Big fan of your work and great record with Omar! What type of strings do use on your guitars & basses (flats/rounds, string gauge, etc)? Also, what’s your amp of choice in your own setup or do you like to go DI?
What’s up Edward!!
I like this question, I love to geek out on details.
The guys I came up around were always rocking on flatwounds, 11’s/12’s, shoot sometimes 13’s.
Flatwounds on guitar is AWESOME.
I’ve always been a flatwounds on bass guy, but I’d like to get some more variety in my basses and have some basses with round wounds. I look at string setups like; whats gonna make you play different? We know what normal nickelwound 10’s feel like, what does it sound like to put 12’s on and tune down to baritone standard? I’ve seen friends put nylon strings on a telecaster, I’ve seen a friend string a Stratocaster with inverted string order, with 13’s.
I love tuning down, even in standard tuning. makes me write differently. I have a few amps, but DI is often the move for me. I like Ampeg Gemini II, Danelectro DM-25, the best amp I ever heard was a tiny vintage fender champ with one knob on it.
A lot of my favorite records have DI guitar and bass I think, but through a really cool chain. And even if you don’t have the outboard gear, just experimenting with saucing up on the way in with plugins. I just love tones with character even if it sounds shitty.
Matter o fact, while working on an Unnamed record that’ll be coming out next month, John Mayer walked in (his studio room was next door) and said he heard this really simple one note guitar line over our song, he asked what he should play it on? And it was an option for him to go grab one of his perfectly set up guitars. If I remember correctly, I asked him to play it on my very average strat, the strings hadn’t been changed in like 1.5 years and it definitely needed a setup, but it inspired him to play differently. Needless to say he killed the part on my shitty guitar, and I’m guessing the lack of setup and the rusty strings limited his playing, and limitations are a great way to get unique parts/tones.
Anyway, 
- teo
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Amazing! A few follow-up questions from your answer: Any string brands you like in particular? Do you like to set up your guitar specifically for different tunings? How do you like to treat your guitars that you DI? Any particular outboard gear/DIs you like? Also would love any guitar tech recs in LA, if you have any!
Thanks again man!
so, no specific string companies for me,
I don’t have a tech but I heard ericsguitarshop in the valley is great. Specifically for Basses.
If I’m getting a guitar to be baritone or changing string gauges by a few I’ll get it set up for that.
I feel like so much of the change in tone, especially on bass, is in the playing. I just got a Reddi which is nice little extra color. Bass through a lot of the green face altec stuff is always gonna be great. Altec 1567 or 342. Guitar too. Guitar through any tube gear. Could get a langevin/Collins/grommes tube mixer.