CMT Blog: Archive

If you think Brad Paisley is the kind of artist who just shows up and sings, you are dead wrong. From reading this story on the Gibson Guitars website, it sounds like he is the exact opposite, in fact, and very involved in the nuts and bolts of his whole operation. So much so, you may actually need a translator to understand what he has to say about his guitar amplifiers and speakers: "The setup changes over time, but right now I'm using a handwired Vox AC30 head, a Tony Bruno Underground 30 head, a custom Dr. Z head we call the 'Z-Wreck,' and a Fender Vibro-King. I run the heads through Dr. Z 2x12 cabs loaded with Celestion Blue 25-watt speakers or the new Celestion Gold 50-watt speakers. I love the sound of the Blues -- they bring out that classic Vox chime -- but I play really loud, and, sometimes, the 25-watt speakers just start to give up. The Golds still have that alnico tone, but they can handle higher volumes. We've got one of the cabs loaded with a Blue and a Gold," he said. Whatever the hell all that means.

Don't care about his cabs and heads? There's still plenty of Paisley trivia in this story for you. Some highlights include quotes about growing up with the Sears Danelectro Silvertone guitar his grandfather gave him ("All of a sudden, he was seeing this guitar he'd given to me become my life") and how he never had to beg for work ("Growing up in the Ohio Valley, the neat thing for me was that I didn't have to ask to play a single gig. They were always offered to me. I've always felt very lucky -- as if there's a hand of fate guiding me toward this profession") and on why knowing jazz guitar has helped him ("I learned to play jazz when I was young and always felt it would be important to know my way around the neck better than the typical country or rock player. Jazz is like going to driving school, as opposed to just passing the driving test.")
By the way, Gibson has just introduced a new Brad Paisley model guitar -- an acoustic J-45 model. It has paisley inlays at the 12th fret and also a paisley decoration on the pickguard. The full retail price of the instrument is $5,158.