Rig Rundown - Modest Mouse's Jim Fairchild

Article and photos: www.premierguitar.com/articles...
In 2005, Jim Fairchild began working with Modest Mouse, a band he’d come to know while on tour with his own band, Grandaddy. Fairchild not only tours with the band but participated in the writing and recording of the band’s 2015 album, Strangers to Ourselves. Before their July 2016 gig in Nashville, Jim met with PG in his dressing room to take us through his Fender-heavy gear.
Jim Fairchild is a long-time Fender fan and still tours with the first good Strat he ever owned. This ’95 Strat boasts a matching headstock along with Lollar Vintage Blackface pickups. (He carries a 2013 American Standard Strat with the same Lollar pickups as a backup.)
To get a beefy humbucker tone, Fairchild plays his Epiphone Sheraton loaded with Seth Lover pickups.
To continue learning about Jim's setup, visit: www.premierguitar.com/articles...

[@TheLordcasio]

I love how blown away John Bolenger is by any effect that isn't distortion.

[@shadygroves8252]

Genuinely glad this turned into a conversation about Grandaddy and Modest Mouse. Love both bands. Jim is a living legend in the eyes of indie artists. What a cool, chill dude.

[@FabianSalomonsson]

Such a good job Premier Guitar, you have listened to us and delivered once again.

[@thebuddybud]

This is the most rewatchable Rig Rundown. I can listen to Jim Fairchild talk all day.

[@jordanpratt9384]

McLeod from all them witches. His is really good.

[@frankies.4500]

That was a great interview. It's really cool when an artist delves into their vision of audible space and tools used to reach certain sounds.

[@allthehardtimes]

I hear ya it was 20 minutes before he even got to the amps and you can tell he really digs the gear he uses

[@davidallen346]

His guitar collection was very modest

[@Computer-Woman]

mouse

[@professorb3744]

Almost like a mouse

[@ElephantTusks]

Cool man, yeah,...cool. Okay, yeah, cool. Really? Wow, that’s cool. Really? Huh. Yeah, , that’s great man. Huh, cool. Yeah? Oh right. So cool.

[@skoomaguy3748]

Interviewer is awkward like me haha

[@tMatt5M]

Absolutely love these long, story filled, gear filled Rundowns with great artists. John does a superb job. Still miss Rebecca though ;)

[@Johnny6666]

Rebecca.... *sigh* ;)

[@TheMotiveDJ]

Love these Rig Rundown videos so much. John is by far the best interviewer. He's incredible at what he does.

[@user-bu3mb7gk3e]

Not really...he seems so forced at times.

[@HARTYNMUGHES]

The Motive John gets a lot of hate from the neckbeards but I think he's great. Brings charm to it.

[@AndrewStottisTheIndiWerWlf]

I really dig this guy and his musical sensibilities.

[@pablochinito]

the adjectives this guy uses to describe the guitars - haunted, creepy, etc. - this is rare for a guitarist. Now I have to check out Grandaddy and some MM live vids. So glad I watched this rundown. Thanks for doing these.

[@DandamanV]

I'm still hanging out for a Radiohead Rig Rundown... either Ed or Jonny... I would give my soul.

[@nickrees441]

check out dan the gig rig video on youtube....he sets up some of their pedalboards and runs through all the gear with them

[@DandamanV]

nick rees Yeah, I've seen the one where he showed Ed through his board a few years back, but I wasn't aware there was another one. It's very good, and Ed is obviously ecstatic when he starts explaining the board.

[@nickrees441]

+Dandaman V that's the I meant sorry

[@joepalmer7815]

I want to know what Colin is using, he plays such a massive part in the band and yet is so subtle...

[@DandamanV]

Joseph Palmer I think his pedalboard is his amazing fingers

[@lefthandluke8923]

I've watched this at least 3-4 times. It's an outstanding interview/conversation. I find it really impressive how Jim is so gracious and deferential about the history of the band. What a class act... and an outstanding artist.

[@cedarbay3994]

Staying with the "modest" theme with the Squiers and Electromatic! Love it. Don't need no stinkin' Custom Shop.

[@spaceghost5371]

What a legend! Good episode. All hail MM!

[@ericmsandoval]

While I miss the OG Modest Mouse lineup, Grandaddy is definitely an incredible band as well and worth listening to.

[@wilsmtt]

Jim is a legend. Super cool interview.

[@fanana_bishh]

Always nice to see the guitar players be as excited to share as the interviewer is to listen. Loved this episode!

[@Ellysionair]

Awesome interview and very nice rundown thank you!

[@Cemental]

Great interview, fun to watch!

[@jasonlogan2411]

One of the better rundowns that I've watched.

[@bobbyadamson2333]

This was a really nice very thorough discussion. Really enjoyed watching this thanks for making it.

[@peteayars1454]

I love the necks on those old Bullets. I found a '81 "MIA" that I built my Tele around.

[@paulthegeek]

OMG! I sold a Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter tremolo on Reverb about a year ago, and I know it went to somebody in Modest Mouse. I wonder if they're using it as a backup or something...

[@metalman462]

I like this interview the most

[@robbyray]

great interview. jim is a real guy.

[@Redhotchilipprs]

Very awesome rig rundown! Love how it's just two dudes talkin about gear and music. Modest mouse is friken awesome! Saw them last year and they blew my mind! He may not be one of the originals but he mite as well be! Also John frusciante has done so much for the funk and for music in general he is my numba juane favorite guitar player!

[@rottenpizza84]

Great interview

[@monkeypawism]

Jim's very well spoken.

[@MisterTee]

Reasonably good rig rundown

[@davidliftsheavycircles]

this was a really fun one!

[@4Bolter]

I really enjoyed that. Thanks.. 👍

[@jordanpratt9384]

Man he chooses his words very wisely.

[@leanelson8375]

dude damn near smiled for an hour straight

[@roncarter2188]

I was so excited to hear he has and uses a couple Squire h2 bullets, I have one with the two humbuckers and a 3 way switch and 2 pushbuttons, this thing sounds so good, made in Japan, quality stuff. And a Sheraton, same color, nice sound. Great video, thanks Premier.

[@Annunaki_0517]

Yes! Someone finally recognizes the Made-In USA Fender Bullet! When I was 15 yrs old (1983) I bought a brand-new, bright red America-made Bullet S-3 at Manny’s on 48th Street for $235. It was my first guitar of any kind, so it’s what I learned play on, and IMHO it sounded awesome (and still does.). I still own my Bullet and play it nearly every day. The best feature is the neck. I’ve bought a lot of other guitars over the years, and I’ve played countless more, but I’ve never felt a neck that I like as much as the left-over Tele necks they used on the American Bullets. If you ever get a chance to pick one up one of the USA-made Bullets at a reasonable price (say sub-$600), grab it, you won’t regret it.

[@davidfewtrell3479]

Saw him playing with Grandaddy a few days ago in the UK. He was using the black Strat and they were awesome

[@operatingnurse]

Kinda feel like we're hangin' out. Really have to compliment the sound samples as the pedal board is reviewed. A sound is worth a thousand words.

[@zepeps]

John is the man!

[@samward9641]

The moon and Arctica I'm going to have to look that one up haha

[@tjdonaldson6923]

Hey there sam! Saw your comment from 3yrs back and wondering if you gave moon and Antarctica a listen. The songs on that album are some of my best friends in life lol from 13 yrs old until today that album is amazing and was my first album by MM. It totally changed how i enjoy music and play guitar. It is a part of who i am as a person because i fell in LOVe with music instead of just listening to it. Lol sorry for the rambling on.

[@renouncedequation3923]

65' Twin Reverb reissue, my favorite amp... Miss having the one I used to have.

[@elijahjohnston5948]

You should do Mac Demarco and his band... It would be fun but also hilariously low tech

[@vlogject4862]

You'd be surprised! If you watch his pitchfork documentary "Pepperoni Playboy" (cause it's mac what else would you expect it to be called?) he has some oddball stuff in his studio

[@JohnnyWithAGun]

If its not fender I aint playing it

[@coleemmersonhallman5329]

the bassist plays foderas!!!

[@MedicineBoy]

What a cool dude.

[@samward9641]

I love those Seth lovers put them in my Ibanez hollow-body es copy they kick ass, they are so spongy I love them!

[@potterman83]

Refreshing to see a pro player that doesn’t have tons of boutique gear... just regular stuff well thought

[@gabrielsposito863]

Seems to be the case more often than not.

[@sportsportsport]

he looks great for 42 years old.

[@ManataxImplosion]

HIM 42 Really

[@Amity907]

He looks like Dennis Reynolds (I love his playing and I love modest mouse)

[@razors98]

I'd like to see a rig rundown of their 3 drummers.

[@bengalvin9932]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="985">16:25</a> THAT WAS HARD TO WATCH!

[@ManataxImplosion]

Yikes Poor gitaur

[@MrCgregd]

I like the black Elite Tele

[@pshep138]

Saw these guys shred in Omaha earlier this week. I was in the second row, right in front of Jim for their entire set. What a good show.

[@Melkiskatezzz]

great episode, love MM so much, but been noticing those hardwire pedals everywhere never selling my dl8

[@bak1386]

Awesome rundown, modest mouse is to me, the most creative band ever. They have such a genuine artistic vision to their music, it's a whole experience, not just stand alone songs. Of course this is just my opinion. I love bands that can create true art that surpasses any specific genre.

[@metalman462]

I like this interviewer the most

[@noisetv1863]

any Grandaddy fans here?

[@Vanoccupanther]

Yup! Like MM but Grandaddy are on another level I feel personally. Jason Lytle is one of the best (if not the best) songwriters of my generation.

[@noisetv1863]

Agreed! Grandaddy is actually doing a small tour now in Europe, I believe.... and I think they have a new album in the works as well!

[@8539fella]

the album is completed! just adding the bit and pieces to it and should probably be ready for a release in january 2017 :D

[@noisetv1863]

+crabby 8539 Awesome! Looking forward to it! Any US tours planned?

[@FlameFlickers]

Saw them last week in Dublin, Ireland. It was maybe my 6th time seeing them and they sounded better than ever. Can't wait for the new album.

[@shaunm1983]

Seasick Steve Rig Rundown, please

[@jtd70]

a broom with a shoestring nailed to it played through a megaphone?

[@chaz32]

saw Grandaddy up in Nottingham a few weeks back, awesome stuff. There's a sheraton with seth lovers up at my local guitar shop but I can't afford it after buying my 1977 Vibrosonic :((((( arghghhhhh

[@Zeal808]

He mentioned....JOHN FRUSCIANTE!!!!!! ^__^

[@Bodyknowledge77]

Ah some Squier love:-0 Fun stuff gents!

[@wellrose17]

What does everyone think of Laravee? I owned one & absolutely loved it

[@AlbertSirup]

Wow i never realized the RV-7 is a lexicon emulator oO... maybe i should try that

[@dougiemanross]

When are we going to get a John Bohlinger Rig Rundown? ;)

[@potterman83]

Dougie Manross he has!!! There’s a video where he shows like 5 pedalboards

[@awbr1991]

I still don't get how they got some of the really over the top "squeals" on some of their songs like Doin the Cockroach. Is it harmonics with certain effects or what? And if it is harmonics how are they hitting them in such fast burst?

[@user-bu3mb7gk3e]

He literally played all of my favorite chords in succession...holy shit I'm a little spooked

[@fonzybrookestone727]

Love RR!! Not a HUGE fan of this band, or a lot of the bands in RR, but I sure do get a ton of good info from the videos. I also wind up scoring some gear because of them. John is the man, too!! Another great job!

[@aaronbourbonnais2555]

skulls and those ole glooy grunge stuff gawd

[@guitarshredder1972]

The look between Jim Fairchild and John Bohlinger <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="229">3:49</a> is hilarious. Jim doesn't give a rip about his gear, and you can tell John does, cause the Sheraton knocking into the acoustic is like nails on a chalkboard to John. Also this look of "dude, I'm not a freaking child!" I'm thinking yeah Jim you are a child...lol

[@Melkiskatezzz]

great catch that was hilarious, comment was on point

[@slickyjorj]

The Holy Grail....getting that "creepy" tone.

[@acidburn_]

Please do an American Football Rig Rundown. They get such great tones from a pretty basic setup.

[@bluegreenface1193]

whats that riff he plays in the intro? is that a song or just some jam he did on the spot? sounds awesome!

[@ruthlesscutthroat4030]

tenacious D!

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

John, man you have the coolest job in the world. Where can I apply?

[@christophershiroma899]

Curious what the signal chain is. Trem>Chorus>Delay>BD-2>Boost>Univibe>POG>Verb>Verb>Univibe>Comp>DirtTransmitter>Rat>PitchShifter>Tuner?

[@razors98]

I was at that show XD

[@Kevin-qv3ch]

Interesting that he mentions having a guitar especially tuned for songs from The Moon and Antarctica, I thought that whole album was in standard.

[@rmh42204]

BTW, the POG is BEST on acoustic in my opinion. So many cool things. Also for the solo acoustic musicians out there, the POG2 is versatile for looping multiple layers using just one pedal.

[@treloskitharistas]

I'm a big fan of Rig Rundowns, but I think PG should focus on more music genres, I mean lately there was a lot of indie-ish stuff and pop-rock music, I've seen almost every Rig Rundown and I can't remember one about ex. a symphonic, power or folk metal band and it's a pity, because there are many great big and small bands out there and also many guitar players-fans of those genres around. Anyway, nice stuff!

[@strayfromlight]

I don't mean this in any form of offense, but most metal guitar players have a very similar rig - Ibanez/ESP/Jackson into a Marshall, Peavey or Mesa, usually with a Tube Screamer, noise suppressor and TU-2 in between. Indie bands typically have much more varied, unique rigs, especially in terms of pedal setup.

[@treloskitharistas]

Hmm, you're right, generally that's what happens, but still, Rig Rundowns are also kinda-sorda an interview of the musicians and you can se how other musicians use, manipulate and think about their gear (ex. others have a huge midi-controlled pedalboards and others have a solid state Randall RG and a DD-7)

[@imriregev]

They did a Dragonforce Rig Rundown.

[@FaintestOfBreath]

Still would be better than seeing a Strat or Gibson every video. Like Fender products, but I can't stand Gibson, and both those products are in nearly every "how to sound or RR type" videos. And like Trelo said it's just not about the rig but how they use it and manipulate their gear. If they interviewed some bands across the pond you'd see brands like Aristides, Gordon Smith, Chapman, Hush, or amps from Victory, Orange or Vox. Heck I'm seeing more well-known bands here starting to use brands like Carvin or Charvel. There's variety they just have to explore it.

[@quasarpuffs]

I'm just glad they're doing more bands that use traditional gear, regardless of the genre. A while back it seemed like almost every rundown was just a guy talking about the presets on his Axe-Fx. Those got boring real fast.

[@trizius7615]

Why no Johnny Marr Maaaaaaaaan

[@theWARMJET]

Marr used to have a Boss GT something , not very interesting stuff

[@RadioactiveKetchup]

Anyone know what tuning he is talking about for the Moon and Antarctica? I've been trying to figure it out and my only guess is liek EbAbCABbEb. It's wacky but the tuning for the 'Shit in Your Cut' guitar is DADGBbD, which is also really weird. I've been looking at live performances of songs like 'A Different City' to try and get it but it's really tough. I love alternate tunings but everyone seems to think that Modest Mouse only uses standard, when it was clearly said otherwise here, any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[@LuisFlores-rg9yo]

RadioactiveKetchup i have no idea and would also love to know. i 100% thought Moon&A was in standard and Jim talking about alternate tunings just blew my mind.

[@samfadness]

Is the hold function on the reverb pedal a mod?

[@malamute8257]

it's funny how he talks about using single coils on purpose because two humbucker guitars sounds too full, but he's using the tele pickups in series which is basically a humbucker.

[@cameronchidsey7868]

What song is Jim playing at the beginning? Just a riff?

[@Lucy-id3df]

Song at the beginning?

[@david0watts]

'That thing you told me not to do... I just did it'))))))))))))))))

[@sarichj]

Granddaddy rules

[@taylortaliaferro7138]

What did he play in the beginning ?

[@joshuahess4736]

My dream job being hired to play guitar for modest mouse !!!

[@hitnorcal]

I don't think that Jim's tech noticed that he didn't put the strap through the loops fully in the back.

[@bigrichxl91]

do Johnny Marr!

[@StephenAndrew777]

There's a member of Grandaddy in Modest Mouse? I did not know that.

[@HARTYNMUGHES]

StephenAndrew777 you're not alone. Pleasant surprise.

[@NegativeBodhiImage]

I don't usually watch rig rundowns on fast forward…. but

[@Nahvalr_]

What's the tuning Isaac used during The Moon and Antarctica?

[@legatomodi3522]

thats a good question. i thought it was mostly standard or just slightly flat or only a half step lower.

[@MrISAACFACE]

Never heard Isaac use anything other than standard tuning. Makes sense considering he uses a floyd rose.

[@Tyrannosaurine]

They could be playing those earlier songs a step down or something to help Issac with singing them

[@bengalvin9932]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="620">10:20</a> jonh is thinking no,no that did not happen like that at all.

[@estebantevenal5306]

Yes mac demarco please

[@theplourde]

Are there any plans to try for a Jimmy Eat World rundown?

[@2doobsmcjubes555]

Please tell me you got Isaac's rig too!

[@premierguitar]

He and his tech declined.

[@rodneyharris1879]

Simple, they're gear snobs and elitists.

[@paniccleo]

+Timothy Tyree when I saw them play recently it looked like Isaac was playing through a bass amp of some kind. It was this huge custom looking thing. Looked sorta like a Verellen or something. Effects wise I wouldn't be surprised if he just had a boost and a delay or something. The guitar was also an oddball. What I will tell you is that something about the guitar or his playing sent it out of tune basically 50% of the time.

[@jacqueread7358]

He uses a custom made soursound amp made out of portland! Really nice amps!

[@BaBaBaBenny]

Some people like to keep the gear they use secret, they spend a while chasing "their" tone and they have every right to keep it secret! Josh Homme does the same.

[@jordan3119]

Can someone explain Seth Lover to me?

[@melonhead49]

Some deep shit

[@NIRVANAjagstang97]

Rig rundown Jonny greenwood

[@gavinmcg2100]

What are wedges and ears? <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1790">29:50</a>

[@regjon]

Wedges are stage monitors(speakers to hear what he and the band are playing on stage) and 'ears' are in-ear monitors (headphones) to hear what they are playing on stage