Chris Duarte

In this user-uploaded photo from Duarte's website, Chris Duarte is seen with his Xotic XS-1 guitar.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview. It is also mentioned on the official Sobbat artist page.

And then I have a Univibe sort of pedal handmade by a guy over in Japan. It’s called the Sobbat Glow-Vibe. He’s given me one, and Eric Johnson gave me his.

Sobbat Artists Page

テキサスのブルースギタリスト。2ndアルバムよりツアー等にても使用。 GV-1、FB-2,DB-1/2を使用しています。(注：現在音信不通なので分かりません)彼がsobbatの最初の実験台となってくれた人物で、彼が使用してからソバットの市販の製品をいろんな意味でもっと頑丈な物にしようと思いました（笑）

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

When you’re playing through such a simplified rig, do you have many pedals in front of you, or do you just run straight into the amp?

Well, I used to use a Cesar Diaz Texas Ranger pedal, which Cesar personally gave to me, and it was actually a great pedal with my other rig. But now with my new rig, the tones have changed and it doesn’t work as well, so I’m using the Xotic BB Plus as my main distortion right now… mostly for low-volume situations. I’ve also got a CE-5 Chorus that I use for a Leslie sound—turn the Rate and Effect all the way up, and turn back the Depth so it’s not detuning. I also use a BOSS DD-3. I used to use Echoplexes, and I still have three of them, but they’re temperamental when you get them out on the road. So I just learned to use the DD-3.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

Are you still playing all of this stuff with a Strat?

I am, actually. Sometimes I do like taking out my Les Paul, but I do most of it on a Strat.

What kind of Strat are you playing right now?

The Strat that I’ve had for many, many years is a 1963. I lost my first one—it was ripped off in New York right around when I was going to sign the record deal—and it’s still the best Strat I’ve ever heard. I could still pick it out, just the sound of it, if anybody pulled out a bootleg tape. It had a great sound. But then I got another one, a 1963 Strat, serial number 71699, and that’s the one I’ve had for all these years… since 1993, I believe.

I basically just played that ‘63 into the ground. There’s not enough rosewood left on it to do another fret job. I’m such a physical player that I wear frets down, and I have to get a fret job at least every year, or every other year. I play the biggest frets you can get because I like the tone on them. And if you’re from Texas, tone is real important to you. [laughs]

You’re probably nearing the natural end of that neck’s life.

[laughs] Yeah, right. I’ve also got an American Standard, but now I’m playing an Xotic. Xotic Guitars stepped in, and they said, “We’ll help replicate your Strat and use your exact measurements, but it has to be one of our guitars.” The measurements were really the most important to me… how the neck felt. So, they took measurements of everything and built me a guitar, and I’ve been playing those ever since. Of course they can’t use the exact Strat shape—it looks a little smaller— and the headstock isn’t the traditional Fender headstock, but I’ve gotten used to the guitar, and now it’s the one I’m most comfortable on. And to tell you the truth, I don’t even know the model number on the thing.

I should mention that I’m also having a guitar made for me by this guy in Japan, a really exclusive luthier that just started making guitars. They’re called Getoh Guitars, and the luthier, Ko, just produces Strat copies, specializing in certain years. He’s making me a ‘63 copy that’s supposed to be just like mine. He took all the measurements of my guitar, and he does everything: he makes the bridge, the pickguard, the body, the pickups, and they just sound great. They truly sound like an old, pre-CBS Strat. I’m excited to pick it up when I head back over to Japan in January.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

I’ve also got an American Standard, but now I’m playing an Xotic.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

Tell us about your amp setup right now.

Right now I’m down to only one amplifier. I used to play a huge wall of amps: a Fender Vibro-King, a Marshall JCM 900 and two Riveras. One was a custom job, a Rivera 15 with one 15” and then they gave me a 4x12 with their modular system in it—although I only used a few tones, so I didn’t switch around the modules too much… a blackface Twin sound and a Deluxe. I’m using a Chicago Blues Box now.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

Tell us about your amp setup right now.

Right now I’m down to only one amplifier. I used to play a huge wall of amps: a Fender Vibro-King, a Marshall JCM 900 and two Riveras. One was a custom job, a Rivera 15 with one 15” and then they gave me a 4x12 with their modular system in it—although I only used a few tones, so I didn’t switch around the modules too much… a blackface Twin sound and a Deluxe. I’m using a Chicago Blues Box now.

Those are some really well-made amps.

They are! I was contacted by a friend that said they were interested in me, and at the time I was doing the record, Vantage Point, which came out in September 2008, and they sent me out their Humbolt head, which is like a master volume Marshall. They also sent me out a Bassman and a little Kingston combo. And I really liked the Humbolt head, so they sold it to me and threw in the Bassman. The Humbolt sounded really good, so I just started working on that and trying to adjust myself to it, and now I sound great on just that one amp.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

Tell us about your amp setup right now.

Right now I’m down to only one amplifier. I used to play a huge wall of amps: a Fender Vibro-King, a Marshall JCM 900 and two Riveras. One was a custom job, a Rivera 15 with one 15” and then they gave me a 4x12 with their modular system in it—although I only used a few tones, so I didn’t switch around the modules too much… a blackface Twin sound and a Deluxe. I’m using a Chicago Blues Box now.

Those are some really well-made amps.

They are! I was contacted by a friend that said they were interested in me, and at the time I was doing the record, Vantage Point, which came out in September 2008, and they sent me out their Humbolt head, which is like a master volume Marshall. They also sent me out a Bassman and a little Kingston combo. And I really liked the Humbolt head, so they sold it to me and threw in the Bassman. The Humbolt sounded really good, so I just started working on that and trying to adjust myself to it, and now I sound great on just that one amp.

What do you like about the Humbolt?

It gets a good range of clarity. I have to hear all of my strings when I play. I can’t just have it grunge out. With the style of music I play, I have to hear all of the strings when I hit that big 9 chord. I don’t want it dirty on one end and twangy on the other. And that amp’s doing well with it; I’ve learned how to work with it.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

Tell us about your amp setup right now.

Right now I’m down to only one amplifier. I used to play a huge wall of amps: a Fender Vibro-King, a Marshall JCM 900 and two Riveras. One was a custom job, a Rivera 15 with one 15” and then they gave me a 4x12 with their modular system in it—although I only used a few tones, so I didn’t switch around the modules too much… a blackface Twin sound and a Deluxe. I’m using a Chicago Blues Box now.

Those are some really well-made amps.

They are! I was contacted by a friend that said they were interested in me, and at the time I was doing the record, Vantage Point, which came out in September 2008, and they sent me out their Humbolt head, which is like a master volume Marshall. They also sent me out a Bassman and a little Kingston combo. And I really liked the Humbolt head, so they sold it to me and threw in the Bassman. The Humbolt sounded really good, so I just started working on that and trying to adjust myself to it, and now I sound great on just that one amp.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

When you’re playing through such a simplified rig, do you have many pedals in front of you, or do you just run straight into the amp?

Well, I used to use a Cesar Diaz Texas Ranger pedal, which Cesar personally gave to me, and it was actually a great pedal with my other rig. But now with my new rig, the tones have changed and it doesn’t work as well, so I’m using the Xotic BB Plus as my main distortion right now… mostly for low-volume situations. I’ve also got a CE-5 Chorus that I use for a Leslie sound—turn the Rate and Effect all the way up, and turn back the Depth so it’s not detuning. I also use a BOSS DD-3. I used to use Echoplexes, and I still have three of them, but they’re temperamental when you get them out on the road. So I just learned to use the DD-3.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

When you’re playing through such a simplified rig, do you have many pedals in front of you, or do you just run straight into the amp?

Well, I used to use a Cesar Diaz Texas Ranger pedal, which Cesar personally gave to me, and it was actually a great pedal with my other rig. But now with my new rig, the tones have changed and it doesn’t work as well, so I’m using the Xotic BB Plus as my main distortion right now… mostly for low-volume situations. I’ve also got a CE-5 Chorus that I use for a Leslie sound—turn the Rate and Effect all the way up, and turn back the Depth so it’s not detuning. I also use a BOSS DD-3. I used to use Echoplexes, and I still have three of them, but they’re temperamental when you get them out on the road. So I just learned to use the DD-3.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

When you’re playing through such a simplified rig, do you have many pedals in front of you, or do you just run straight into the amp?

Well, I used to use a Cesar Diaz Texas Ranger pedal, which Cesar personally gave to me, and it was actually a great pedal with my other rig. But now with my new rig, the tones have changed and it doesn’t work as well, so I’m using the Xotic BB Plus as my main distortion right now… mostly for low-volume situations. I’ve also got a CE-5 Chorus that I use for a Leslie sound—turn the Rate and Effect all the way up, and turn back the Depth so it’s not detuning. I also use a BOSS DD-3. I used to use Echoplexes, and I still have three of them, but they’re temperamental when you get them out on the road. So I just learned to use the DD-3.

Mentioned in this January 14, 2009 Premier Guitar interview.

I also have a Hoochie-Mama pedal, built by a guy out of North Carolina, and it’s just like a boost. On occasion, I’ll have that on all the time if I have to play real quietly. I’ll turn the Output up and the Drive down so it rounds out my tone.

Chris Duarte uses the Analog Man King of Tone Overdrive pedal for his performances, as noted on Analogman. Alongside Toshihiro Sumitomo of BLUESTONE COMPANY, Duarte incorporates the KoT Ver4 into his slide guitar work on tour.

Chris is quoted at the bottom of the page that he is using/used the Xotic Super Clean and Super Sweet.