Max Kakacek

In this live video of " Golden Days" performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival, Max is using a Fender Mustang.

In this pic you can see Max playing a Fender Jazzmaster. The owner of the guitar is probably the second guitarist of Whitney band, but the use to exchange instruments during some shows.

In this pics of Max's Instagram profile, you can see a natural Fender Telecaster.

In this pic took from Max's IG Page, you can see a Gibson Les Paul Recording.

I recently purchased a Gibson 330 from the 60s. It’s my new baby. I only play through single-coils now, and the Jazzmaster and 330 both have P90s; they give me the warmer, more charming sound. The Tele I bring out mainly when I want to attack a slide solo or something like that and I need the attack on the top end. Live, at this point, I only use a Tele because I have a couple of EQs that I use, and I use the switch a lot to emulate a Jazzmaster when I need it to be a little warmer.

In this studio pic, you can see Max's Fender Twin Reverb under the table.

In Whitney's set at Brookyn Steel in 2017, you can Max playing a Fender blues deluxe sitting behind him on stage.

For touring, I’ve recently changed. I’m a big fan of early 50s aesthetics, so for a while I was using a Blues Junior. I got a lot of use out of it; especially with an EQ, I got some amazing sounds out of it.

I recently treated myself and got one of the new Magnatone Twilighters. That’s the nicest amp I’ve ever heard, so I’ve been smitten with it since I got it. I use the frequency modulation on it pretty consistently throughout playing, even with the intensity very low, just to give the guitar a little more character and warbliness, very subtle. I got it six months ago, so the next touring cycle it will be my regular amp.

Essentially, all I’m doing in that solo is replaying the vocal melody before it comes back in, just as a different texture. It gives the song this real sadness after the first chorus that’s pretty epic and glorious, and then it brings the song back down to the lonely place before the verse comes back in. At that point I was using my ’54 Fender Pro that I ended up trading in.

In this pic, you can see Max pedalboard during a live and on the right side of the pedalboard the first pedal is the TC Electronic Polytune.

concert pic I took, Cat's Cradle, Carborro 9/22/2019

concert pic I took, Cat's Cradle, Carborro 9/22/2019

concert pic I took, Cat's Cradle, Carborro 9/22/2019

For mics, I believe in putting an SM57 on it, maybe front and back for slide, so that I can get some of the low end out of the speaker. Some of the best guitar recording processes use an SM57, and I try to stick to that as much as possible and let the playing speak for itself.

In this pic took from Max's Instagram page, you can see a Critter&Guitari Pocket Piano.