Rig Rundown - Social Distortion's Mike Ness & Jonny Wickersham

www.premierguitar.com PG's Chris Kies is On Location in Council Bluffs, IA, where he catches up with Social Distortion's Mike Ness and Jonny Wickersham and they talk to us about their current live rigs and setups.
Ness' current live setup includes 70s Gibson Les Paul Deluxes (two-goldtops), a '67 Fender Bassman head going through two Marshall 1960B 4x10 cabs. The only pedal in his setup is a Boss SD-1 Overdrive. Wickersham's setup includes original '60s Les Paul Juniors and a '50s Telecaster that run through a Satellite head and two Marshall 4x12 cabs.
For more Rig Rundowns, or to view Premier Guitar's completely FREE digital edition magazine, be sure to visit www.premierguitar.com

[@jagermeister830]

Ernie Ball Pursuit of Tone did a killer piece with Mike Ness Really cool to understand the man behind the madness! Keep it up Social D

[@lovzi9865]

This is a really nice interview. Nice job Chris!

[@joezambrano9651]

I first heard social distortion in prison on my walkman radio there was this underground rock station in Houston Texas ..I was hooked by social.d became my favorite band

[@CMMCM]

I thought this was a new interview, until Mike mentioned the name of the album... Wish I had found this before! It is a great record!

[@tommyschlegel5653]

I just got to the Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes part...what a great album.

[@ziggy6313]

So cool to see these guys still at it,having coming from Long Beach and 7th Heaven Studios on 7th street where I used to hear them from in the beginnings. My kid used to play their drums. In the early days mid 80s.

[@pears0094]

Wow! That's awesome! Yea, It seems like Mike and Social Distortion have had a lot of different drummers... Were your boys on any of the early recordings? (Mainliner? Mommy's Little Monster?)

[@redddogg2461]

Yep SD and Mike Ness got me through some rough patches in life and I thank Mike for giving me direction. He’s half reason I picked up a guitar to fly away to a new world when needed!!!

[@MrChrisrockson]

Fantastic!!! Great interview Chris....

[@Razzzz77]

Such a great vid! Thanks! Nice to get the straight dope👍🏻

[@joezambrano9651]

Thanks Mike for your inspiring music

[@cpkelley]

Pretty straight forward with the gear...the way it should be. Volume, tone, p90s, and crank it. Awesome.

[@neilchair]

Quick little bit of context for 6:01 I just looked up a 1940 Martin D18. There are 2 up there. One selling for $12,999, the other for $13,289.96.

[@footj8]

these guys are the best, and great advice

[@asininehead]

Mike Ness for President 2012!

[@rcoveyduc]

Gotta love it. Mike Ness, the rock star, doing an interview in Grandpa's slippers lol.

[@TwoAndAHalfMinotaurs]

When Mike Ness asks if he can say something else the correct response is "You're Mike Ness....you can do whatever you want."

[@jeff7764]

Cringe

[@TwoAndAHalfMinotaurs]

@@jeff7764 I guess I'll just have to learn to live with the fact that Jeff from the internet didn't like my comment...

[@jeff7764]

@@TwoAndAHalfMinotaurs as you should

[@TwoAndAHalfMinotaurs]

@@jeff7764 Y'know, Jeff..... Normally, suicide bombers take out their targets IN ADDITION to themselves. You've gone a different route here, and I guess I have to respect that. I should tell you though, I did take a screenshot just in case you decide to delete your reply. Now, off you go. I hope you find the attention you're so obviously and desperately craving.

[@angusdog22]

Imagine Another State of Mind Documentary Mike seeing himself in this interview 30-40 yrs later .

[@davidcotestratton]

going to see them tommrow

[@joezambrano9651]

Love the p90"s

[@TrippHazardous]

Is the finish on the les paul with the 13 sticker on it cherry sunburst if not what is the finish?

[@drivenmad7676]

I cut my pinky off my left hand so i learned to play left handed. Then years later i broke the index finger on my right hand, so i'm no shredder but i get it done. I feel blessed to play at all.

[@AMPSHOWS]

WOW! That was just fuckin' great! I love Social D!. Chris did a bang interview!

[@Notlaugh]

as much is i love my dad i would take mike ness as the second one

[@shitfer]

People don't realize how fucking hot IA is. Damn. Love goin over the gear. Wish there were more vids like this.

[@TacticalDingus]

i want to know how mike gets his vocal sound

[@tokyosan1]

I LOVE SOCIAL DISTORTION!

[@clownparade1]

Mustasch gear run would be awesome!

[@dzyanist]

thanks for bein soo open..., "..if ya dont have yer tone, ya might as well go home.."-M.Ness

[@jboner668]

@nwjones1 I was going to go to the show that night but couldn't make it. It was wicked hot that day.

[@Kalabosbeandip658]

I may not be a fan of social distortion but god damn this guy has a taste in guitars

[@lkb3rd]

They know guitars, pretty much every one is a classic.

[@NateB1976]

Love Social Distortion and their guitar sound. In my opinion I agree with mike. Less is more. But that's kinda the punk rock ethic. I'm a fender guy myself so naturally like the sound of a p90 pick up(in my Tele's). Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate any vintage guitar. Also agree about the tone thing. Right now my practice amp is an old VOX pathfinder 50watt.My show amp's an old 200watt Randall(and 2 cabs w/4-12's). Bass, middle, treble and volume. Meat and potatoes! Get my fx with only 6 pedals. Distortion, reverb, delay/loop, chorus, tremolo and flanger. Perfect for a club venue. Social D forever!!!

[@compuglobal138]

NoiseFeedMusic yea I just saw this for the first time as well. I have a 74 LP Deluxe with P90’s and it’s just unbelievable. I was using it and rolling off the volume and tone to go from country to full blown metal with a Soldano 50watt Head. It does hum quite a bit but it’s not anything more than a Strat does. The p90’s are really warm and smooth, where the Fender singles are kinda harsh and jagged sounding. You can watch how they affect the sound when recording or just watch an eq meter the Fender singles don’t hold a note as evenly on the meters. So it’s not just in my ear but actually coming through in recordings. I like the harmonics of a p90 so much better than Fender as well. And if you crank the volume & tone on the guitar and a good amp it’s going to get you any tone you want. I play p90’s in quite a few guitars and using 58-59 paf’s in my others as well as some late 70 to early 80’s Tim Shaw PAF replicas from Gibson. If you can still get some Lollar P90’s are insanely good! But last time I was sending in pups for a rewind I was told they are not servicing pups now and they didn’t make it clear if I could buy a new set? I’ve got several of his p90’s laying around but I’m not selling mine! Lol! P90’s are very good!

[@jrmarrero96]

@TrippHazardous It's a Tobacco Sunburst.

[@nwjones1]

He said, "It's hot as ass here." Thought he would have been talking about New Orleans.

[@danachonda]

WOW, as a gear head I"m fkn jealous, these guys prob got millions in gear alone!

[@joezambrano9651]

When I was released from prison 5 years later the first thing I bought was socials heaven n hell cassette yes cassette tape

[@tattooedsailor8666]

P90 enough said..

[@rickyl9540]

with all due respect. Neil Young has a firebird pickup in the bridge in old black

[@joezambrano9651]

Man I went to the pawn shop and bought an Epiphone Jr guitar I wanted to sound like mike the tones ...so I practiced every day kept me out of trouble with the law

[@angusdog22]

Mike talks like every kid that grew up in Orange County/ South Bay from the 89’s and 90’.😂

[@Ishbu101]

I really don't understand how to get custom tones.

[@kos22us]

+Ishbu101 - well its usually a long and sometimes expensive process of trial and error, if you can hear in your head a particular tone your trying to achieve you have to use the process of elimination of the pickups and amps your using to get there

[@Ishbu101]

kos22us hmm okay.

[@doddod6172]

What is the REAL tunning Mike uses ?? Half step with capo or stardard with capo Or ?? It’s so weird… please someone can explain me ??

[@srv6127]

There cruisin above clouds there

[@andrewdods2236]

srv6127 They’re ... ?

[@TrippHazardous]

@jrmarrero96 Thank you

[@angusdog22]

Johnny surfs!!!! He said quiver…. 😂

[@dadowdsta1]

Haha hot as ass here...Damn Iowa and it's blistering summers, hehe.

[@kolbyisawesome]

Iowa sucks

[@SixMoreMiles1]

background music by Mike ness .. for a while :)

[@Doomy198]

So funny his story is the same story as mine the 67 bassman blackface.. crank it up to 10 hahaha and the neighbores go insane.. i have a 60's junior also love it to death..

[@pears009]

He's sober dude. Been sober for years... He's just talks like that, plus he's very methodical, and has trouble articulating himself sometimes... He's not wasted.

[@crispee1978]

i would happily sacrifice my right bollock for that gibson J-35 of mikes!!!!!

[@MDC249]

Mike Ness sounds like Steven Adler when he talks.

[@shawntyson4339]

Mason Curtis Hard drugs

[@jeremyrafuse5330]

He's been clean since 1985....

[@MiriusTube]

There are four chords to the Smoke on the water riff =P

[@Stinkefinger007]

first of all you need a tube amp, and not a line 6 modelling amp.

[@oiyabastard]

mike sounds like he has copd

[@kevinluechtefeld5068]

Geez, listen to him wheezing. Asthma and/or too many cigarettes.

[@guitarslinger48]

And decades of playing in smoke filled rooms and halls....

[@kevinluechtefeld5068]

That's true. Could be second-hand smoke that caused that. Anything's possible.

[@texdoll5682]

I had the pleasure of taking him antique shopping when he played in Dallas. I'm pretty sure he's not a smoker.

[@kurtdahle]

I cant help but hear john Frusciante ,im thinking heroin too

[@JoJo-wd7yy]

I think it's from singing mommies little monster 5000 times.

[@NickLikesToSweepPick]

Reinstate Hank!

[@andrewdods2236]

30’s .. 40’s guitars ... ohhh to be in America :-/

[@roncipriano668]

nothing but thrash ..

[@ChaosStreams]

Wow Mike is wasted