Rig Rundown - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Article and photos: bit.ly/JoanJettRR
Premier Guitar’s Shawn Hammond met with Zach Nagy, guitar tech for Joan Jett, lead guitarist Dougie Needles, and bassist Hal Salzer before the Blackhearts’ show at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 21, 2015.
Joan Jett’s Gear
Guitars
Jett’s primary guitar for most of her shows for the last 20 years is a battered and sticker-bedecked Gibson Melody Maker with a single Red Rhodes Velvet Hammer humbucker. For her spring 2015 tour opening for Heart, she’s also been playing a brand-new signature Melody Maker prototype with a Burstbucker 3 pickup, a metallic redburst finish, and red dot inlays. A black-finished 2011 signature Melody Maker with a Velvet Hammer that was a gift of the late Brian Farmer (guitar tech for Warren Haynes) serves as yet another backup. The volume knobs on all her guitars are wrapped with the hooked side of a piece of Velcro to increase their grip-ability, and each instrument features D’Addario .010-.046 string sets. Nagy says that a big part of Jett’s sound comes from using the broad, serrated edge of her D’Andrea Delrex Sharkfin 1.0 mm picks.
Amps
Since her breakout years in the early ’80s, Jett has relied on a Music Man HD-130 2x12 combo with JJ EL34 power tubes and Electro-Voice speakers. She plugs into input 1 of the rhythm channel and cranks the volume all the way up. An HD-130 head comes along as backup.
Effects
Jett’s sole effect is an Ibanez TS9DX Turbo Tube Screamer that sits atop her Music Man combo. It’s set to turbo mode, with drive and level at 9 o’clock, and tone at 3 o’clock. Her only other onstage gear is a can of Tone Finger Ease string-lubricant spray, which is Velcro’d to the top of her amp alongside a tin of black-currant-flavored Grether’s Pastilles throat lozenges, and a cup full of unwrapped pieces of gum.
To continue learning about the gear behind Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, visit: bit.ly/JoanJettRR

[@absolving]

Her tech seems like a cool guy. Funny and polite. Cool to see him play her guitar, and he really seems like a guitar gear lover.

[@markbrooks4471]

Easly my favourite rig rundown. Joan and her band totally understand the less is more principal. This is how rock n roll is played folks.

[@MakingFunOfBusiness7in]

Yeah, tell that to Pink Floyd, buddy

[@metalinyourhead3604]

I’m glad I’m not the only guitar player who likes to keep his strings on until i NEEDS to replace them.

[@LindonBindon]

I also hate the sound of the new strings :D

[@gmartinz01]

Me, too!!!!! Now I'm going to say, "I just do what Joan Jett does."

[@MakingFunOfBusiness7in]

You got that right… Until one breaks, they ain't getting changed

[@macdad159]

Out of a fluke I saw her melody maker in a guitar shop and decided I was going to pick it up and play it. Originally I was not turned on by the guitar and didn't want a chick guitar being a metalhead. I started playing it and loved it. Bought it.

[@mannypedroza6966]

Joan Jett is such a classic musician . Great guitars and Amps !!!!!!

[@ReganDreher]

Joan & the Blackhearts are awesome! Die hard lover since the early 80's!

[@megamania501]

I saw her last year with this setup, I sneaked down to about the 5th row center and heard the guitars close up. After hearing local bands all the time playing through their tons of crap rigs hearing Joan Jett was like...your hearing the tone of her guitar, not any coloration at all from some big chain of effects. Less really is more. It made me rethink my whole approach to how I use the equipment in my rig.

[@unclefoiley819]

Plug & play. I love it. Been doing the same thing for 35 years myself. I call it "Low & Go". Straight into my Marshall Artist head & 4×12 cabinet. That & my Gibson SG. I really dig musicians that are famous who keep it simple.

[@patrickthometz6365]

Met Joan twenty years ago through bassists Kasim Sulton who was playing with her for a few years. She is an awesome human being. No muss no fuss just a straight up groovy chick

[@paulbeladino4264]

This is the most enthusiastic guitar tech I've ever seen in one of these videos.

[@bramabull111]

Acdc tech is absolutely my favourite. You can feel the passion and enthusiasm even more than this guy somehow

[@Pufedu]

Check out RHCP's rig rundowns (both Josh and Flea). Ian and Tracey are a very good example of techs who clearly love their jobs!

[@Spill_Eviction]

It amazes me how simple she is yet she has such a powerful sound. Joan Jett is a badass!

[@MrSammy1776]

Austin Adams Its not about the number of notes,it about how its delivered via soul.It was always been understood that way until recently,i guess?? Remember there are things called "genres" of music.Could Eric Clapton play punk music and make it sound good?of course not.

[@polly247onthebeach]

***** punk is the lowest form of music?! Let me be the first of many punks to invite you to kiss our asses...that is all

[@orlock20]

***** It depends on the band and the time period. One could say country music is even lower with I IV V using just the notes A, C,D,E and G and the first four frets. Obviously some country artists have brought in other elements to make what they are doing sound country. The same goes with punk such as with (Iggy Pop and) The Stooges.

[@tysonrinker5958]

I love punk but it is really easy to learn and Clapton of course could crunch out three chords with some speed and attitude.

[@tysonrinker5958]

do people even realize all of joan jetts hits are covers. I love Joan jett . johnny thunders is my fav guitar player but come on . its not some form of art that only a few have mastered. thats rediculous

[@bryanjetboy7814]

I believe the Musicman HD130 preamp section is SS [with the exception of the early models equipped a 12AX7 phase-inverter], with a tube output section [6CA7/EL34]

[@borocamo]

I worked for a local stage crew years back and in 2008 I met the whole joan jett crew and they are some of the chillest people I've been around when working stages. They let me check out the instruments, hang with the band and gave me tons of picks. All which were against the rules of the venue haha

[@shanemiller2046]

Yeah , I worked as a stage hand some time a go. Talking to anyone in the band was a big no no

[@Blueslicks321]

Great Band live! The black hearts are very consistent. Deliver it every night. And of course Joan Jett is awesome

[@adamfoster6278]

Worst most cringe worthy show I have ever witnessed was suck ass Joan Jett. Maybe it should be Joan Meth.

[@dclunie5254]

I love the simplicity of their guitar rigs!! Im a believer that less is more!

[@MrYaksosk]

These rig rundown vids are great. I'm not a MegaFan of bands like Joan Jett or Heart but it's very interesting to see what they use and how they use it. Good stuff, PG!

[@timrobertson299]

cool to see Joan Jett running those Velvet Hammer pickups, they were invented and produced by my Uncle Red Roads,

[@TWTexasA1]

I love the fact that Joan is still old school after all these years….✌🏼✌🏼✌🏼

[@OldSethOnetooth]

one of my local independent music stores, long since closed, had a Gibson Melody Maker autographed by Joan Jett for a while, going back to second half of the 1980's here, wonder where it is now, it was silver if I remember correctly love the simple setup, after over a decade of playing trans amps I switched back to valve last month, a hand tweaked Fender Blues Jr clone, and there's no comparison, imo. Have pretty much stopped using my pedals as straight into amp sounds so good on its own

[@Donfleebie1]

I met Joan and her Runaways back in 77 or so. I was on my way to my lounge gig at the Elyria Holiday Inn, when the elevator stopped and in walked the girls. I had my LP GoldtopmDeluxe with Grover’s, and Joan’s like, “Dude, I have the same guitar”! I let her check it out, but they had a gig to get to as did I. They said they were going to hook up with us later, but the girls got “involved” somewhere else, but we did party with their road crew till the sun came up. The next nite Sandy West, R.I.P., hung out with us at our gig.

[@irishkeif7791]

Ever notice that experts are mild? An awesome band with a great sound. The dude explains it like it's the most normal thing in the universe.

[@lynyrddeville]

Those rigs are good simple rigs. Nothing but good honest tones there. The only rig of note that I remember seeing that was even simpler belonged to Carlos Santana. Pretty cool to see an absolute legend plays a rig as simple as mine.

[@Wardell43]

One of the best guitars that ever owned was a Ebony DC Melody Maker Special with a Bigsby back in 73-74.

[@pkramerable]

Old school as shit. I love it!!

[@dollarrecordswithjosh795]

So awesome - all of those stickers that Dougie has on his pedal board, I gave to him. He's an old friend and a great guy and musician.

[@marcoabreo6506]

Quit lying bitch

[@gaivssanctvsdeorientalvs5499]

marco abreo it’s a joke bro

[@themaggot8]

I'm not a huge fan of Joan, but I saw her live a few years ago at Lollapalooza and damn she sounds good.

[@DallasVocals]

I love Joan because...She keeps the same gear forever. There's no reason to chase gear, man.

[@bedroomnoiserecords1736]

man this guy is awesome, he has a lot of passion for the music and the band, awesome video

[@richardbinder9662]

Zach has the coolest job. Congratulations 👏🎸

[@upos9471]

The amp tech wasn't paying attention, The Musicman amp has a tube power section with a solid state preamp. Early models had a 12ax7a phase inverter. Great amps. Love them.

[@dezionlion]

Maybe he’s just a dummy

[@shaunw796]

Yeah, I caught that.

[@blessedheavyelements8544]

Excellent! No fake excitement or endless Awesomes and Cools. More Shawn!

[@joemartucci4786]

Love the ampeg svt played them most of my career. I use 2 8x10 & 1 4x10. Recently switched from rack mount svt 4 to old svt tube heads.

[@richardpierce7819]

Joan turned me on to the Velvet Hammer back in '81 I've used them on my strat ever since.

[@charleswagner284]

Music man - solid state pre amp and tube power amp

[@AllusernamesgoneFUCK]

Glad I found this channel, subscribed \m/

[@NebulousWeb]

I don't like American rock, but Joan is a hard working, smart musician.

[@polly247onthebeach]

Sweet!, thanks for this!

[@kevinwilson1124]

4:17 Joan describes her pickups as the tone of Peavey T-60 pickups. She loves those.

[@richardpierce7819]

I used a Music Man HD 130 for yrs , these days I use my Rivera modded fender twin reverb 2 I still have my HD 130 but dont use it much anymore. I also use some vintage EV speakers. Great sound.

[@jimbeaux4988]

I saw Joan's sound check in Houston around '87 or '88. It LOOKED like she was playing a Marshall. After a few test chords from both players, I was disappointed in the individual sounds of both. Then, they all played the beginning of Crimson and Clover... hairs stood up on my neck. Just the most beautiful combination.

[@broman260]

It's so disappointing when the actual player isn't present for these.

[@ashtonschuler683]

Sometimes I’d rather have the tech do it because they usually know the little details

[@69zenos1]

Well...they are basically morons. So you don't want to hear that. Lots of New Yorky duuuhhh...YO VINNIE......ya can't get a good pizza anywhere...you know NYC New Jersey meathead shit...

[@rd812]

Usually the gear guy knows more or can explain it better.

[@broman260]

@@rd812 I don't care

[@SuperBostonCeltics9]

It seems like an easy cop out to have someone else handle your gear and interviews like this

[@rd812]

It’s good to see a simple set up. My board only has 4 effects. You can get lost in the gear.

[@ElijahKleinTV]

YOU GUYS SHOULD DO SOME RIG RUNDOWNS ON THE WARPED TOUR THISS SUMMERR

[@johnnyguevin7888]

elijah Klein absolutely that would be so awesome

[@andrewstruzyk9954]

So, "awesome", and, so, "rock-and-roll" !!! As, Always !!! ❤

[@roberthoule9693]

I had one of these guitars in the '70s. Didn't know what I had, then, but wish I had it now. You know, I'm still confused about the different Melody Maker guitars styles, pickup selections, etc. Oh, mine had a slender single coil bridge pickup, like a Fender.

[@TheSonsofHorusx]

That SG with 2 P90s....*drools*

[@hickorymccay2994]

Get one! They're about 400 USD.

[@PrestonSmithsMusic]

I would love to have that job. Guitar tech.

[@sim0n17]

has to be the easiest guitar tech gig ever :-) I like her approach to her gear and sound - it's her hands, not the gear that really does it...

[@johnbohlinger4868]

Awesome.

[@night_speed]

Always been my favorite guitar body shape. I think my dream guitar would be basically an aged silver burst like the Adam Jones signature Les Paul except double cutaway.

[@gmartinz01]

What a great guy Zack is

[@stevieperez9992]

Realy cool how she kept her guitars in great condition probably never even got fret buzz

[@billkallas1762]

I had a Cherry 1965 double cut, dual pick up, Melody Maker, that I gigged with in the 60's. ...I sure wish that I still had it.

[@georgeredhawk1996]

Someone said the Red Rhodes pickup she had in one guitar had the ceramic magnets , not the alnico magnets . The ceramic magnets are more snarly voiced and pissed off sounding but they still have the definition , you can hear each string . I'd like to hear it through an AC15 . It would sound really pissed off .

[@kashesan]

I love them.

[@TroyNaumu808]

D'Addario 1046 seems to be the most popular strings in a lot PG Rig Rundowns.

[@gmartinz01]

I appreciate hearing that Joan doesn't like to change strings and will them until they're dead. Not I don't feel like I'm just lazy.

[@johneapleseed6876]

Joan is my hero.

[@highlander5378]

Basics. Where rock n roll started. Perfect.

[@mjm33mjm]

It's 2015, can you guys buy a couple clip on microphones and do away with the handheld mess? So much information is lost while your interviewer is waving it back and forth, it makes your videos look and sound like a small time Nebraska Newscast.

[@gmartinz01]

I like that the treble knob on the bass amp is missing.

[@davidmackie2901]

I would call the second guitar's finish "Teisco Crimsonbust".

[@praketingrichraft6181]

Nailed it!

[@richardbinder9662]

My first guitar @ 1973 was a Lindell made by Tiesco. Same finish.

[@pbstacey]

MM amps are SS pre and tube power, tho' some had a tube distortion/limiter in the pre.

[@joshuafrahm8778]

I really want one of her White signature models

[@benlogan430]

Saw an interview where Ted Nugent said he didn’t respect Joan Jett as a musician. Ahahaha you know you’re really cool when Ted Nugent craps on you! Joan Jett Rocks and is an excellent musician and guitarist! Period.

[@bartlett454]

Joan Jett is rock n' roll!

[@johnw5734]

You can tell Zach's an easy going dependable tech. That's like a stripped down military rock setup. No messin' around.

[@johnsimms3957]

Could you make a video of Lita Ford's rig too please?

[@donaldmurphy3148]

Not sure Lita could keep up. Where is SHE now? Lita was hot. Joan Jett is still at it.

[@acb9896]

Get this guy a glass of water.

[@ledholm]

Great!

[@widowmaker5544]

that must be a hell of a lot of Hard work for Zach, having to be a guitar/bass technitian for Joan, Doug and Hal

[@KeeperOfPoops]

not really once you get used to it...

[@GaryDGuitar]

That Marshall amp has bass mids and treble all set on 10. Best way always with Marshall.

[@hino-ucanada4506]

Meh, Angus runs them all at 3... best all Marshall rock tone of the past 40 years.

[@garyclark2525]

fire glow burst

[@johnkiene]

Velvet Hammer Pick-Ups are on facebook. Red Rhodes' son, Jeff may have some left, if you're lucky.

[@polly247onthebeach]

I'd love to have some...

[@johnkiene]

I have 3 I got from Red. He used to work at Fender and built his correct to spec. They are vintage wound single coils, reverse wound middle and a little hotter on the bridge pickup. Look up "Velvet Hammer Pick-Ups" on facebook and message Jeff. Maybe he has some humbuckers. It doesn't hurt to ask.

[@polly247onthebeach]

very cool :)

[@keithbanks5562]

+John Kiene Do you still know where to get a red Rhodes Velvet Hammer Pickup similar to Joans.

[@MonteD1]

9:18 Got it backwards. They have a solid state pre and a tube power section.

[@scrapplepig]

3:19 That earring sets the tone.

[@lesliel1182]

Just acquired a black face music man 210 that I suspect may have been one of Joans.. Has several cigarette melts along the front edge and a very strong scent. Is it?

[@jimdoherty5570]

saw the black hearts warm up the Who in Orlando Fla. in 1983.... they started the set with a Sex Pistols song; black leather I believe. It was hot as hell , Joan was in a blue velvet suit, the rest in basic black. The band was tight and held that size event perfectly...she's the real deal! How about a rig rundown on Wilco Jones from Dr. Feelgood...he's the man!!

[@jimdoherty5570]

+jim doherty ooopps ...Wilco Johnson!!

[@arlingtonhynes]

+jim doherty Wilko Johnson -- Telecaster and fingers. Wonder if he even owns a pedal. Helluva guy. One of a kind. "She does it right..."

[@hhlvdncr]

Hey, does anybody remember or know where Brett went?. He was Joan's guitar tech in the early 90s.

[@robertkise]

Why did Joan stop playing her original white Melody Maker and her old Epiphone Melody Maker?

[@punkskaterpizza]

Which guitar is more beat up Billie Joes "Blue" or Joan Jetts Melody maker?

[@alexcosentino4649]

PunkSkater Pizza Blue is older, so I’d guess Blue, but they both play the shit out of their guitars.

[@williamashford2057]

I like That yellow SG I got a Vintage SG copy.

[@DavidRavenMoon]

Music Man amps have solid state preamps and tube power amps. Odd combination

[@johntaylor7496]

He was wrong about the amp its a solid state preamp and tube power. I know because I own one.

[@dezionlion]

I thought hd130’s had tube power amp and solid state preamp?

[@johntaylor7496]

You are correct

[@xoxo-cg2ym]

Eyyyyy Minnesota

[@robertkise]

14:50 Gary & Kasim both played bass with their fingers rather than using a pick.

[@jcsolomon6470]

Oww!

[@jamesgritman5477]

What is the bassist using as a pedal? I'm assuming it's a tuner, but would be nice to know what it is.

[@marcelolorendo4344]

Menos é mais 🤘☠🇧🇷

[@bayougtr]

Solid state pre amp w/tube power amp

[@ahagamin6180]

anybody know when that prototype may be coming out

[@ahagamin6180]

???????

[@GaborKukucska]

Zach NAGY, HE IS HUNGARIAN!! AWESOME! :D

[@leournis4371]

Heavy ? Theyre LPs I needed spinal fusion toting one for 20 plus yrs lol

[@bassplayersayer]

Old Time Hockey..Hell yea..

[@scbmsee]

Nope... MusicMan HD130 is FET Preamp (solid state) with a 12AX7 driver for the the 4 EL34 (not 6L6s) power tubes. I know... I own one...

[@mark6302]

boss flange is one of the greatest pedals ever made

[@DiedrichKnickerbocker1783]

Love my AC30.

[@smilinachya]

John Hardin They sound great.

[@orlock20]

smilinachya They have been out for awhile so people generally knows what works and what doesn't work with them. If the amp came out recently, guitarists would be complaining of the brightness and chime.

[@DiedrichKnickerbocker1783]

orlock20 I also love to plug into a 1959SLP when I get a chance. Or a Soldano SLO 100.

[@menofsticks]

What's with all the orange tape on the pedals?

[@Richyd7770]

Too see them in the dark

[@PrimalScream91]

Sweet rundown! Would like to see a Halestorm one soon!

[@premierguitar]

***** kzbin.info/www/bejne/haOpcmyphZuhpNE

[@PrimalScream91]

Premier Guitar Thanks guys!

[@EthanAndViolaVlogs]

Premier Guitar Can you do Paul Mccartney

[@GuitarP0RN]

Halestorm sucks ass!

[@dawnrussell4838]

Musicman has solid state preamp tube power amp.