Rig Rundown - Thom Bresh

The consummate thumbpicker demos his two-sided flattop and keeps his father Merle Travis’ memory alive with a collection of instruments made in tribute.
Thom Bresh and Premier Guitar’s John Bohlinger spent the afternoon at the Nashville Musician’s Union rehearsal hall talking guitars, early Hollywood, film, wine, and more. Bresh is not only one of the greatest thumbpickers of all time, he may be the most interesting man in the world.
Watch the Episode: bit.ly/ThomBreshRR
Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL
Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/SubscribePGKZbin
D'Addario Trigger Capos: www.daddario.com/TriggerCaposRR

[@premierguitar]

Watch the Episode: bit.ly/ThomBreshRR Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/SubscribePGKZbin

[@jakobjaxtyn4628]

Not sure if anyone cares but if you're stoned like me atm then you can stream pretty much all of the latest series on Instaflixxer. I've been watching with my brother for the last couple of weeks :)

[@deaconlondon6170]

@Jakob Jaxtyn yea, I've been watching on instaflixxer for since november myself =)

[@bennyburrows7413]

R.I.P Breshman. You will be missed

[@richirvine4519]

When I heard that he died, I was very sad, still am because I only got to enjoy his guitar playing and entertainment live. RIP Thom Bresh.

[@OurBackwoodsHomestead]

Wow such a man full of history about guitars. Love his stories and playing for years. RIP Breshman.

[@BillyBongwaters]

Thom's story's are the best....He will be missed... Thanks for doing this one Premier Guitar

[@Handyandy747]

“This one’s got interchangeable nuts. And Tommy Emmanuel says: ‘so do I, mate.’”

[@raleighwelborn1136]

Proud to say my dad was a first cousin to the great Merle Travis! Told me many stories. Also seen Thom many, many times live in Muhlenberg county, KY. Home of Merle Travis!

[@JohnBond-in3og]

Thom was one of the most talented and generous human beings I have ever met! Blessings and RIP 🙏

[@whimpypatrol5503]

Tom Bresh is a great story teller, and so was his dad.

[@jamietwitty6425]

This was amazing, Breshman at his best, picking and telling stories. Loved it!!

[@jamessmitherman63]

congrats on probably the best personal interview I've had the pleasure of listening too.

[@raleighwelborn1136]

888q88

[@BAND-MAID-USA]

There's so much history in this video it's crazy.

[@lauranceemory4448]

Lovely delightful man and great interview Jon: just sit back and let him roll. Even if he couldn't play it lick, he'd still be great to listen to.

[@quomo84]

wish i could sit and listen Thom's stories for days

[@lynnmorgan3283]

Loved the interview with one of my favorite guitar player/entertainer, Thom Bresh.

[@cahg3871]

Thom Bresh lives to tell stories and pick guitars.His instructors videos are classics-half picking half stories.A natural born entertainer. Wow,that out was fantastic!He is his fathers’ son!

[@WilhelmWilder]

Woah, that Chet impression was spot on

[@kleetus92]

Wow this had to be shortly before he passed... Gone too soon. I was blown away the first time I saw him on Austin City Limits back in the mid 80's... the guy was an absolute guitar machine.

[@hwhise]

Oh how I miss this guy !

[@tedkellison2598]

Love Moht!! So much history, so many glimpses of pivotal people and times - thanks to you John for getting this on film!! Loved his perfect impersonation of Chet - sounds just like him!!!

[@johnnyvandutch2914]

What a character, I could listen to him all day! One of the best episodes ever and not a single pedal in sight?

[@warshipsatin8764]

not using pedals doesnt make you a good guitarist

[@alenac7269]

This was amazing! Tom Bresh seems like such a nice guy, who's an amazing guitar player, and has had an amazing life! And Mr Bohlinger, you were born to interview -incredible job! Thank you for doing this -soooooo cool!!!👍

[@paulsimmons5726]

Thom's as good a story teller as Merle was, pure gold! John, that was a great interview!

[@mickhenderson3661]

I’ve been a guitar nut my whole life, so I knew the name Merle Travis, but never heard or heard of his very talented son. Tragically, it was through hearing about his recent death. What an interesting guy and great player and may he Rest In Peace! I always enjoy this interviewer and he does an exemplary job here!🎸

[@martinspencer366]

Interviewer's great. He makes sure the show is about Thom and his guitars, not about himself, unlike most Interviewers nowadays.

[@nixternal]

The Breshman! One of my all time favorite pickers, this is gonna be awesome! Wow, fairly certain this is probably the only time I have sat through & watched an entire video on KZbin w/o forwarding past something. No way I was going to miss one of his stories. I actually went back to get the name of that stomp he was using. Awesome!

[@aaronshortmusic]

What is the name of the stomp?

[@nixternal]

@@aaronshortmusic Porchboard Micro Bass.

[@mycitywasgone4216]

Thom Bresh RIP Evan Twitty RIP Together again 🙏🎸

[@martinspencer366]

Rare humans like the Breshman should never die. Isn't it amazing that players like Thom, Jerry, Chet, Merle, Buster etc are all warm, wonderful characters. I could listen to them forever. Love the bit about Chet, " l've seen everything". Cried with laughter.

[@bensherwood777]

Living guitar legend and the best storyteller ever! Lovely interview thank you

[@FormulaQ]

Man. I'll never get sick of these things. Thanks premier guitar.

[@johnsimmons6136]

I love Thom Bresh. I thought I was having a flashback from the 70's when I first saw that guitar though!

[@DennisHunt]

I could listen to Thom telling stories all day. This was great. I loved hearing about his guitars, but he's a beautiful story teller. Reminds me of my Grand Dad. Truly enjoyed this interview. :)

[@quintas66]

That Chet impression slayed me!

[@cahg3871]

He actually sounded like Chet!Lol.

[@marknachmias423]

Wow! Thom is such an interseting person. I could listen to him talk forever. Thanks

[@andrewmoran357]

wow the bigsby to broadcaster story was brilliant

[@martinspencer366]

How could you not love a man like this fella? A truly great human being.

[@tonyboughman8050]

What a delight! Thank you Thom and John!

[@barnBR5-49]

Thanks for the nice long interview. Always great to hear stories from the Breshman.

[@JillUdart]

I met Thom in '84 when I was 17 years old. Even have a pic of us together. What a charmer!

[@tedadlington1777]

What a man. God bless him

[@muutron5253]

Truly great interview, thanks John!

[@grinner6027]

Loved this video. So many great stories from this AWESOME guy. Thank you! RIP Bresh!

[@LeeGee]

This was priceless! Thank you very much!

[@idahodad1]

Great Interview!! So lucky to see his show a few years back.

[@srwaite7]

Great stuff! The Go Acoustic Audio system sounds incredible. Thanks, guys! 👌🏻🕶✌🏻

[@philipStClair-mm4jq]

I love your rig rundowns but Thom Bresh was perfect for my Sunday viewing! What beautiful guy Thom is to go along with his magnificent guitar picking! Amazing show guys!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Holy shit Tom does a damn good Chet!!

[@MrUltraworld]

What a great character.

[@AJgeartalk]

Thom's a wizard! What a gem.

[@FLOODtoFIRE]

Fantastic interview .

[@rodmackinnon8497]

Great interview John, the man has a lot of stories.

[@tedadlington1777]

How interesting. I love these rig windows. Thank you

[@TheTimmytoad]

Wow what an interview, so interesting,I could listen to Thom all day.

[@scottbalsai]

For what it's worth, what I do to keep my thumb pick on involves 2 things. (Pearce, Dunlop, National, whatever-- all marked with an S, instead of a M, for small I guess. I use the smaller, thinner ones Like Bresh.) First I try to find some that are about as close to fitting as i can get. Usually they are a bit tight. I put them in a 800 watt micro wave for about 30 seconds. This usually softens them a bit. I put them on my thumb and mold them around my thumb and blow on it to cool it down while on my thumb. (They usually are not too hot.Check first to see how hot they are. --Note the wattage of the micro wave. Another way might be to put them into hot water, but I have never done it this way.) Then, later, to keep them from coming off after they warm up from my thumb body heat (as Bresh talks about), I put a piece of masking tape (painter quality) (rolled over onto itself with sticky side out) on the inside of the pick where the inside of the pick would meet your thumb nail. I press it onto my thumb nail, and if the tape is fresh and sticky, it will stay put. I usually don't have to replace the tape for a week or two before it starts to slip. Sometimes longer. This may depend on the quality of the tape or how sticky it was to begin with. The stickier the better.....and how much you play and take it off and on. -- I think drier air may dry it out faster as opposed to more humid air, where it may stay sticky longer. I have been doing this for over 40 years.---Gigs, practice...doesn't matter. Works great. I always make sure I have a fresh roll of masking tape in my gig bag just for this purpose. As far as I know, I am the only one I have ever met who does this. -As an added note: This works so well that when my thumb is sore from dry air (here in Idaho) or a hang nail or a nail that is too short, I will use a softer pick that won't squeeze my thumb as much and make it hurt. By fitting the pick as above and using the masking tape idea, I can put the pick (and tape) right over a band-aid because it is more pliable than my regular picks, and it will stay put. When my thumb heals I go back to the harder picks for their sound. Hope that helps. www.acousticreflections.net

[@jlgis77]

love these RR of the old timers......

[@SongMakerNYC]

fantastic epizode...wow

[@Doug5524]

Thom, tell great stories very enjoyable great interview John

[@guitareveryone]

This is awesome man. Love finger style and the Breshman!

[@sld454]

Another great RR, Johnny

[@johnsabourin4168]

Plenty-O cool information. Thank you.

[@aidanmouellic5919]

1080p in 60fps is impressive - 2 min in and everything about this is great!

[@anitadavideduo]

Great Thom! We met him in Italy on 1999 and we have really cool memories with him also with Buster B.Jones. See you soon thom, many hugs! :-)))

[@wittvonwitt4403]

God Buster was a monster!

[@IamtheActionman]

Man what a killer player and sick guitar

[@GreggSteinerguitar]

wonderful Thom. See you in Interlochen this summer!

[@karlshook6629]

Love it

[@flylippfantom8425]

Now, that's what I'm talkin bout Awesome ✌💜

[@EJ_Crough]

Man that opening guitar!!!

[@wittvonwitt4403]

Guitar royalty. Period.

[@BeachJazzMusic]

Wow, what a great video! Thom is so cool! Truly an amazing person and great player! This is definitely one of my favorite videos you guys have done. I can't use flatpick at all even though I have a million of them. I've been using just my fingers for the last 50 years but I can see the advantages of using a thumbpick.

[@mikesharpsongs]

I LOVE RMC pickups and my Godin Multiac Jazz SA!!! And, of course Thom...gotta check out that supposed upgrade!

[@whimpypatrol5503]

The best Chet impersonation

[@whimpypatrol5503]

(and big namedropper)

[@paolospadaro]

Grazie Thom, RIP. 🥹🥹🥹

[@olschool3740]

RIP Breshman.

[@waynocook53]

My goodnes! I lernd the sam stuff!

[@johnnyhotwiel5409]

Very enjoyabel👍

[@bobzmuda3456]

badass

[@tiesergrote]

more like life rundown

[@kwp1977]

Rip

[@bishlap]

Tom was rookie of the year in 1965 NY Yankees.

[@aaronboothe283]

I’m assuming the filing cabinets are full of all of his amazing stories.

[@kuringmundo]

Rig Rundown: Stories.

[@jerrymorganjr]

I just realized he was Merle Travis's son. I feel stupid.

[@pistoFF]

😯

[@pathwaysbehavioral6324]

Hey Thom, sounding good! Do you still have the Plummer guitar?

[@aaronmccreless110]

Anybody know what song Bresh was playing at the top of the video?

[@danw1955]

Ol' Thom is looking pretty rough here.. last time I saw him was on his YT channel here (Bresh Digital TV), a few years ago (wow, just realized I got unsubscribed from him somehow?!). Got that fixed and it looks like I have some catching up to do.😉👍 *EDIT:* Man, he's still got it, and still has that edgy sense of humor! Great interview, loved every minute!!😍🎵🎶🎵 👍👍

[@TheSecondNature]

I think he looks great for a 71 years old man

[@wittvonwitt4403]

He's lost weight for sure.

[@scottbookman]

Favino makes excellent selmer style guitars for gypsy jazz players.

[@ashleympower]

How did that lighter stay there the whole time!

[@sugarlife485]

Great guy...notice how all turn to Nylon strings eventually its soooo much more forgiving...chet, Jerry and many more turn to classical style guitars...smart guys

[@Bob-Whiting]

Transducer is the word yer lookin' fer I do believe

[@jonpaulling]

Reminds me of when Tom Petty was on The Simpsons. He has a 'double' guitar like that which he flips over.

[@TheElrondo]

What is the guitar the D' addario Girl plays? Looks like a lot of bells and whistles...

[@mikkejohansson]

TheElrondo Schecter Ultra III

[@TheElrondo]

mikkejohansson Thank you!

[@visionsick]

I keep hearing the Mario them song from the old Nintendo days. Lol

[@leetaylorchristian]

great playing. great innovative guitar. what up with that tone tho

[@TheSpangification]

22:22 "Drop D tuners on it"

[@williamgarden3209]

Scruggs-Keith banjo tuning pegs. Excellent tuning pegs that are reliable and repairable, conceived and executed by the late Bill Keith for Earl Scruggs.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Hey I’m that ‘nerd’ but I won’t type ‘transducer’ now you said that lol!! I have a review of the system on my KZbin channel if anyone is interested. Paul and Ben are awesome.

[@shotaenoshimacgp8213]

22:10

[@whimpypatrol5503]

How could anyone blow-up an AER? Spilled wine on it? Or what?

[@efa666]

James Duffy didn't return.

[@whimpypatrol5503]

I really wanted to hear the D'Angelico with those p90s not that two faced accoustic

[@richardmckrell4899]

Funny idea but terrible acoustic tone.

[@spiderfan1974]

Your not in the room with it. You are hearing it compressed from the original recording being further compressed by KZbin and your computer speakers.

[@richardmckrell4899]

I've heard must better on youtube through my speakers, but you could be right.