Premier Guitar | 1 decade ago
Article and photos: http://bit.ly/CageTheElephantRR
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Premier Guitar's Chris Kies catches up with Cage the Elephant guitarist Brad Shultz who talks about his love for Fender Mustangs and guitar tech Jordan Powell runs us through all the gear behind the band's 2014 tour in support of The Black Keys.
The CTE rhythm guitarist’s setup is strictly Fender, more specifically, Mustangs. His current #1 is a fairly new—although you can’t tell by all the body damage and tape—blue Mustang that is completely stock aside from a mod where the bridge pickup is connected directly to the output. He opts for this live setup because the guitar’s switches often get in the way while he thrashes onstage and in the crowd. (When he’s in the studio, Shultz has his tech Jordan Powell rewire the guitar so he has all tonal options at his disposal.) You can always tell what guitar is his #1 because it will have his favorite Souldier Olive Owl strap on it. He uses Ernie Ball Power Slinky .011–.048 strings and Dunlop .50 mm Tortex picks.
His second Mustang is another single-coil machine that only has the bridge pickup active and is actually newer than the blue one above, but had some recent damage—neck joint cracks, body chipping, and stripped strap locks—during a hometown show in Nashville.
His third and final electric axe is a Mustang Special. This beast is his only humbucker-equipped ride and it’s loaded with the stock Wide Range ’buckers. Shultz prefers to use this on songs with single-note riffs—like their Melophobia hit “Spiderhead”—because the guitar has a bigger, edgier vibe than its single-coil counterparts. Plus, he really feels it's the best sounding of any of his guitars when paired with his favorite pedal—a ZVEX Mastotron.
For more details on CTE's gear and up-close photos of everything, visit: http://bit.ly/CageTheElephantRR
