Jose Rios

Mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

I just recently found out about this company JAM who are based in Athens, Greece and I use their distortion pedal. It’s supposed to be a remake of a RAT pedal and I really like the tone on it.

Used on Free Nationals, as mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

I wasn’t really thinking about making it sound a certain way. I used Fender American Pro series Tele that was gifted to me by Fender. I used a Vox amp on some of it, some of it I plugged directly in. I used an American Pro series Stratocaster and there was some acoustic guitar in one of the tracks, that acoustic guitar was a Martin guitar that our producer had. Really, it was just using the instruments I had around me.

A reissue goldtop is visible in both NPR Tiny Desk Concerts for The Free Nationals (view the second here). It is also visible in this October 1, 2020 Instagram post.

Visible in this October 13, 2020 Guitar Center demo at 2:00.

Used on Free Nationals, as mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

We searched around for tones. In the beginning, I just had my pedalboard so I was using what was on that, which was a Dunlop Wah pedal, MXR chorus, MXR Phase 90, MXR Super Badass Distortion and MXR Reverb. I used that for those first sessions and then towards the end when we started doing overdubs, I used a Kemper amp that Callum had in his studio. It’s basically a big effects unit and we just dug through that looking for sounds, trying to find the right tone for the songs. It wasn’t fully how I wanted to do it because I didn’t have all the resources available to me but I used what I could, that’s how it’s always been. Ideally in the future, I want five or six amps, I want vintage guitars, I want analogue pedals and I just want to sit there and create tones in a room and record it all live with the microphone.

Shown up close in this September 21, 2020 Fender demo at 0:26.

Shown up close in this October 13, 2020 Guitar Center demo at 1:13.

Used for his Orange cabinet and KRK subwoofer, as featured in this March 6, 2019 Twitter post.

Jose Rios, Guitarist/Producer for @AndersonPaak and #TheFreeNationals is using #Auralex #ISOSeries® #GRAMMAv2s in his home studio. Congrats to Jose and the team for their recent #GRAMMY award!

Used on Free Nationals, as mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

I wasn’t really thinking about making it sound a certain way. I used Fender American Pro series Tele that was gifted to me by Fender. I used a Vox amp on some of it, some of it I plugged directly in. I used an American Pro series Stratocaster and there was some acoustic guitar in one of the tracks, that acoustic guitar was a Martin guitar that our producer had. Really, it was just using the instruments I had around me.

Used on Free Nationals, as mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

We searched around for tones. In the beginning, I just had my pedalboard so I was using what was on that, which was a Dunlop Wah pedal, MXR chorus, MXR Phase 90, MXR Super Badass Distortion and MXR Reverb. I used that for those first sessions and then towards the end when we started doing overdubs, I used a Kemper amp that Callum had in his studio. It’s basically a big effects unit and we just dug through that looking for sounds, trying to find the right tone for the songs. It wasn’t fully how I wanted to do it because I didn’t have all the resources available to me but I used what I could, that’s how it’s always been. Ideally in the future, I want five or six amps, I want vintage guitars, I want analogue pedals and I just want to sit there and create tones in a room and record it all live with the microphone.

Mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

I also have a Pyramid from EarthQuaker Devices which Thundercat uses and I have it for that reason.

Mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview. This October 13, 2020 Guitar Center demo shows that its knobs have been replaced with those of Marshall amps.

I’ve got the Electro-Harmonix Soul Food pedal and last but not least, I have the EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath.

Featured in this November 3, 2017 Orange Amps interview.

My first memory of Orange Amps, I was digging through Youtube and I was watching a Stevie Wonder clip and I noticed him using one of your guys cabinets. I was like wait this guy is a keyboard player, found out it was guitar amp, did my research and looked at the Rockerverb 50 and that was the one I wanted.

My current rig is a 410 celestion cab with a Rockerverb 50 MKIII head. I usually keep the bass around 7 o’clock, treble around 5 and there is no mid on that one. Volume is usually around 4, I do clean, I always drive the clean channel. All my effects is on the pedalboard I use.

The Rockerverb helps a lot because its got a lot of power, I’m playing really big arenas and festivals, so I need the push, I need to get on top of everything. It helps me because we have our rock moments in the set and a lot of metal guys and it has a nice creamy tone when I dial it in right. It helps a lot man, I love it.

Mentioned in this August 26, 2019 Orange Amps interview.

Right now i’m actually using a Mexican Jag, that I put the same humbuckers into that were in my strat. The humbucker sound with that amp combined is like heavy duty man, it’s really powerful. My distortion pedal its a really creamy tone, cut through solo nastiness!

Listed on Rios’ official EarthQuaker artist page.

Used on Free Nationals, as mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview. It is also visible in January 19, 2019 Instagram post.

We searched around for tones. In the beginning, I just had my pedalboard so I was using what was on that, which was a Dunlop Wah pedal, MXR chorus, MXR Phase 90, MXR Super Badass Distortion and MXR Reverb. I used that for those first sessions and then towards the end when we started doing overdubs, I used a Kemper amp that Callum had in his studio. It’s basically a big effects unit and we just dug through that looking for sounds, trying to find the right tone for the songs. It wasn’t fully how I wanted to do it because I didn’t have all the resources available to me but I used what I could, that’s how it’s always been. Ideally in the future, I want five or six amps, I want vintage guitars, I want analogue pedals and I just want to sit there and create tones in a room and record it all live with the microphone.

Used for this October 2, 2020 Guitar.com Live livestream.

Featured in this June 20, 2018 Instagram post by Dunlop.

Dunlop Artist Jose Rios with his custom Gator Grip 2mm.

Used in the live music video for "Angeles".

Rios used at least two stratocasters with Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals before he acquired his American Professional strat. Pictured is a black one, but Rios has also used a white one.

The white Strat (with painted headstock)

• Panorama Music Festival, taken by Leslie Edwards on July 23, 2016 (note that the headstock is not yet painted)
• House of Vans (July 25, 2019), one taken by Bobby Talamine and another form the House of Vans Tumblr
• Openair Gampel 2019, broadcast live on SR3 on August 16, 2019

Visible in this October 13, 2020 Guitar Center demo at 2:00.

Visible in this October 13, 2020 Guitar Center demo at 2:00.

Used on Free Nationals, as mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

We searched around for tones. In the beginning, I just had my pedalboard so I was using what was on that, which was a Dunlop Wah pedal, MXR chorus, MXR Phase 90, MXR Super Badass Distortion and MXR Reverb. I used that for those first sessions and then towards the end when we started doing overdubs, I used a Kemper amp that Callum had in his studio. It’s basically a big effects unit and we just dug through that looking for sounds, trying to find the right tone for the songs. It wasn’t fully how I wanted to do it because I didn’t have all the resources available to me but I used what I could, that’s how it’s always been. Ideally in the future, I want five or six amps, I want vintage guitars, I want analogue pedals and I just want to sit there and create tones in a room and record it all live with the microphone.

Mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

I also have some Electro-Harmonix stuff, I’ve got the Pitch Fork, I’ve got the Hum Debugger which helps with any buzzing that I might have. No matter what stage I’m playing there’s always some sort of buzzing going on and it’s just eliminated with that pedal.

Mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

I also have some Electro-Harmonix stuff, I’ve got the Pitch Fork, I’ve got the Hum Debugger which helps with any buzzing that I might have. No matter what stage I’m playing there’s always some sort of buzzing going on and it’s just eliminated with that pedal.

Mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

I have a BOSS DD-7 Delay which is huge and very important for me. I love my DD-7 because I tap delay, I set up my delays with my foot.

Mentioned in this December 23, 2019 Guitar.com interview.

I’ve got the Electro-Harmonix Soul Food pedal and last but not least, I have the EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath. It’s almost like a huge, echo reverb pedal. It makes me sound like I’m in a humongous hall and I use that one a lot too when I want to be spacey and be out there. All of that’s in my Pedaltrain case.

Mentioned in this November 3, 2017 Orange Amps interview.

My current rig is a 410 celestion cab with a Rockerverb 50 MKIII head. I usually keep the bass around 7 o’clock, treble around 5 and there is no mid on that one. Volume is usually around 4, I do clean, I always drive the clean channel. All my effects is on the pedalboard I use.

Listed on Rios’ official EarthQuaker artist page.

Listed on Rios’ official EarthQuaker artist page.