Nels Cline

Nels Cline also owns a faded Gibson Les Paul double cutaway guitar fitted with two P90s. According to Cline, the guitar was, "given to [him] by Jeff Tweedy when [he] joined the band...but it's the guitar I play in open tuning, which is GGDGGD," (4:53). "It's vitrtually indestructible for a Gibson," he said, at (6:00) "although the headstock did snap off at some point."

Another of Cline's pedals is the Crazy Tube Circuits Starlight. "It's a distortion, much like a RAT but better," he says at (27:20).

"They're rare as hen's teeth, I LOVE the sound (I like wiggly, what can I say?), and mine took some serious blows in flight."

According to Bilt's website, another one of the custom-made guitars they built for him is a Bilt SS Zaftig guitar.

In this pedalboard photos of Cline, taken by a fan at one of their Brasil concerts in October 2016, the EHX Nano Small Stone is visible.

Nels discusses the guitar in a feature profile in Fretboard Journal: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/features/almost-stuck-to-it-the-gear-of-nels-cline/

One of Cline's weirder guitars is a Jerry Jones Double Neck Longhorn guitar, spotted in this Rig Rundown video at (8:20). According to Cline, it's "a very unusual one...It had to have been made for either somebody famous or someone he knew, because it's all white...12 string and baritone neck...extremely weird."

Nels Cline gets crazy effects out of the Digitech Whammy pitch shifting pedal, as demonstrated in this Premier Guitar interview at (31:00).

Nels Cline uses an original Electro-Harmonix 16 Second digital delay, as seen in this Premier Guitar interview at (32:50). "It's always recording, I do looping with it on the fly," Cline said.

Cline uses an Electro-Harmonix Memory man reissue, as spotted in this video at (33:40). "I use it for a little bit of bounce and that 'wiggly' that it has...It's psychedelic," he said.

One of Nels Cline's Lap Steels is a National, which he shows off in this Premier Guitar interview at (35:30). "I play it in standard tuning 'cause I'm a tourist on the lap steel. This way I can play in every key and do my fake pedal steel effects using open strings, and it's made, late 40's early 50's...It's really quiet and really gorgeous."

An Electro-Harmonix XO Holy Grail can be seen at 32:52 in this Nels Cline rig rundown video, to the right of the Ring Thing.

" I also really dig the Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone, which Jimmy Vivino turned me on to. I think it sounds better than the CS-3. but I’m an old dog."

"I love my Devi Ever pedals, especially the old Soda Meiser."

"The SMS Earth Drive is excellent," says Nels Cline who started using it because it travels well due to its size.

In the EarthQuaker Devices YouTube video "Board To Death Ep. 18," Nels Cline discusses and uses the Montreal Assembly Count to Five delay pedal.

Featured on Cline's official Rainger FX artist page.

https://www.chicagofretworks.com/2014/08/19/1959-fender-jazzmaster-nels-clines-watt/ "Once the jack area was strong and secure, we made a new bone nut and freshened up the setup with a new set of GHS Boomer 12’s."

https://www.toneconcepts.com/ghs-strings-supports-nels-clines-icon-series-pedal-goo-launch/ Nels Cline uses GHS Strings exclusively, and GHS BOOMERS ® 12s specifically, on many of his guitars including his iconic 1959 Fender Jazzmaster.

Another guitar in Nels Cline's eclectic collection is at 1960's Hopf Telstar Standard. According to Cline, "It's very luxurious of me to be able to play these guitars live," Cline says at (11:50). "I record with these guitars quite often for their weird tonal qualities and not bring them out on tour...but now of course with Wilco I'm completely enabled."

Nels Cline says in an interview that the Gibson J-200 was one of the guitars he used to record the album "Lovers".

Nels Cline was shocked that he liked the Waterfall ! He hates Chorus pedals and said that we should rename it ! "Don't call it a chorus" Nels Cline.

Nels Cline uses the Electro-Harmonix POG Polyphonic Octave Generator, as detailed in his "PEDAL BOARD SPIEL (2005)" on his official website.

"Boss DD-2 delay: Because when I turn the thing off I don't want it to trail off (like subsequent Boss delays)! I want it OFF! It works…"

Sifting through gig bags, he calls out, “Here's one for you!" He fishes out a black case fron the bottom and hands it to me. Inside is his sunburst 1966 Fender Jaguar, the guitar that set off his “offset" obsession in the 1980s.

Nels mentions at 17:05 that Bill Nash gave him this guitar at a show in Seattle. He admits that while he had been consciously avoiding Tele style guitars, he immediately loved this guitar for its look and feel as well as the Lollarpickups it is fitted with. He also mentions that he has set it up with 0.11s to facilitate bending and achieve a classic Tele twang.

Nels plays: TubeDreamer+, WaterFall, Rattler, RetroVibe, Delay Llama+

"Though still just bubbling under the large wave of boutique effects pedals, JAM pedals' work stands out ! […] For those analog delay hounds out there, I also have enjoyed the Delay Llama+."

In his 2005 "Pedal Board Spiel," Nels Cline lists the Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail reverb as part of his gear setup.

In this 2009 photo of Cline, he is visible with the Fender Lee Ranaldo signature Jazzmaster.

At the 2010 Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Nels Cline is seen playing a Fender Thurston Moore Jazzmaster, as captured in a user-uploaded photo on BlogSpot.