Rig Rundown - The Tallest Man on Earth

Take a look at how one of Sweden’s most enigmatic songwriters crafts layers of sonic magic with a handful of open tunings and a pile of pedals.
Watch the Episode: bit.ly/TallestManonEarthRR
Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL
Kristian Matsson, aka The Tallest Man on Earth, met with Premier Guitar’s John Bohlinger after his soundcheck at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. As a solo performer, Matsson needs to cover a lot of sonic territory, laying down complex tone beds to accompany his voice. He offered up a step-by-step guide to the ingredients that go into being The Tallest Man on Earth.
American Stage Cables: www.daddario.com/AmericanStageRR
Matsson plays a vintage ’50s Harmony Stratotone. The Stratotone remains all stock as far as he knows and in spite of the primitive bridge, the intonation is solid.

[@premierguitar]

Watch the Episode: bit.ly/TallestManonEarthRR Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL

[@marni5215]

Premier Guitar do a Rig Rundown with Joyce Manor please

[@tabletop77]

Its an early 50s H44 Stratotone...between 52-55. Around the mid 50s the "Hershey Bar" DeArmond pickup gets a couple of vents in it. The gold ones were sold through the Aldens store chain whereas the copper ones were sold through Montgomery Ward I believe.

[@3P1Cpha1l]

Obviously the second tallest man on earth

[@JoshPooreReal]

"Do you have any intonation issues with a straight bridge like that?" "Always! :D"

[@ProbyWaN1337]

he's the best. been a fan for years and years

[@davecooper6173]

One of my favorite Rundowns. He's one of the finest of our time.

[@glasstubes1]

super hyped that the tallest man on earth let bohlinger borrow a fleece

[@morganghetti]

I'd you guys haven't heard his albums they are great. He's a phenomenal finger style player. Crazy, beautiful tunings. Unique voice.

[@parkermarlow7196]

idk if anyone ever saw that live video of him on KEXP when there's no leaving now had just come out, but he was so quiet and nervous there and now he's so excited and happy and it makes me smile.

[@Kodamair]

Glad to know I’m not the only one who loves to see this man happy after a decade of being a fan

[@BuzzMcCallister]

Only John Bohlinger can pull off a crop top 3/4 zip fleece

[@grantdickey]

Best comment ever...Congratulations the internet belongs to you!!!!!

[@CarloCalcaterra92]

I really hope John reads the comment. He's so badass. The Chuck Norris of the Guitar community.

[@_Heinle]

I swear John Bohlinger is built like Jack Skellington

[@chhau123]

I think it’s s little bit too short for him

[@lachlanxmorris]

I never saw him pull it off...

[@justineckard5399]

He writes mellow music but is the most energetic spastic dude. Love this rundown.

[@vgamedude12]

I dont feel like he's always so energetic. His live show was pretty energetic though!

[@darkcity7060]

That was a fantastic RR with a great artist. Interesting to see a lot of touring musicians are playing blues jrs.

[@prisonmike4971]

That pedal board is so solid. That sustain pedal, the avalanche run is amazing and the strymon big sky reverb...daaaaaaaaaaaaamn

[@thorodin735]

This man is a goddamn treasure.

[@ScatTheGat]

Anna is the greatest

[@lonestarenglund7394]

This was awesome, now discovered tallest man on Earth and getting balls deep into his amazing songs! Cheers!

[@ElFus3r]

His old stuff is amazing. Anything from Shallow Grave (The Gardner especially) or Wild Hunt is fire. Another vintage song that I think is a hidden treasure is 'Over the Hills' from his debut EP (self titled The Tallest Man On Earth). Cheers and enjoy!

[@rstuartcpa]

"You just have to wrestle it, in a loving way." favorite quote of the day. Cool demo of the Gamechangers pedal. Love JHS stuff, too.

[@xIgnusx1]

I am so happy that I was able to make it to this show. Please come back to Nashville soon.

[@BrianSmithMusic]

I have been looking forward to this for weeks! Thank you!

[@admiralsnaccbarr5514]

I can't find Kresimir from Croatia to build me my dream guitar and I'm gonna cry

[@wildpoco7493]

Hey! Kresimirs sister here, you can find him on Instagram: @hollowtone_guitars ♥️♥️♥️

[@maciekomis]

just clicked on it! LOVE IT ALREADY! my favorite solo artist.

[@asherbeal8357]

🤘🤘 That was so entertaining, thanks guys.

[@jonhollis2534]

Great episode. He's got some good sounds going on.

[@sassulusmagnus]

I think the pickup on the Harmony guitar is sometimes referred to as a Hershey Bar pickup. Sounds amazing whatever it is.

[@wanumarshahid]

This opens up alot of doors to my ears. Great!

[@reedthesteed]

Love that the fog machine running during the rig rundown

[@Jbaymusic17]

Chills when he started playing the 12 string Tmoe is one of my favorites !!!

[@meme-oh8kz]

what time i cant find him playing it wtf

[@jicabo1]

Saw him open for John Vanderslice at the RIP'd Cafe Eleven in St. Augustine, FL in 09. No pedalboard then. Just him, his acoustic guitar and a consummate performance. Maybe the best blind opening act I've ever seen.

[@WTFA54]

Kristian always seems like the Awkwardest Man on Earth and it's so sweet and endearing

[@andreamorey6645]

Every Swede i know is exactly the same and I want to be friends with him so bad

[@rmcfee]

Fascinating dude!

[@thosearepinklemons]

I'm a huge fan (saw him in April and it was amazing) and a beginner guitar player, so this was really cool!

[@albertobenagli995]

What a tone!!

[@midwestfisherman]

Awesome! 👍👍

[@Abraxus81]

Hes so great, im a big fan.

[@jacttanna2353]

Stratatone 44s are great. Rick Holmstrom played one for most of his time with Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers during the time when they were winning best blues band of the year - year after year. Holmstrom also used a big hollow body Harmony. Jr Watson has some Stratatones also. They were so cheap back in the day that they both bought enough of them to take out the pickup from one and add it to another to create a two pickup version. Holmstrom plays Telecasters now, but Watson still uses his a lot. There are KZbin clips of both of them. Well worth watching. Howlin' Wolf also played a 44. John Hammond Jr too.

[@robertjenkins5999]

marc ribot for a few years, also.

[@jacttanna2353]

@@robertjenkins5999 That's rught. Forgot about him.

[@cadewookrah2119]

Love the Mark Stewart tribute Tele!! Please PLEASE do a rig rundown for Paul Simon!!! He’s not touring anymore but he’s playing two shows in Maui on August 13th and 14th. Really wanna see what he and his guys use! It would make my whole year if you did!! 👌😎🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@marknorris3769]

wow that harmony is the king of mojo , plenty on reverb too

[@glaucocataldo3183]

This is very cool!!! I've been following The Tallest Man on Earth since his first album came out, and what an interesting journey he had so far. Personally I don't think he needs that much crap on the ground but ey if it makes him happy and helps him perform, than good on ya mate. saw him play in front of a huge audience, totally owning it, with nothing but 1 or 2 acoustics only playing an electric for the encore. it was MAGIC.

[@benlogan430]

Cool rundown! Mayor Gimmble says I’ve got the tightest pants in all the land so...my friend calls em tampered pants! Just funning my friends, you guys rock!

[@alexrushmer1175]

Which capo is Kristian using? I can't get any of mine to fit round a Stratotone neck!

[@BrianSmithMusic]

And there goes my bank account! lol I've been wanting to buy a new guitar, but have been waiting to see this first. Thinking about the Gretsch. Or possibly the Gibson. Also, time for some new pedals Can't wait to try the Industrial Electric and Gamechanger Audio Plus!

[@bobbyberetta4206]

BrianSmithMusic I know exactly what you mean, that Gretsch is definitely on my list.

[@davidgooglestuff9436]

Nice

[@1m2a3t4t5]

Smh, is not a single commenter familiar with one of the great singer/songwriters...

[@baronvonsuckitable]

I don't know, he seems to be average height.

[@Docandballtorture7756]

He's 5'7

[@courtneygillespie1187]

That is a rad guitar 🎸

[@oksitdown3035]

This man is 50 feet tall. Talentwise.

[@xIgnusx1]

I’m curious, how do you split your signal into two channels? I had never heard of that before.

[@miserableunoriginal]

Nathan Sheppard you can buy an a/b box that will split one line out into two, I used to have one and run one to a fender hot rod Deville and the other into a Marshall jcm900 half stack. They’re super handy because you can either switch to one or the other or you can have the signal go into both simultaneously.

[@dan_s_higginson]

Did John just describe the POG as transparent? 😂

[@deadforever]

No rig is complete without El Capistan. What a pedal.

[@viveksabale2466]

0:18 song name please , beautiful melody 👌🏻

[@anonymous-nt4sy]

The Running Styles Of New York by the man himself

[@maciekomis]

time constrains?! oh that's so sad. i could watch 2 hours of this...

[@colinpierchala2774]

Not the tallest man in the room. But damn, he is a guy who can make a cohesive sound whether he plays an early electric or modern acoustic. None of it matters when one writes songs like he does. He also speaks like he grew up in the states. This guy manipulates sound and music like a virtuosic cuttle fish, with an ear for every tuning and a feel for what we want. An absolute genius however you view him. Id be unsurprised if he joined Brian May in astrophysics as a side project. But please dont ever stop 😢

[@ChanceCooper125]

The amount of people making the same dopey height joke in these comments is already WAY too high.

[@tome1903]

Sadly, the tallest man in the world isnt too high

[@stepitupandgo67]

wow the 12 string gretsch....I need one...like a hole in the head....but I want one...

[@edgaristtod]

Anybody recognize the yellow plecs he's using 10:23?

[@lilhoss1]

Does anyone know the purpose of the slotted boxes in the background?

[@ryandelp5048]

They have lights inside them. They look pretty cool during his shows.

[@RByrne]

I feel like that title may be a bit misleading..

[@jeanducheamps7697]

Why not let the guy play more so we can hear all the guitars and effects?

[@lacadam]

Can someone explain to me like I'm a five-year-old what is the point two amps? I've even seen him live, it's not like i hear different things coming out of different speakers.

[@twinframes5035]

Probably a wet-dry. One amp is probably just the guitar, the other has all the reverb, delay, and other effects and the soundperson blends the two signals so the original signal doesn't get washed out.

[@twinframes5035]

Just kidding, he said he runs in stereo. The stereo outs of his pedals will go to each amp and his soundperson will pan the signals going out to the house to create a big, wide sound.

[@Jo3sX]

Many pedals, especially delay and reverb are designed to output in stereo for a wider sound. Same way you listen to stereo speakers or headphones. You're not hearing the exact same thing in both ears most of the time. Sure you can listen to a mono recording through two headphones or speakers, but you'll notice it sounds quite flat. Another way to imagine this might be going to the cinema and the same sound coming out of every speaker.

[@sommelierofstench]

lacadam stereo !

[@mercilessplot]

Is he wearing the kind of nails you superglue on?

[@krookedeyes8578]

Song name at the beginning 🥺? (00:21 - 00:38)

[@Isacu]

It's basically The Running Styles Of New York, although he seems to be freestyling a little. You can hear it again between 5:05 and 5:22.

[@Michael-yt1jp]

Any idea what song hes playing at 8:50?

[@Piilosoittaja]

It's called "Hotel bar" from his latest album.

[@baliscotsurf]

Actually an Alden branded H44

[@frankjamesbonarrigo7162]

swedish?

[@wilfredjbrimley]

Isn't that the Ritchie Valens guitar

[@parkerschmittou9258]

jerry riccardi indeed

[@mattiasholmgren7453]

Killgissa på engelska! Aldrig hört det förut! Are guy-guess a thing in english speaking countries?

[@novembertrails]

haha jag noterade också den! tror inte det är ett uttryck som dom använder, men borde defintivt göra!

[@imslicc]

what is he playing at 08:30? what song?

[@MaiKkop]

Hotel Bar, but have some variations. The first song of the new album

[@imslicc]

@@MaiKkop i've been trying to learn how to play that for an hour now... what's the picking pattern and is there an alternate tuning? i can see there's a capo on the fifth fret, but i can't make it sound the same.. maybe the 12 string is the trick...

[@brandonlovatt]

​@@imslicc His songs are usually in strange tunings (for convenience, I'd imagine) which is really cool and it's fun to figure out the tunings for different songs. His picking patterns are what get me, but it's a great discipline exercise to get them down lol

[@bmagaziner]

What fingerpicks?

[@thetallestmanonearth]

Benjamin Magaziner Dunlop thumbpicks.

[@SK-kt2ch]

What's with the smile after talking about the blues jr haha?

[@brbadge]

Because it's not an amp,it's a toy.

[@dhevacalchi3226]

which song is at the begginig?

[@brandonlovatt]

it sounds like "The Running Styles Of New York" from the album "I Love You. It's A Fever Dream."

[@JohnDoe-sz3lz]

Hmm, he's a lot shorter in person.

[@mrcsotomayor]

de a grapa

[@joeauge3014]

Ritchie Valens played a stratotone

[@cainsaldana9622]

Its a 1950's Ritchie Valens guitar.

[@eliasp8645]

Good lord are those ana's jeans as well???

[@LDN76]

I ám an intonation issue....:)

[@ncosentino1]

Here’s a recent show with this rig kzbin.info/www/bejne/emeQZZ-Gd7qjmrM

[@shadygroves8252]

brb going to buy a 12string Gretsch

[@kismetology8031]

is he on kokaina?

[@alexanderbradshaw1832]

This man sounds like he’s 3 sheets in the wind! 👀🔥

[@satch4u3]

More like, the tightest pants on earth.

[@matthewyaron5827]

Fender lawyers will be sending Emails & Letters soon!!!

[@fussy1235]

Heh, John is taller than the tallest man on earth.

[@christianboddum8783]

Humdebugger works best last in line, just saying. At least post OD's.

[@hectoreduardofuentealbapel7830]

But he doesn't use od's so, it's better to get rid of weird noises before mods, delay and reverb

[@joshuataft5541]

Does this dude play everything with a damn capo. Every guitar has one gees

[@vgamedude12]

nearly all his songs have a capo. I am struggling to think of one that does not

[@worldexplorer7121]

@@vgamedude12 He plays The Dreamer without a capo

[@tfrasca142]

Not so tall now, is he?

[@fredrik2035]

I made up for the short shirt by buying too big shoes.

[@Nicko30able]

Did they ever mention what the amps are?????

[@Nicko30able]

@Tim Woodruff Thanks man...I thought they looked like jrs....appreciate it. Peace

[@SalvvOrtiz]

John is the tallest man in the room.

[@jasonpitre1249]

Does this Guy have a Jeff Goldblum vibe? or is it just me? Definitely eccentric, but most obviously talented. New to this, thank you Premier Guitar for the introduction!

[@sauljewhebrewberg3147]

Jason Pitre It's a New York thing.

[@terrancedesersa2989]

He clearly never watched la bamba and it shows lol

[@mikelawct]

Harmony neck through with wings on each side. Best guitars period.

[@hh4826]

Nah the best guitar period probably has an actual bridge and truss rod :)

[@macula_]

naaaa ni está tan alto

[@okoman5]

The Irony...

[@admiralsnaccbarr5514]

this guy looks really tall but i'm pretty sure Kristian is a hobbit so I can't tell

[@lefujyou]

Johns taller man on 🌎

[@releshred1272]

I wanna marry Anna- what a babe!

[@tigertigerpantherfox3714]

John Bohlinger is 5ft so this guy must be the tallest man on earth

[@neinbanananein]

he isnt really that tall....

[@Whiskel]

Weird vibe with this one. Something happen off camera?

[@3P1Cpha1l]

Drugs

[@novembertrails]

what? this was great. he's a weird soul from the countryside of Sweden and that's what makes him great