Guitar Rig Breakdown
Johnny Feds
Guitar "Johnny Feds & Da Bluez Boys"
Interview by Roger Zee (06/06/19)
Roger Zee: Tell me about your guitars.
Johnny Feds:
I'm truly a dyed-in-the-wool Fender man, from guitars to amps. There's something about the feel of a Stratocaster in your hands and against your body. It fits perfectly. Becomes part of you. So I play mostly Strats. Yes I name them! I basically set them all up the same way - low action, vintage frets, and "V" shaped necks. I put pretty much the same electronics in all of them. Some type of noiseless pickups because I can't take 60 cycle hum. For the most part I use Lace Sensor and Lace Holy Grails. In my two-tone Sunburst, I tried a set of Jeff Beck Hot Noiseless. Super quiet and I like the tone. I equipped all the Strats with a 25db mid boost and a TBX control pot a la the Clapton Signature Stratocasters. I was never one for distortion/overdrive pedals, I'm a very K.I.S.S.(Keep It Simple Stupid) type of guitar player. The less knobs, switches, etc., the better. With a good tube amp, the mid boost achieves enough breakup and grit for a good tone. I also own an Epiphone Zypher Deluxe called "Big Girl" with three P-90's for the T-Bone Walker and Jump Blues sound. For my 40th birthday, my wife gave me a birds-eye maple-quilted top Les Paul by Epiphone that I named "Forty."
Roger Zee: Can you list the Strats?
Johnny Feds:
- Pinky - well she's the workhorse, a 50's CIJ Reissue with a maple neck.
- P.E.T. - Pinky's Evil Twin. A 60's reissue in Shell Pink with a rosewood neck.
- Becky - the oldest of the bunch. A 1988 Clapton Signature Strat, Pewter Grey. I played her many years before Pinky.
- Bella - 1991 Clapton Signature Strat, Olympic White.
- Norma - 1950's Anniversary Strat, Aztec Gold.
- Lil T - named after my wife Terry. A 50's MIM Reissue, Sea Foam Green
- Lakota - hand-dyed and painted. A very special custom-made Strat type by Greg McCullough given to me as a present on my birthday.
- Me-Mi - another custom built by Ray Redness of Old Moon Guitars. Some unique features - left handed vibrato and pao ferro board a la Stevie Ray Vaughan. The color matches an old Lincoln I used to drive.
- Sen 2 - the graffiti Strat. When Clapton (yes I'm a big fan) started commissioning Crash (famous graffiti artist) to paint some of his guitars, my son knew of an artist from the south Bronx, Sen 2, and asked him to do a one-off for me.
- Night - My "Blackie." I put it together with parts laying around the workbench. Initially I was going to relic it like the original but I love shiny good looking guitars so I didn't have the heart to beat it up.
- Burst- My "Brownie." It started out as a Jimmy Vaughan model but I added Jeff Beck pickups and a single-ply pickguard.
- The "Di" Caster - a work in progress. Diane Chriccio painted an absolutely beautiful body for me. I'm now putting the hardware and neck together for full assembly. Coming Soon!
Roger Zee: What about amps?
Johnny Feds:
- 1965 Fender Princeton Reverb. Bob Fusco made me a pine cabinet covered in blonde tolex to fit a 12" speaker and also made a extension cab to go with it. This was my main gigging amp for many years. I recorded my CD on it. It contains JJ tubes and a Celestion G12H speaker. I don't take it out much anymore it's getting up in years and I'm always afraid it's going to blow one day.
- Two Fender Blues Jr's. Again with JJ tubes and Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. I used both of them with an A/B box for outdoor gigs. Now the jammers get to play them on Monday nights at The Bayou Jam.
- Fender Bassbreaker 15. I snagged one in Tweed from a special run of only 250! I'm really enjoying this amp. It has the warmth of the Princeton with the smoother grit of the Jr's. Plus it comes with line out capabilities, an extension speaker, and an effects loop. So you get modern with a retro sound. I keep the gain lower, raise the master volume, then kick in the boost on the guitar.
- Peavey Mini 20. Another cool little tube amp with all the modern features and switchable wattage - 1W 5W 20W. My first non-Fender and it's not bad. A little thinner and brittle sounding, but I use it at home in the 1W mode for practice.
Roger Zee: How about strings and things?
Johnny Feds:
- I string all my guitars with D'Addario 9.5's. I used to use 10's but my hands got very arthritic and the 9.5's give me a little less pain. Sometimes I'll go down to 9's.
- Cables - Monster 1/4" gold. I find them quiet and durable.
- Effects - Very simple and basic. Boss Tuner, Boss Chorus, Aria Delay.
- Picks - "Johnny Feds" custom Dunlap 70mm. A cross between med/heavy. Pink of course!
- Straps - Fender 2-1/2 feet Suede. Most match the color of the guitar.
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