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What is used in your live and studio set ups?
Well, there's a limitation to this answer because we have a "sworn-to-secrecy" policy, which comes from Josh [Homme, guitarist/singer]. He's been working on his sound for a long time and doesn't want us to give up the information. There's a bit of mystique because Queens has a unique sound. So I can't tell you what type of amps I'm using, but I will say that nearly every track on this record was done with some sort of hollowbody guitar, even bass. And every guitar that I use has a Duncan pickup in it, if it doesn't have the stock pickup. I have an ES-135 that I really love which is maybe five years old. That's my main one. I helped to design a guitar with Yamaha which may come out at the end of the year. It's a hollowbody with a Bigsby and three P90s. That's kind of a unique sound, as well, and having the option of three pickups is cool. I also play a Chandler lapsteel with a big mahogany body and little palm trees as fret markers.
As for effects, I can tell you there's nothing too outlandish. I use a Dunlop Crybaby wah, Guyatone Spring Reverb, and Lexicon Vortex, which is the easiest tap delay to use. Analog delay sounds better, but I think that it's better for me to tap out a tempo on that thing live. Onstage, I'm playing lapsteel guitar and keyboards, so I've got enough to do. I can't lean down and change my echo setting. I rely on using a switching system. I've been using the Ground Control GCS for years. It's easier for me to program stuff and hit one button, rather than tap dancing around, and I like the fact that it cuts down noise, too. I also use an MXR Dyna Comp compressor to keep the sustain, and a Maxon Overdrive -- the one like the old Tube Screamer. Those are great pedals for just a little overdrive and a little boost. I've used the new Duncan boost pedal as well, and that's a great straight boost. It's like an MXR Micro Amp -- a linear boost.
Which Duncan pickups do you favor?
I've always used the Seymour Duncan Custom and sometimes I'll use a JB. I've experimented with using different ones for the neck and the bridge, but I almost always end up using the Custom.
How are your personal guitars set up?
Well, the lapsteel is a little high, for obvious reasons. I use straight open E tuning on it. There's no strange tuning going on with any of the other guitars either. It's all either straight E or C (standard tuning dropped down), and there's maybe one song that's in D. I like the action on my guitars set kind of high, especially for C because it gets a little floppy. So I like to use heavier strings to compensate. On the Es, I'm using a .011-.052. On Cs, I'll use a .012-.056. For some guitars tuned to C, I'll even go .013-.058, depending on the way the guitar plays and the way the tension feels. The sets all have a wound third string. I use Ernie Ball strings on all guitars. On the lapsteel, I just use a heavier gauge because you don't need to bend, and I think a heavier gauge has "more matter," so it goes you a better sound.
