After a long wait, Pearl Jam is finally on tour in support of the 2020s gigaton album, and eagle-eyed fans have already spotted some substantial changes to their onstage platforms.
Most notably, tube connoisseur Mike McCready has a pair of new Fender guitar amps stacked behind him, both of which bear a telltale Tone Master badge in the lower right corner, confirming them as combos from the Big F’s foray into digital versions of his classic amps.
The Deluxe Reverb and Blonde Twin Reverb from the series feature in McCready’s rig alongside a Lead Custom from Seattle amp builder Rola, which runs in a Marshall 4×12. Presumably, the Fenders handle clean sounds, while the Rola is switched for dirtier sounds.
McCready’s live endorsement is one of the biggest stamps of approval for the digital amp series to date. Of course, Fender undoubtedly paired the Seattle soloist with a combo or two when working on the Custom Shop replica of his ’60 Strat, which should be released as a more affordable production line model in the future. close.
The tour also held a few other gear surprises, including from co-guitarists Stone Gossard and Eddie Vedder, who dug deep into their collections to release two rarely seen Gibsons for the ride.
Gossard was spotted with a Gibson Les Paul Signature Semi Hollow Gold Top – notable for its ES cutaway at the top and Les Paul cutaway at the bottom.
Launched in the early 70s, the Signature Semi Hollow was the fourth and final guitar designed by Les Paul in a late 60s reunion with Gibson, and features a pair of low impedance pickups that excel in clean sounds.
Judging by footage from recent shows, the rare semi-hollow has become one of Gossard’s main guitars on the trek, being used on standard-tuned tracks including g glorified, Not for you and Seven hoursas well as essentials from the setlist Black and Alive.
Eddie Vedder, meanwhile, indulged more in his love of Pete Townshend and added the Who guitarist’s Gibson Les Paul Deluxe to his onstage arsenal.
2005 replica of Townshend’s heavily customized 1976 Les Paul Cherry Sunburst #9, guitar features a pair of mini humbuckers and a DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker – only 75 were made and come with a decal #9, not shown on Vedder’s model.
The guitar is currently used for standard tuned tracks, including Corduroy, Not for you and Flash.
Both guitarists still play their regular pressures alongside the new additions – so for Gossard it’s a Bigsby-equipped Les Paul Sunburst, while Vedder uses his sticker-adorned Telecaster for tracks that require a clearer sound. , as best man. McCready, of course, sticks to his ’60 Stratocaster, but a Les Paul with uncovered humbuckers and a P-90-equipped Firebird also saw action.
Pearl Jam kicked off their 2022 tour in San Diego on May 3, with the run slated to end May 20 in Las Vegas, after which the band will travel to Europe for a series of summer dates, before returning to the United States and the United States. Canada in September.
The rides mark the touring debut of former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who officially joined the liveup last year.
Last week the band paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins with a cover of Foo Fighters cold day in the sunled by PJ drummer Matt Cameron on guitar and vocals.