Dave Depper

"My main guitars are both made by Fano. One is the PX6, which is loosely based on a non-reverse Gibson Firebird, and it has Lollar Firebird pickups installed. The other is the GF6, which in turn is inspired by the Fender Starcaster, and it has Fralin P90s in it."

"I've been searching for the perfect Stratocaster for years, and my quest came to an end last week when the lovely folks at @fender sent me a stunning '56 American Vintage Reissue in shell pink, the most funky of all colors. If you need me I'll be playing the solo from "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" for the next 72 hours." - Depper about the Fender American Vintage Stratocaster.

"I have been lusting after a Zaftig by @biltguitars for over a year now. A few months ago, we got in touch about getting one made, and today in Montreal the dream is realized! I just soundchecked with it and am completely blown away by its tone and playability. It's perfect! I am in love with this thing!"

"What a lovely treat to come home from tour and find that @fender sent me one of their new Paramount series parlor acoustics! It plays perfectly right out of the box and has already been used on a recording. Thanks guys.??"

In this photo, Depper photographed a part of his setup, and Gibson Les Paul Special is visible. In the Instagram comments, he says how he acquired that guitar in 1994 and that it is still one of his favourite guitars.

This guitar might be a 1973 Fender Mustang, according to Instagram captions Depper gave.

"My main guitars are both made by Fano. One is the PX6, which is loosely based on a non-reverse Gibson Firebird, and it has Lollar Firebird pickups installed."

From the Novo Guitars website: "Shipped to: Dave Depper of Death Cab for Cutie", and seen using it in DCfC shows on the 2018 "Thank You For Today" tour.

In this photo, Depper showed his Dr Z. MAZ 18 combo amplifier.

In this photo, Depper showed the Orange PPC112 1x12 cabinet.

"With the BigSky, about half the time I am using the Spring reverb machine, especially on the rockier songs. I like running my amp very clean and effect-free, getting most of my tonal variation from my pedalboard. I adore the Spring machine’s warm, natural sound.

My favorite application, however, is the Bloom machine. It’s quite simply my favorite reverb sound I’ve ever encountered, and I use it pretty liberally throughout the set, especially during the slower, more atmospheric songs like “Transatlanticsm” and “You’ve Haunted Me All My Life.” And I ESPECIALLY love holding down the switch to engage the Infinite Sustain when using the Bloom machine. Freezing the sound in place like that ends up sounding almost like a synth pad, and it’s kind of like having a piano sustain pedal for my guitar. I use this trick fairly often throughout the set."

"I use the Digital machine for U2-like syncopated delays in songs like “You Are a Tourist” and “Your Heart Is An Empty Room.” I use the Analog machine for subtle slapback in songs like “Cath…” and “Why You’d Want To Live Here.” And the Tape machine comes in handy for all-out mayhem on “I Will Possess Your Heart” and “Bixby Canyon Bridge.” I definitely find myself abusing the self-oscillation function several times throughout the set."

"Possibly my favorite pedal of all time. In Death Cab, I’m using it for my medium to heavy gainl/lead tones. However, I’ve used this pedal for years in all sorts of roles, from a clean boost to a dirty boost to a simple EQ to a rock distortion machine.

My original BB Preamp got wet during soundcheck at Red Rocks at our show earlier this year, I foolishly didn’t have a backup, and the thing shorted out during the second song. I had a disaster of an evening as a result, so dependent am I on this miracle baby. I learned my lesson and have three now!"

"ARC is a really wonderful builder in upstate NY. His handiwork is beautiful and he’s a total pleasure to work with. The Klone, as the name implies, is a faithful recreation of a Klon Centaur. Obviously, this is a cottage industry these days, and there’s many Klon clones to choose from, but of all the ones I’ve tried, this one just NAILS it. Also, there’s an optional bass boost switch which ably makes up for some of the low frequency drop that this type of pedal is known for at higher gain settings.

I use the Klone for mild overdrive and as a dirty boost – volume around 10 o’clock, tone at noon, and gain ranging from 9 to 1 o’clock, depending on the song. I have it on about 80% of the time."

"not much to say about this one other than it’s small and convenient!"

"Incredible little nuclear bomb of a pedal, it’s EQD’s spin on the Ace Tone Fuzz Master, and dang, does it sound good. I’m currently using it to play the guitar solo on the Death Cab single “Black Sun” – it needs a very specific octave-fuzzy kind of sound, and this pedal nails it."

"Genius MIDI foot controller. I have many different presets on both Strymon pedals, so this pedal essential creates a master preset on a song by song basis out of a combination of the two, and I can scroll through it rapidly and intuitively. It also includes a shortcut to the looping function on the TimeLine pedal, which comes in VERY handy."

"My favorite transparent boost, made in Portland to boot. Sadly discontinued."

"I’m using a Pedaltrain 2 board…"

"I’m using a Pedaltrain 2 board, and powering everything with a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power Mondo."

"Another incredible device, this is the best Marshall-in-a-box pedal I’ve come across. It has a both a Super Lead and a Super Bass mode, selectable via an internal slider switch. I use this one for really high-gain stuff like “The New Year” and “We Laugh Indoors.”"

In this video, the Strymon El Capistan is visible.

In this video, where Depper shows how his loopings are made, the TurboRAT is visible.

In this video, the Boss Pitch Shifter and delay is visible.

In this photo, Depper shows his Ernie Ball Volume Pedal.

In this photo, Depper's Hoof Reaper pedal is visible.

In this photo, Depper's vintage MXR Phase 90 is visible.