen’s 1978 debut. Yngwie Malmsteen put listeners in awe with his dazzlingly clean and swift sweep arpeggios. They both became synonymous with those talented techniques, and were heralded as pioneering groundbreakers. But where did they get the ideas from before expressing and executing them it in their signature style? Both took a page out Steve Hackett’s prog-rock playbook.
Hackett’s two-hand tapping technique can be heard in the early ’70s on Genesis’ albums Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot. Hackett’s sweep picking was first heard on the 1973 Selling England by the Pound track “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight.” Those contributions alone should’ve been enough to land Hackett in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (His combined work on six Genesis albums in six years earned him a slot in 2010.) On top of that smashing success and influence, he’s recorded nearly 30 solo albums—ranging from prog-rock and blues to world and classical—over a dozen live albums, and even traded licks with Steve Howe in the short-lived supergroup GTR. Hackett might not be recalled like the other guitar greats, but without his shoulders to stand on, those first-name giants might not have shone as bright.
Hackett’s headlining Ryman Auditorium tour stop in late October 2023 celebrated the 50th anniversary of Genesis’ Foxtrot—a seminal, prog-rock tour de force that was recorded when singer Peter Gabriel, bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford, drummer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, and Hackett were in their early 20s. Before the show, PG’s Chris Kies was invited onstage to go over the minimal-but-mighty setup used by Hackett. First tech Vince O’Malley detailed a Fernandes goldtop (once owned by Gary Moore) with its limitless Sustainer circuit and a treasured nylon-string Alvarez built by master luthier Kazuo Yairi in the 1970s. Then Hackett himself joined the fun and plugged his Fernandes into his pedalboard to show off all the sounds, tones, and colors he requires to honor his days in Genesis.Brought to you by D'Addario.
Gary's Goldtop
Goldtops and Steve Hackett have been longtime partners. The most-famous pairing would be Steve and his 1957 Gibson Les Paul that was featured all over Genesis’ recordings during the 1970s. Then in 1981, he befriended another Gibson Les Paul (this one, a 1974) that was diced up for optimal experimentation by adding a Floyd Rose and a Roland Hex pickup to control the the GR-700 Programmable Analog Guitar Synthesizer. As he sought out new tones and capabilities, he encountered a duo of Fernandes instruments—a pink Strat with a Sustainer circuit and a black Burny Les Paul that already had a Floyd and Sustainer.
His main ride is this 1990s Fernandes goldtop decked out with his desired specs—including a Floyd Rose and the Sustainer circuit in the neck—from the culmination of his years of workshopping ideas. It’s affectionately called “Gary,” after guitar hero Gary Moore. Hackett acquired it via Graham Lilley, a shared guitar tech between Moore and himself, and the Moore family estate who helped broker the deal. He has another Fernades goldtop as a backup, but if all goes well, this doesn’t leave Hackett’s hands all night.
Nimble Nylon
For the calmer moments of the Foxtrot replay, Hackett relies on this 1987 Alvarez CY127 CE built by master luthier Kazuo Yairi. It’s constructed with a solid cedar top, fancy rosette, rosewood back and sides, 12-fret mahogany neck with ebony fretboard, 19 frets, rosewood bridge, individual saddles, and factory-installed Alvarez natural response pickup system with pop-up volume, bass, and treble controls. The slotted headstock features rosewood overlay, and gold 3-on-a-plate tuners with pearloid buttons.
Powder Strings
Hackett has always preferred light strings. He suffered a devastating cut to his left forearm that reduced his strength, so lighter strings play a pivotal role in his longevity and ability to play the difficult parts required for Genesis’ music and beyond. He currently uses Ernie Ball Extra Slinkys (.008 –.038) for electric and D’Addario EJ43 Pro-Arté Nylon Light Tension classical strings for the Alvarez. The secret ingredient to Hackett’s speed is the Johnson & Johnson baby powder that tech Vince O’Malley rubs on the guitar necks to reduce any friction Steve may encounter while onstage.
Jackpot!
Much of Hackett’s career has been linked to 50W Marshalls. His longest fling with the British brutes was a 1987 head that ran off a pair of EL34s, but a few years ago Hackett reevaluated his live tone and engaged in an amp shootout. The winner was an Engl Powerball I, a 100W bludgeoner with 6L6s. Tech Vince O’Malley says they only run the amp in the clean channel and preferred it to the rest for its high headroom and pedal-friendly base tone. It still runs into an old Marshall 1960A 300W cab that has a foursome of Celestion G12T-75W speakers.
Steve Hackett's Pedalboard
Hackett has never shied away from effects. It doesn’t matter if it’s analog or digital, true-bypass or not—if it helps capture an idea in his head or articulate an emotion via the fretboard, he’ll try it. To that end, he still employs adventurous pedals in a very pragmatic pedalboard. The main section consists of a couple Line 6 boxes: the DM4 and MM4. He has a pair of Boss PS-6 Harmonists, with one set to double his guitar line and the other for a subtle chorusing effect. Next to those is a MXR EVH Phase 90 that is dimed for a Leslie-ish swoosh. Hackett has been a longtime fan of the DigiTech Whammy, using it from the very first WH-1 model. He currently jacks up his tone with the WH-5. And in the top-right slot rests a TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb. Down below includes a TC Electronic Flashback 2 X4 Delay, a duet of Tech 21 SansAmp GT2s (for different levels of fury), and an Electro-Harmonix Attack Decay for faux volume swells needed to give his sore Achilles tendon a break after decades of foot-pedal manipulation. Tucked underneath is an Analogman Beano Boost and a DigiTech Mosaic used to mimic 12-string parts on Foxtrot material. Everything is powered by two Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus units.
Moving on to the right-side addendum, we have a Dunlop 105Q Cry Baby Bass Wah (Hackett prefers its low-end oomph), an Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, and a Cornish Iron Boost treble booster.
To the left, he employs a Fishman Aura Spectrum DI and a Radial ProDI Passive Direct Box for the Alvarez, and a custom switcher box to toggle between electric and acoustic instruments.
Steve Hackett's Rig
Ernie Ball Extra Slinkys
D’Addario Pro-Arte’ Nylon Light Tension EJ43
Engl Powerball
Marshall 1960A 4x12 Cabinet
Celestion G12T-75W Speakers
Tech 21 SansAmp GT2
Boss PS-6 Harmonist
EHX Attack Decay
Fishman Aura
DigiTech Mosaic
Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
DigiTech Whammy WH-5
TC Electronic Flashback 2 X4 Delay
MXR EVH Phase 90
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus
Dunlop 105Q Cry Baby Bass Wah
Radial ProDI Passive Direct Box
- Interview: Steve Hackett and Chris Squire In Harmony With Squackett ›
- Fifty Years of Filth: The Story of the Mighty Tone Bender Fuzz ›
- Mike Rutherford: Back in the Shop with the Mechanics ›
- Fernandes Guitars Bankruptcy: Iconic Brand Ceases Operations ›
Dunlop Pays Tribute to Eric Clapton with Special Edition Cry Baby Wah
Eric Clapton Cry Baby Wah is a limited-edition pedal with GCB95 sound and gold-plated casting. Portion of proceeds donated to Crossroads Centre for addiction treatment. Available exclusively at Guitar Center.
In 1986, Mr. Clapton first started working with the late Jim Dunlop Sr., and he became one of our first and most important Cry Baby artists. We are honored that our company’s relationship with the legendary guitar player continues to this day. With this special limited edition Eric Clapton Cry Baby Wah, we’re paying tribute to Mr. Clapton’s 60-year legacy. Featuring the benchmark sound of the GCB95 Cry Baby Standard Wah, this pedal comes with a distinguished gold-plated casting befitting one of rock ’n’ roll’s living giants.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Eric Clapton Cry Baby Wah will be donated to the Crossroads Centre, a not-for-profit organization founded by Mr. Clapton to provide safe and supportive addiction treatment and a road to recovery. If you wish to contribute a further donation, please visit crossroadsantigua.org.
The Eric Clapton Cry Baby Wah is available now at $299.99, exclusively from Guitar Center in the United States and from select retailers worldwide.
Eric Clapton Cry Baby Wah Highlights
- Pay tribute to one of rock 'n' roll's greatest legends
- Special limited edition• Benchmark sound of the GCB95
- Distinguished gold-plated casting
- Portion of proceeds donated to Crossroads Centre for supportive addiction treatment and recovery
The PXO was created as a live or studio tool. When we sent Phil the overdrive sample he found that it saved him in backline situations and provided him a drive that plays well with others.
The PXO is an overdrive/boost where you can select pre or post giving you variety in how you want to boost, EQ and overdrive. We have provided standard controls on the overdrive side such as Volume/Gain/Overdrive and EQ but on the boost side you have a separate Tilt EQ that allows you to EQ with simplicity. You can experiment by cascading in a pre or post situation and experiment from there. The PXO has a lush, thick feel to the bottom end and a smooth top end that begs you to dig into the note.
J. Rockett Audio Designs PXO Phil X Signature Overdrive Pedal
Phil X Signature OverdriveBryan in a presidential pose before some of the boards at Blackbird Studio.
Take it from English cyclist Sir Dave Brailsford: With an all-encompassing approach to improving the marginal aspects of your methods, you can get quite the payoff on the quality of your endeavors. And that goes for recording, too.
Technology is a strange bedfellow in the arts. We’re either dazzled or disenchanted, love it or hate it, and the drive behind it all is a relentless need to gain a slight competitive edge on our own creativity—at least that’s how I think of it. Last month I wrote about the benefits of using a modeling microphone on a single source. This month, I want to expand that to a larger format.
Recently, I did a live recording and mixing masterclass with Universal Audio, Guitar Center Pro, and the Blackbird Academy back in Dallas, Texas (my hometown). The format: Record a live performance of a band including acoustic, electric, bass, and drums, plus vocals with additional synth tracks, and then immediately pivot to mixing in the box—all in front of a live audience. In addition, I also wanted to do something very different. I wanted to use modeling mics to record the drum kit and simultaneously use them without modeling for the live performance. My hope was that later during mixing, I would compare and contrast to see if I could get more of a “studio” sound.
There are many modeling microphone choices on the market today, mostly made by Slate, Antelope, and Universal Audio, ranging in list price from $129 to $1,500. For this masterclass, I used UA’s Standard Microphones with Hemisphere Modeling (starting at $129).
Live vs. Studio
Now for those of you that read my Dojo offerings regularly, you know I always emphasize mic placement as well as using as little EQ and dynamics processing as possible. In short, always start by taking as much time as you can to adjust the mic to get the best sound possible before reaching for the EQ knobs on any sound source. If you have more than one mic to choose from, switch mics and listen. Are you getting closer to the sound(s) you want?
After making sure the band was totally happy with their monitor mix and things sounded good in the house, the show began. To ensure that the tracks would be as clean as possible, I recorded the performances into my DAW with no modeling, EQ, or dynamics on the drums (or for the rest of the band). I did use some EQ and a little bit of dynamic control for the live show to keep the vocals out in front of the band.
The drum layout was as follows:
• Overheads: two SP-1s (spaced pair)
• Two rack toms and floor tom: three SD-7
• Kick drum: one SD-5
• Snare: one SD-3
Marginal Gains
Once I got the drum kit balanced in volume, I proceeded to bring in a pair of Neumann KH 310 monitors so the masterclass participants could hear what tracks sounded like in a more “studio” mix environment. I cycled through the various modeled mic profiles to hear the differences until we all reached a consensus as to which model worked best for each specific drum in the kit. (My picks: Neumann KM 54 for overheads, cream-colored Sennheiser MD 421 for toms, AKG D12 for kick, and SM57 for snare.) I could then toggle on and off all the profiles at once and hear a completely modeled-mic drum kit as opposed to the “natural” one. The results definitely raised some eyebrows and proved the efficacy of the “aggregation of marginal gains.” This term was coined by Sir Dave Brailsford, who catapulted British Cycling to legendary achievements and wins by choosing not to focus on big gains in a single area, but rather highly detail-oriented marginal gains in many areas (“The 1-Percent Factor”). Thus, by using seven modeled mics on the kit, the composite result was noticeably more flattering than without, and a more polished “studio” sound was achieved.
“Always start by taking as much time as you can to adjust the mic to get the best sound possible before reaching for the EQ knobs on any sound source.”
You may be asking, “Did the mics sound good in the house without any modeling?” Yes! I found them to be equally on par with the standard “live mic” stalwarts we all know. Now, this isn’t a review of the microphones as much as what I mentioned at the beginning—that technology can offer us unique possibilities if we start thinking outside conventional norms and use products outside their primary design. Look around your studio right now, or think about the gear and instruments you have. Can you challenge your creativity and try something new? Can you embrace the 1-Percent factor?
As for me, my next recorded live gig will very likely be with modeling mics!
Until next time, namaste.
In this promotional photo of the Waikiki Trio, the standing guitarist is playing a Martin 0-42, and the seated guitarist is playing a Martin 0-18K.
Pacific Island pluckers had a hand in developing the beloved dreadnought acoustics, and changed the course of American guitar music.
In 1906, a devastating earthquake and three days of raging fires leveled 80 percent of San Francisco. Nine years later, to honor the opening of the Panama Canal and signal that San Francisco was back, the city held the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
More than 18 million people visited. One of the most popular attractions was the Hawaiian Pavilion. Live music and hula dancing, integral parts of Hawaiian culture, were in the show, where they could be experienced on a large scale on the mainland for one of the first times.
That was the beginning of the Hawaiian music craze that had a good run in the U.S. until the Great Depression. Hawaiian musicians had already embraced the ukulele and steel-string guitar, originating the slide-based lap style (versus the typical, so-called Spanish-style playing orientation). Both instruments saw unprecedented demand on Hawaii and the mainland. The story of the ukulele is well-told, but in doing research for this article, I came across a funny comment that caught my eye: “It could be said that in the mid-1920s, Martin was a ukulele company that also made guitars!”
In early 1916, we made a large-body custom guitar for Hawaiian musician Major Kealakai. He ordered it through our largest distributor, Ditson. It was kind of a 0000-size, 12-fret, steel-string guitar with an extra-deep body. The Major and his band were touring the U.S. mainland, and he felt he needed a bigger, louder guitar.
Shortly after that, Ditson commissioned a new larger, pear-shaped steel-string guitar from us to capitalize on the growing interest in Hawaiian music. It was called the dreadnought. It had just 12 frets, a slotted headstock, and a sizable, resonant body. Initially, the dreadnought didn’t sell very well. We did find success, however, making many of our smaller-bodied guitars with steel strings set up for “Hawaiian-style” playing. These were often made with a koa-wood back and sides, and occasionally tops as well. Additionally, if players wanted to use our other guitars lap-style with a slide, Martin manufactured a nut extender to raise the strings far enough above the frets so they wouldn’t interfere.
“It could be said that in the mid-1920s, Martin was a ukulele company that also made guitars!”
While steel strings were available in the late 1800s, the quality was inconsistent. Thanks to the popularity of the banjo and the mandolin, steel-string quality improved. The steel string provided the extra volume many players were looking for.
During the Great Depression, Ditson suffered financial difficulties and was sold. We kept the dreadnought in the line and put the Martin name on it, but sales still remained low. In 1929, we made a one-off, 14-fret steel-string version of our 000-size guitar for a well-known vaudeville banjo player, Perry Bechtel. We squared off the shoulders to accommodate the 14-fret neck. He loved it—and we thought we were onto something.
Gibson also saw opportunity in larger-bodied guitars with steel strings and 14-fret necks. They introduced three new models in 1932: the HG-20, HG-22, and HG-24. The first two were slightly smaller than our dreadnought, and the third was slightly bigger. They realized the value of a 14-fret neck for modern playing styles with steel strings. But instead of squaring off the shoulders, they moved the bridge down and attached the neck to the slope-shouldered bodies.
Not only did those models have a traditional round soundhole, but they also had four f-holes and a sound baffle to try to compete with the newfangled resophonic guitars that were quite loud. But the Gibsons were not well received by consumers, and were eventually discontinued.
In 1934, we redesigned our dreadnought with square shoulders to accommodate a 14-fret neck. That same year, Gibson reintroduced the HG-24 body size with a single round soundhole—no more f-holes or sound baffle—and called it the Jumbo. The Martin Dreadnought and the Gibson J Series guitars are still wildly popular.
I do wonder if they would even exist today if Hawaiian music hadn’t entered the American-pop music sphere in the 1920s?