Rig Rundown - The Cult's Billy Duffy

Article and Photos: www.premierguitar.com/articles...

[@tattooedsailor8666]

"I like my guitars to be bomb proof. I'm not really a collector. The old ones don't always sound the best.." -Well said Mr. Duffy! I get so tired of vintage BS..

[@OscarRodriguez-wm7dg]

Tattooedsailor exactly no crazy rare bs that was given to him from some hermit in a cave somewhere. Just shit you can pick up at guitar center like the rest of us. Truly a man of the people.

[@tysonrinker5958]

Me to.

[@calebproductions5970]

It's mostly about money plus they convince people what they think is worth thousands on a guitar

[@THEQueeferSutherland]

Exactly, so much bullshit out there about vintage "mojo." Yeah, no, a lot of those workers were just cranking out shit to get on their next smoke break, there's nothing magical about what they were doing. There are some real clunkers from that era, not everything is a gem.

[@bluespig1]

Yeah, but like old cars, you still look and think geez, I wouldn't mind one of those.

[@sgt.thundercok4704]

This guy is so damn real. No ego. Just pragmatic and respectful of those that inspired him.

[@catboi1188]

He's no joke 😮

[@brianmorecombe2726]

And he`s a manc.But a City fan.Not his fault

[@stallownedstallion825]

Billy doesnt shred because its not his thing...he has kept the classic rock/ blues based lead going since the 80s. One of my fav guitarists, prolific song creator...stacks of albums all relevant. Seen him 5 times live, truly an underrated axeman...and he doesnt care.

[@groovecat7]

"It's simple stuff.. the rest of it is down to attitude and in the fingers, you know?" Right on, Duff!

[@RockNJeep]

This is an awesome rundown with a massively underappreciated guitarist. He's a class act. But gear aside, he's dropping valuable pro tips here: Keep it minimal, simple, easily operated, and able to be fixed quickly or replaced.

[@stefanvanrensburg1436]

Like Neil Giraldo. Love them both

[@RandyFricke]

Billy's so generous. Always humble. Just a solid, working man's guitar player.

[@Veaseify]

From an era when ordinary working class kids kind of fell into bands by accident, that accent is pure Manchester (for those of you not from the UK). Home of The Smiths, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, The Stone Roses etc, etc.That's why he has no airs and graces, he probably still can't believe how many albums he's sold...

[@christopherbrougham]

I couldn't agree with you more, Steve. Billy is extraordinary yet strangely ordinary when you consider the place of birth. I'm a NZer and every band you mention was hugely influential here when I was a kid. I really have trouble with the haters on youtube commentaries like this. The 'sound' is unique, regardless of the skill level. Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury have a Lennon/McCartney, Morrissey/Marr perfection between them. And thanks Premier for loading this.

[@jeremyv4636]

I take my hat off to the greats of the UK-all the way from the gulf coast in the US. We love ya’ll & your music CRUSHES. It’s a love our culture holds that tough to describe. We love our American icons but we definitely love our Brit-musical pals-we gotta bounce our ideas off each other or else it just wouldn’t be the same. However-the question is when will music take a new turn? What’s out there now is bland. Need’s a swift kick-LOL!

[@tocboot]

Billy went to the same Wythenshawe school as my missus so I can assure you they didn't teach airs and graces there ;-)

[@Ticoboeren]

Probably the most underrated guitarist out there. In a perfect world he should've been as huge as players like Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi and Ritchie Blackmore.

[@noworries12]

haahahahaha,very good

[@vracan]

ok ok buddy lets not exagerate

[@skinnykarlos710]

He's certainly got the goods that's for sure !!

[@stefanvanrensburg1436]

Absolutely love Billy. He entertains his rig rundown in person, not via a technician

[@benallmark9671]

I agree 100% , he is in my mind , especially when it comes to writing rifts

[@bluecollarbuddha948]

My favourite rig-rundown/interview. I really did not expect Billy Duffy to be so down-to-earth and self-deprecating. Very cool. :)

[@EdwoodCA]

+Mark Stratton British reserve is legendary, so he's an extrovert, compared others? haha And agreed. It's very cool how he is the way he is.

[@gustavomantovani8309]

Hey Mark! Trust me.....this WAS NOT one of his best days. There are so many others where Billy is just amazing and yes, down to earth and believe it or not, FUNNY! Love him too!

[@gustavomantovani8309]

Thought you would like this..... - kzbin.info/www/bejne/npjWpKadbtp4h80

[@bubbanderson]

What a pragmatic approach to playing ... love the dry Mancunian sense of humour. Top geezer.

[@cmikesmith664]

Billy is such a down to earth guy. Subtle sense of humor.

[@wndowpayne]

He doesnt laugh at his own jokes..you have to be listening

[@benlogan430]

He’s freaking the man! “lives in a castle in Scotland with great Irish wolf hounds” ahahaha

[@badsanta518]

What a class act.. Billy Duffy rocks.

[@finlayhutchison3984]

badsanta518 i

[@groovecat7]

Interviewer; "Do you ever run them both together?" Billy: "Only when I'm in a bad mood…" hahaha…

[@mikebrookfield]

Enjoyed this one, I like Duffy's practical no BS approach...

[@drakeonyou]

true

[@Getyabootsoffskinny]

Me too

[@dmj09]

Manc..what more can you say...

[@Lance37a]

You can tell that in his playing as well.

[@michaelpurcell9956]

The Cult is on tour this year. Love the mention and heartfelt feelings for Mick Ronson!

[@helpendthefed]

Duffy may technically be an avg player but he's still a musical genius. Malmsteen can technically play Duffy under the table and yet not one person could name one of his songs. Duffy simply rocks.

[@joshmartins560]

Technicality doesn't equal creativity and originality

[@MrSammy1776]

Josh Martins and especially soul and feel.

[@cabinetgod360]

helpendthefed Mainstring has his niche. I have Rock.

[@cabinetgod360]

Josh Martins WHITE

[@jburdsinfuse]

Agreed. I'll take a great song over a great solo every time.

[@BassPhaze88]

Very underrated guitarist and seems like a great bloke as well. The Cult is a great band and the music absolutely fantastic. Thanks for having this rig rundown.

[@andrewrobinson3605]

I've seen the Cult live on several occasions and Billy's sound is fantastic. Brash, sharp, dirty - all the things rock and roll should be.

[@interruptor]

The thing about watching the cult live is that I'm not thinking about the sound at all, just enjoying the music and having pure fun!

[@Jllyrol311]

I like the Cult, but I don't pretend to be a superfan, but for some reason, I could listen to Billy talk all day.

[@ACERAMGAD]

+Dave Robles lol..yeh this should be like an hour long..very cool!

[@danschroeder9676]

same here! i've just watched like an hour of him talking

[@RhemieleBoue]

William Henry Duffy. possibly the most underrated rock guitar player on the planet.

[@sparkijones]

Billy’s a star! No pretensions just a straight-up guy who is practical and eschews fancy-shmancy for stuff he can replace wherever he is!

[@patrickkingsley402]

"It came out of the closet, even though it's straight" This dude is a legend

[@kendo5862]

“Seymour Duncan who was a mate of mine made me one ...” lol

[@theyearoftherat]

seems like such a nice guy - no rush/no ego.

[@TheAdambee7]

When I was learning guitar in 1985 I wanted to be like Billy. Had the Theatre of Hate albums and all the Cult albums.

[@paulsimmons5726]

Somewhere in Montana, there's a guitar and pedal guru who probably got offended by Duffy's comments about using simple gear. LOL! Duffy would be the guy to have a few beers with, just to hear some great stories! Great video!

[@timchurchill6975]

what a humble, knowledgeable, witty, comic, very interesting interview thanks

[@TheMclaujo]

Billy is just a cool dude, talking about the tools of his trade. Tried and true over flashy and new. Wore out my Love cassette, it stretched and eventually broke inside my Alpine removable deck lol. When Electric came out in ‘87, holy shit I was blown away. I bought a red vinyl EP of Zap City, coolest thing ever. Still pissed to this day, someone stole it from me when we had a party at our place. I would pay up to find another just like it. The Cult left an unforgettable, in a great way, mark on my late teens and early 20s. Wish I could go back in a time capsule and feel that new excitement just one more time but cranking it up now through my ear buds still gives some if that feeling. Thanks Billy!!

[@reggiehobbs8800]

Why do people hate on the interviewer? The guy plays better than most of the people he interviews. He seems like a good guy and knows his shit. What the problem?

[@tysonrinker5958]

John is the best interviewer

[@joshmartins560]

One of my favorite guitarists

[@sum1868]

20 minutes of sheer class and general awesomeness. Thanks PG.

[@PEMAMETAL]

Love The guitar tone of Cult and Billy seems like a very cool guy. Very technical in details of equipament.

[@kilts4u2]

Billy's freakin' AWESOME. What a down to earth dude. Willing to take the time to explain his guitars, his rigs and a lot of info about how he goes about his art. I've always admired Billy for his talent but I never knew he was this nice in person. Great interview. Joe Perry and Steven Tyler have nothing on Ian and Billy as a tandom. Just better known.

[@philc4520]

Agreed. Billy and Ian are an awesome musical combo. A powerhouse.

[@organicwest]

Run DMC saved Steve and Joe

[@petekitay]

Billy Duffy seriously knows how to play guitar and he knows what he's talking about, so listen up, children.

[@WilliamLithgowGuitars]

Pete Kitay RIGHT BEHIND YE THERE..! Somethings NEED to be said !

[@guitarslinger48]

Billy Duffy...The man who put the rest the argument that hollow body guitars can't be used in heavy type rock.

[@puppylinuxer]

Are you nuts?His hollow bodies are filled with foam and all kinds of dampning materials to kill the feedback, and also he doesn't really play with high gain settings at all.

[@Psyfonify]

josh homme of queens of the stone age uses quite high gain (fuzztortion) at times and often uses hollow or semi-hollow bodies.

[@joshmartins560]

Ted Nugent might have something to say about that....

[@shockwave113]

guitarslinger48 tell that to izzy stradlin!

[@alejandrohualdez5550]

guitarslinger48 And Silvain Silvain from The New York Dolls...

[@bigleemac]

Billy Duffy, what a legend and very humble about gear, nice to see!

[@vousandi8673]

he REALLY knows his gear intimately. this is the best. billy duffy talking about how he makes guitar sounds that helped define 80s music.

[@jeremyv4636]

Billy’s just awesome- great iconic tone immediately recognizable when ya hear ‘em with a wizard’s otherworldly sound.....yet he’s down-to-earth & practical as your neighborhood mechanic. LEGEND that CRUSHES!

[@gmund317]

Electric and Sonic Temple are 2 of my favorite albums ever. Billy seems like a regular guy who just happens to be a kick ass guitarist.

[@mindwarp666]

Billy Duffy is an absolute legend. I don't care that he doesn't do the fiddly-widdly shredder stuff, his music doesn't need all that and The Cult are still going strong 30+ years after I first saw them. If I could play and sound like anyone it wouldn't be Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani, Van Halen et al, it would be just like Billy. What a thoroughly nice chap he is too.

[@ApriliaRacer14]

What a Rock Stud. Love Billy's down to earth approach...raw, unfiltered and pushed.

[@OldSethOnetooth]

That was excellent and also well done to John Bollinger for just letting it flow

[@niroshanfernando4784]

Hell yeah mate!!! The Cult one of the most underrated bands in hard rock / alt Rock history and Billy Duffy one of the most underrated guitarists in that genre as well! ROCK ON & THANKS for the rig info! \m/

[@tadsomato1940]

Always liked his playing style, and seems like a cool, down to earth guy.

[@ALANRMOREY]

Love it ! Best interview by Mr .B , cause he hardly spoke the entire video ! Love it

[@notyrants]

I love his British humor. Great player. Ceremony is a top ten album for me.

[@soundgardener75]

Why would anyone unlike this video? If you don't like the Cult, or PG, move along, jeez... Anyway, great job on the Rig Rundown guys!

[@ultrakool]

billy can spin a funny story. the john sinclair/unibomber, eating donuts and looking good behind the curtain, had me laughing hard ;p

[@ShakeyNineteen64]

Legend! Top bloke, totally grounded and creator of some of the greatest riffs in rock!

[@derekstocker6661]

Absolutely fascinating, thanks Billy for some wonderful playing and fabulous sounds! Keep up the excellent work....

[@CurtHegel]

A good rigger rundown on of the best I've seen. Love Billy's humor.

[@theartist124]

I met Billy one time, he is a funny guy, thanks for posting this, very cool to see!!!

[@losrogers13]

Excellent Rundown to get 2014 rolling. Thanks, PG

[@ganzyjam2602]

Love Billy's guitar style and he's always had a great guitar sound on all their albums, awesome interview.

[@chrisgrabowski2678]

I wish I had seen this one sooner! Great interview John. Billy is very entertaining, straight thinking and a helluva a player.

[@Les537]

The Cults Electric was what I learned guitar to a few hundred years ago on my department store Harmony plugged into the tape recorder mic jack of my dad's home stereo. Keep on rocking, Billy!

[@mike_w_21]

Huge Cult fan - love Billy! Such a genuine guy. Those Les Pauls look amazing too.

[@ebeep]

A legend. This is awesome! Thanks PG!

[@playAgainMe]

One of the best unsung guitar player. Great interview. I cant believe The Cult came to where I live and missed it.

[@barryengle12666]

So much I absolutely love about Billy Duffy, how I just happened upon this video is truly amazing, thankfully I finally did. But wow, what a fantastic guy to listen to talking about his gear, love this

[@BerndThomasSchuller]

What a boss. Loved Sonic Temple and Electric

[@timj41]

Nice and refreshing to hear him acknowledge the cost of stuff and admitting he uses an off the shelf mass produced Vox amp. Very humble guy talking about his influences and idols.

[@ganzyjam2602]

Those old pedals I have to say are built tough and sound amazing, I've upgraded twice over the years and now find myself pulling out my old Boss pedals and realizing how great they sound.

[@dannyinaus]

Billy Duffy is one of my all time favourite guitar players from the 1980's. I actually based a lot of my own playing on his style in my early days. I can still listen to Cult songs for hours on end, and I know every note by heart. Thanks for this upload - made an oldish guitar man very happy!

[@pbracey1]

Fantastic interview! My favorite "less popular" Cult song...Love Trooper😀

[@ech0naught]

I like how he's so chill about his gear, not pretentious, nor super flashy. Such a legend!

[@scottnapier943]

A very underrated British Guitar Hero, and a true Manchester lad!

[@spacenut58]

So good, so underrated. thanks for the years of joy Billy!

[@aramzulumyan6380]

shy but still confident, very informative and still trying to put the message out of the box. Billy is very cool! Thanx for the interview!

[@PaulRoneClarke]

Been my favourite guitarist for 40 years at this point. Whenever i hear the phrase "Guitar Hero".. I add the words "Billy Duffy" in my head,

[@briandarabaca]

Simplest set-up I've seen but very effective.

[@jonesygw]

Very cool guy, awesome down to earth , highly talented song writer and player. Thanks for the rundown.

[@OnfloorAudio]

I love his minamal aproach of sometimes less is more !! He's a smart guy as you can tell by listening to him talk ...

[@danjryankee5]

I was at that Memphis show 12/15/13... and it rocked, too!!! Billy's a rock god!!! Love him... love the Cult!!!

[@tornmask1]

Billy "The CULT" Duffy is an amazing guitarist along with his beautiful axes!

[@WillHessey]

Name checking Mick Ronson - Awesome!

[@andrewpappas9311]

Yeah, Ronson is a great player

[@SirSneakerPimp]

This was a great interview.

[@Chrissurfs]

Thank youuuuuu !! Never got a chance to see them live but my first pick when I started learning to play :)

[@TheScaredofsilence]

Good interview. Very cool dude. Thanks PG.

[@electrolinks]

Legend. Saw them live in Dublin. Great show. Great Guitarist.

[@lonesomebillyvideo]

Why am I here ?...It's because I saw The Cult last night in Connecticut and Billy once again blew my mind. He's a true bad ass artist. Tone..melody..riffs and style.

[@profxpedals2009]

What a great attirude and humble approach. Excellent Rig Rundown.

[@blackfender100]

Great rundown Billy is very laid back glad to see this one.

[@ukredman]

Brilliant interview!!!

[@dannyinaus]

Billy Duffy actually inspired me to play lead guitar back in 1984! He is one the the most underrated guitar geniuses of all time.

[@duncanhowarth9514]

Nice guy! I was expecting F's and Jeff's every other word but I was pleasantly surprised to not hear one. Loved The Cult from the early days, back in the 80's.

[@davidtaylor6793]

My first gig..... sliced off skool to see the heavy metal kids sounds tour 1975 shrewsbury music hall and it hooked me for a life of live music. Rock on.

[@brianwood7237]

THAT...just made my day. The Cult w/GnR opening in '87...Still one the BEST freakin' rawk shows ever

[@PsyckadeliTV]

This is the greatest rig video ever. The three pedal on foot thing is so cool...

[@bernabas73]

Great!! Love Billy & the cult. . Im 45..got into them in 87 ..to me love..electric .. Sonic temple & that 1994 album.. are masterpieces.

[@henryschroeder749]

What do you think about Ceremony? I love that record also

[@emilioalonso6011]

So humble to be such a great guitarist

[@michaelbattista540]

I love the unpretentious nature of Duffy! So many guys just over complicate the nature of playing guitar in a rock context. This guy is battle tested, and comes out smiling at the end.

[@funeralbillii9172]

Billy is awesome!! I learned so much from Sonic Temple when I was first learning guitar.

[@Buelligan88]

This is the best rig rundown ever.

[@beerdog88888888]

Best rig rundown ever. What a top bloke.

[@tcfween]

Easily one of the best Rig Rundowns I've ever seen. Sonic Temple was one the most important albums of my teenage years.

[@SteveAshcraft]

one of my all time favs.. that Roland was my first amp... damn i wish i still had it lol

[@boldstrike]

That's a musician, humble and down to earth. Less is more, that's why his sound now is so powerful and awesome.

[@kendo5862]

Love his closer “happy to talk through my not very deep guitar rig”!! ... lesson for many ... it’s what you play and how play, not what you play with that defines long lasting talent