BRIAN SETZER
TONE AT HOME
Setzer’s rig is pretty simple by today’s
standards, but unfortunately for the
Setzer acolyte trying to replicate this
tone at home, it’s also expensive. A
vintage or reissue Gretsch 6120, a ‘63
Fender Bassman, and a vintage Roland
RE-301 (plus one incredibly long cable)
will set one back a scary amount
of money, so my recommendation
is to seek out alternate solutions
that will approximate it for a lot
less dough. Affordable, high quality
hollowbody guitars—with Filter’Tron
style pickups—are relatively easy to
come by, and Gretsch itself has the
Electromatic series, which features
several instruments that fit the bill.
Upgrading one of these working
man’s guitars with TV Jones TV Classic
pickups would go a long way towards
Setzer tone heaven.
As far as amps go, there are a lot of
Fender and Fender-style amps that
will get a similar tone to Setzer’s ‘63
brownface for less money, including
the more common 4x10 Fender
Bassman combo, and even the Fender
Deluxe Reverb Reissue. Hook one of
these amps up to a 2x12 extension cab
with Celestion Vintage 30s and you’re
even closer to the sonic goal.
30
TONE TALK //
For tape echo, the obvious choice (if
you don’t already own an actual tape
delay) is a pedal like the Strymon
El Capistan, the Catalinbread Belle
Epoch, or another digital delay that
accurately mimics vintage tape tones.
As far as I know, there is no pedal
that fully replicates the complete
Roland RE-301 experience, but the
Nocturne DynoBrain does replicate the
preamplifier circuitry of this machine
quite accurately. This pedal is beloved
by Setzer tone-chasers, and paired
with a good tape echo style delay
pedal, it can work magic.
Brian Setzer is a world-class guitarist,
possessed of chops and innate
musicality that put him in a truly
rarified class of musicians. He is also
a tone giant, who has inspired hordes
of chasers ever since “Stray Cat Strut”
blew up MTV. Though many continue
to associate him with that golden
era, he long ago transcended it, and
continues to push forward artistically
with a singular style and sound.
Rock this Tone: The Gear and Sound of Brian Setzer