Jason Falkner

Pictured here with a Fender Jazzmaster.

There isn't many pictures of Jason Falkner's pedalboard but he's pictured here with an Ibanez PT909.

"Falkner's lead workhorse is the same '73 Mustang he's had since he was 12, and his lone Les Paul concession is a '58 TV Special. Falkner played all of the instruments on Presents, including an early '60s Mustang bass - "a yellow model with red racing stripes."

"And though his effects include MXR Distortion + and Phase 90 pedals and an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress flanger, "a lot of what you hear on the album's just maxed-out guitar and amp."

In this photo, Falkner is seen playing the red Gibson Firebird V. This guitar was used during his time with Cheap Trick.

There aren't many pictures of Falkner's pedalboard but from what I can decipher here he is pictured with an Ibanez TS808.

In this photo from Brooklynvegan, Jason Falkner's pedalboard includes a Boss VB-2 Vibrato, highlighting its role in his effects setup.

Pictured here with a Fender Telecaster Deluxe.

"I also use a 1966 Fender Super Reverb quite a bit for more chime. It sounds amazing with a vibrato pedal. I’ll use that amp with my ’67 Hagstrom 12-string for a very aggressive ’60s 12-string tone."

"For guitar amps, I start with an SM57 typically, but sometimes a RØDE, usually into this UREI 1178 compressor through an API 312 mic preamp. I usually go into this API 550A EQ; or if something really needs to be carved out, I'll go into this UREI 546, an old film mastering EQ, with very specific control. Sometimes I'll send the guitar into this old RCA solid state compressor. The RCA also sounds great on snare."

"Falkner's lead workhorse is the same '73 Mustang he's had since he was 12, and his lone Les Paul concession is a '58 TV Special. Falkner played all of the instruments on Presents, including an early '60s Mustang bass - "a yellow model with red racing stripes."

In this photo, which shows Falkner performing back in 2006, he is seen playing the classic Gibson SG Standard.

"The Lily's I did to tape. My own stuff I'm doing in Pro Tools. I just bought it [Digi001]. I still haven't figured out how to come out of Pro Tools and go through one of these outboard boxes. I'm sure it's easy. But I haven't gotten that far yet. But I love it."

"For guitar amps, I start with an SM57 typically, but sometimes a RØDE, usually into this UREI 1178 compressor through an API 312 mic preamp. I usually go into this API 550A EQ; or if something really needs to be carved out, I'll go into this UREI 546, an old film mastering EQ, with very specific control. Sometimes I'll send the guitar into this old RCA solid state compressor. The RCA also sounds great on snare."

"For guitar amps, I start with an SM57 typically, but sometimes a RØDE, usually into this UREI 1178 compressor through an API 312 mic preamp. I usually go into this API 550A EQ; or if something really needs to be carved out, I'll go into this UREI 546, an old film mastering EQ, with very specific control. Sometimes I'll send the guitar into this old RCA solid state compressor. The RCA also sounds great on snare."

"Falkner's lead workhorse is the same '73 Mustang he's had since he was 12, and his lone Les Paul concession is a '58 TV Special. Falkner played all of the instruments on Presents, including an early '60s Mustang bass - "a yellow model with red racing stripes."

Mentioned in the October 1996 Guitar Player interview "Top Cat: Jason Falkner" by Mike Mettler.

"I had all of my guitars out, including my '36 Vega, an early-'60s Silvertone, an early-'60s Epiphone, a '63 Gibson short-scale acoustic, a '73 Mustang, a Harmony Airline, a Kustom and a '69 Guild 12-string acoustic. My friend looks them over and says to me, 'These aren't exactly the usual suspects!'"

Despite his pan-guitarism, Falkner harbors a deep aversion to Stratocasters. "The reason I hate them is the same reason I hate standard Les Pauls: I just don't like guitars that everybody else has. I've always liked guitars that are quirky and weird, because they make you play differently. That Strat tone is so identifiable. One of the guys in the Grays had a Strat, and I always gave him a hard time about it." Falkner's lead workhorse is the same '73 Mustang he's had since he was 12, and his lone Les Paul concession is a '58 TV Special. Falkner played all of the instruments on Presents, including an early '60s Mustang bass – "a yellow model with red racing stripes."

Mentioned in the October 1996 Guitar Player interview "Top Cat: Jason Falkner" by Mike Mettler.

"I had all of my guitars out, including my '36 Vega, an early-'60s Silvertone, an early-'60s Epiphone, a '63 Gibson short-scale acoustic, a '73 Mustang, a Harmony Airline, a Kustom and a '69 Guild 12-string acoustic. My friend looks them over and says to me, 'These aren't exactly the usual suspects!'"

Despite his pan-guitarism, Falkner harbors a deep aversion to Stratocasters. "The reason I hate them is the same reason I hate standard Les Pauls: I just don't like guitars that everybody else has. I've always liked guitars that are quirky and weird, because they make you play differently. That Strat tone is so identifiable. One of the guys in the Grays had a Strat, and I always gave him a hard time about it." Falkner's lead workhorse is the same '73 Mustang he's had since he was 12, and his lone Les Paul concession is a '58 TV Special. Falkner played all of the instruments on Presents, including an early '60s Mustang bass – "a yellow model with red racing stripes."

Used on Presents Author Unknown, as mentioned in the October 1996 Guitar Player interview "Top Cat: Jason Falkner" by Mike Mettler.

Falkner's favorite amp is a Supro 2x12 combo. "It has that honky midrange thing going - that's all it does, that total Jimmy Page/Zeppelin I sound." And though his effects include MXR Distortion + and Phase 90 pedals and an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress flanger, "a lot of what you hear on the album's just maxed-out guitar and amp. There's really no better sound in the world than an AC30 on about 9 or 10. My Epiphone goes so good with that - instant Kinks!"

Used on Presents Author Unknown, as mentioned in the October 1996 Guitar Player interview "Top Cat: Jason Falkner" by Mike Mettler.

Falkner's favorite amp is a Supro 2x12 combo. "It has that honky midrange thing going - that's all it does, that total Jimmy Page/Zeppelin I sound." And though his effects include MXR Distortion + and Phase 90 pedals and an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress flanger, "a lot of what you hear on the album's just maxed-out guitar and amp. There's really no better sound in the world than an AC30 on about 9 or 10. My Epiphone goes so good with that - instant Kinks!"

Used on Presents Author Unknown, as mentioned in the October 1996 Guitar Player interview "Top Cat: Jason Falkner" by Mike Mettler.

Falkner's favorite amp is a Supro 2x12 combo. "It has that honky midrange thing going - that's all it does, that total Jimmy Page/Zeppelin I sound." And though his effects include MXR Distortion + and Phase 90 pedals and an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress flanger, "a lot of what you hear on the album's just maxed-out guitar and amp. There's really no better sound in the world than an AC30 on about 9 or 10. My Epiphone goes so good with that - instant Kinks!"

Used on "She Goes to Bed", as mentioned in the October 1996 Guitar Player interview "Top Cat: Jason Falkner" by Mike Mettler.

Still, some of the album's cooler effects came from outboard tinkering, like the "She Goes to Bed" solo, which Falkner ran through a "really crappy" compression pedal called the Choker. "We put the Choker into my 4-track, went direct into the board and distorted the mike preamps on the 4-track. It ended up sounding really crackly, like it's taken from a different era." He brings that 4-track consciousness to all his studio endeavors. "I don't labor over demos, because then you end up with something most people can't reproduce in the studio," he explains. The studio makes you lose some of the innocence and urgency you had at the demo stage. My mission is to retain the spontaneity of that first demo."