California singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham earned her first Grammy nomination in 2019, when she was just 23. A few years later, at 26, she won the Grammy for Best Folk Album, for her 2022 record, Revealer. Last year, she released her latest collection, Ace, her third with the storied label Verve Forecast.
Back in March, PG’s John Bohlinger met up with Cunningham for this new Rig Rundown at Third Man Records in Nashville, ahead of her show in the label’s Blue Room. Check it out!
This Martin classical-style is Cunningham’s primary guitar. She uses a unique tuning (B–F#–C#–E–G#–B) that creates what she describes as a suspended-chord sound. Cunningham hasn’t changed a thing on this one—not even the strings.
Rubber Match
Cunningham’s friend and longtime collaborator Tyler Chester lent her this Silvertone acoustic, which had been fixed up with a rubber bridge and pickup by Reuben Cox of Old Style Guitar Shop in Los Angeles. After some time, Chester insisted that Cunningham keep it; he figured the guitar wanted her now. It’s strung up with flatwounds.
New Novo
This Novo Serus, tuned to drop C, is brand new to Cunningham, who digs its similar-but-different take on the Jazzmaster design.
Grab and Go
This Fender Princeton combo is Cunningham’s go-to for both studio and stage purposes.
Madison Cunningham’s Pedalboard
Cunningham’s board includes an Ernie Ball VPJR Tuner pedal, Boss RC-5 Loop Station, JHS Milkman, JHS 3 Series Fuzz, DigiTech Whammy, Hologram Chroma Console, Cunningham’s signature JHS Artificial Blonde, and Universal Audio Galaxy ’74 Tape Echo and Reverb.
When it comes to reverb, very few pedal manufacturers have done as much to reinvent the category as EarthQuaker Devices has over the past couple of decades. The independent, family-owned company has a long history of opening new doors of experimentation for ambient adventurers with landmark pedals—like Afterneath, Dispatch Master and Astral Destiny—that have found their way to stages of every size the world wide.
Perhaps best described as a “soundscape generator,” Towers sends your input signal into a unique set of resonant filtered feedback networks to create a massive stereophonic expanse that’s rich in movement and atmosphere.
Towers is the type of reverb pedal that will sound incomprehensibly huge and haunting with all the settings maxed out, but it’s also the type of pedal that offers virtually endless possibilities for the users who take the time to explore its wide range of sounds. There’s something really special about the textures the pedal generates when its subtler settings are explored.
The sheer amount of possibilities is thanks in part to the pedal’s three distinct modes of operation. There’s a Manual Mode, which puts the player in charge of the filter frequencies and stereophonic movement. Then there’s Envelope Mode, where playing dynamics breathe and morph into ever-changing filter movements. Finally, in LFO Mode, the player surrenders control to a slow-moving oscillator that sweeps the filter frequencies and across the stereo field. And while anyone familiar with the brand’s history knows that Towers isn’t EarthQuaker Devices’ first or only reverb pedal, company President and Founder Jamie Stillman wants to ensure the market understands that Towers is a new type of reverb for the company and is by no means simply an evolution or fresh take on an existing pedal.
"I don't want people to think that we've redone the Afterneath, or that we've redone the Transmisser, or that we've redone the Astral Destiny,” Stillman explained, “Towers represents a linear progression of reverbs. It’s not an evolution of or update on any current or legacy device.”
Stillman is tight lipped when it comes to divulging too much information related to the secret sauce that gives Towers its unique voice, but did explain that the colorful, resonate movement that occurs in the reflections is created internally and isn’t the type of effect you could recreate with external hardware.
When it comes to the big questions most prospective purchasers ask themselves when trying to decide if they should buy a new pedal like “who is this pedal for?” and “would I benefit from adding this to my rig?” The answer is it’s really a pedal for any and every reverb-loving musician who is ready for something new. In the case of Stillman—the architect of Towers—it was something he wanted because he really loves having resonant filter movements in the tails of a reverb.
Ultimately, guitarists, synthesists, drummers, vocalists, and all other types of musicians in search of an expressive reverberant voice are encouraged to make a journey into the Towers, because all who do will be rewarded with massive resonate experimental reverbs, subtle expressive reflections, and a lifetime of ambient adventures.
If you’re not familiar with Louisiana sludge-metal legends Acid Bath, you might’ve been living in a cave for a while. That’s sort of fitting, because that’s the exact locale where PG’s Chris Kies met up with the band ahead of a recent gig at the Caverns in Grundy County, Tennessee. Guitarists Sammy Duet and Mike Sanchez, along with new bassist Shane Wesley, showed us how they’re conjuring their toxic tones these days in this new Rig Rundown. Check out the important bits below, and watch the whole video for more details on how they set their gear.
Sammy Duet is using this prototype ESP EX model, with color-shifting side bevels and Lollar Monolith pickups. He uses S.I.T. strings, .013–.060 gauge, for stability while tuned to C standard.
Marshall Madness
Duet likes these Marshall JCM2000 heads and matching 4x12 cabinets for their simplicity.
Sammy's New Slugger
From SPD100 designer Michael W Klein, "I was able to play through Sammy's rig onstage, which gave me a really good sense of what he was looking for. I think after that tour, he sent me one of his [Randall] VMax heads for repair and again to brainstorm on the performance he loved and didn’t love. A tour later, I brought him my personal amp that I designed and built years prior for him to give input on.
Those three experiences were extremely helpful, and the design time to prototype completion was about two years. I went all in, probably to an unhealthy degree. Praise Skeletor - he loved the prototype and took it on tour immediately. We spent the next two years torture testing, tweaking, and refining the design."
Under the Hood
From SPD100 designer Michael W Klein, "The amp is pretty unique, not really based on anything but definitely has various influences and inspiration throughout. It is definitely purpose-designed rather than based-on, if that makes any sense? There is a lot of attention to the tuning and taper of all controls, and I’m thrilled people that own one have noticed how unique but easy everything responds."
The tube complement is 4x12AX7, 4xKT77. I cut no corners in its construction, and it is meant to last a lifetime even in the most heinous situations. Every amp is built by me, by hand on turret/eyelet board just like my favorite amp builders of lore."
Brutal But Balanced
From SPD100 designer Michael W Klein, "As a builder, my effort to maintain the integrity of everything upstream from
the amplifier was a primary goal. Your guitars shouldn’t sound the same. Pickups will begin to make a hugendifference. Boosts that once felt identical should start to reveal their true character."
"While revealing, the SPD100 is intentionally forgiving, too."
"How can an amp be revealing AND forgiving? It’s not complicated – avoid over-saturation & over-compression, don’t get cutesy with excessive frequency trimming, and make the controls easy to dial and clear in their purpose."
"I hope the first chug you play brings a smile to your face."
Sammy Duet’s Pedalboard
Duet’s board currently boasts a Shure GLXD16+ tuner, Fortin Roach, a high-gain Morley wah pedal, Fortin Zuul, MWK Audio Design Spire, Xotic Effects SP Compressor, MWK Torture Rack, Strymon Cloudburst, and MWK Stull.
Choppin’ Wood
Sanchez plays this Woodrite V-style for now, but he’s collaborating with the company on a signature model that will feature a larger pickguard and tobacco-burst finish. Keep an eye out for that. This one, though, is loaded with custom high-output passive pickups designed by Jeff Richard.
Twin 2000s
Like Duet, Sanchez plays through a JCM2000 stack.
Mike Sanchez’s Pedalboard
Sanchez’s board carries a Dunlop Cry Baby, Boss TU-3, Shure GLXD16+ tuner, MWK Audio Design Lonely Ghost, Boss SY-1, and Death by Audio Moonbeam Phaser. A Boss ES-5 switching system helps navigate the changing.
Purple Pounder
Wesley uses a Sandberg Forty Eight bass, with a quilted maple top and Fishman Fluence pickups. He likes DR Strings Black Beauty coated string sets for their durability and dampening.
Split the Signal
Wesley’s signal from this Darkglass Microtubes 900 head runs both to an 8x10 cab onstage, and direct to front of house. The onstage cab mostly serves as a monitor.
Shane Wesley’s Pedalboard
Wesley’s tricked-out bass board carries lots of goodies. He has a Dunlop Justin Chancellor Signature Cry Baby, Shure GLXD16+ tuner, Origin Effects Cali76, Rupert Neve Designs preamp, Caveman Audio BP1 Bass Preamp, Citadel Electronics Dynazero, Darkglass ADAM, SFX Micro Thumpinator, Origin Effects BassRig Super Vintage, Universal Audio Astra and Del-Verb, and Tech 21 Q/Strip. A Strymon Zuma sends juice to them.
Bohlinger finally gets to meet one of his favorite guitarists, Nathaniel Murphy of Chicago Music Exchange fame. The two talk about their approach to the instrument, decode why guitar arrangements are puzzles, unravel Nathaniel's journey from futbol coach to busker to ace instrumentalist, all before Murphy humbly asks for a simple gig as a rhythm guiitarist in your band. Of course the duo share a couple of tasty jams, too.
The Dan O. Mano series, armed with a pair of P-90 style pickups providing a dynamite match for the DANO's hollow inner body and rosewood bridge.
With their Atomic Age styling – drawing heavily upon Danelectro’s boldly original 1950s roots – and turbocharged retro vibe, the DANO line might be the company’s most true-to-the-spirit guitars ever. Key features include:
Full Bell Headstock, a Danelectro original design dating back to 1954
Rosewood Saddle Bridge, another feature from 1954 prized by generations of players for its warm tone
Skate Key Tuners, gloriously recapturing the Danelectro vibe from 1958 with smooth, modern tuning accuracy
Ultracool vintage colors – all of them authentic to the 1950s
And every DANO® guitar comes with a FREE 8-page collectable reproduction of a Danelectro catalog from the 1950s!