Robbie McIntosh

‘I also bought this ’65 SG Junior in Portland. Anyone who has ever had one of these always comments on how good the dogear P90 can be, especially overdriven. This little brute fills so many slots, from slow blues to pure cleans and really dynamic overdriven slide. It’s great.

"My little black Harmony Silvertone guitar was sold through the Sears Roebuck catalogue in the USA during the ’60s. This is another guitar which works really well for slide – a lot of players like the gold and silver foil pickups. It’s also on the new album, along with my Danelectro Silvertone “amp in case” guitar. I have a pair of these; one was given to me by Brad Whitford from Aerosmith. They’re both from the early to mid-’60s," says Robbie McIntosh, in this article.

In a YouTube video by Cam MacInnes titled "Awesome Guitar Tone, Duesenberg Double Cat with Multibender," Robbie McIntosh is shown playing the Duesenberg DSA10 Double Cat, highlighting its rich tone and versatility.

ROBBIE MCINTOSH PERFORMS STONE COLD AT ABSOLUTE MUSIC Playing a Telecaster

Robbie McIntosh on guitars for studio recording

‘Having said that, I do have some nice rosewood-bodied acoustics. This Collings D2HA dreadnought has an Adirondack spruce top; it’s put together beautifully and sounds exquisite. This was a gift from John Mayer’s band and crew for my 50th birthday, and they all signed the case, which was a really nice surprise. I also have a solidbody Collings 290, fitted with a pair of Lollar P90s. I bought this when I paid a visit to the factory; 290 is the number of the scenic highway that winds through the Texas Hill Country and passes the Collings shop. The dynamic range of this guitar is quite amazing.

‘I always wanted a decent, big-bodied 12-string and was lucky enough to get hold of a jumbo Guild 12-string for a really good price. It’s the model linked to Pete Townshend and the one I think Jimmy Page used for Stairway To Heaven, and it’s a perfect partner to this six-string Guild F46, designed by George Gruhn. I wrote and recorded practically all of UnSung with this one.’

Robbie McIntosh talks and plays through the electric guitars on Turn Up For The Books

He mentioned his Les Paul on minute 2:59

Robbie walks in holding a Gibson Flying V… at arm’s length, with ease. ‘This one dates from 1975, and although it’s made of mahogany it’s incredibly light, as you can see,’ he points out cheerfully. ‘It’s got Lindy Fralin humbuckers. I bought it in Portland, Oregon, which was great as you don’t have to pay sales tax there.

‘I’ve always loved Flying Vs, having listened to everyone from Albert King to Michael Schenker. I used this guitar for the lead work on the title track on the new album. It sounds really bluesy through the Fender Deluxe Reverb, and equally wonderful through these Jackson Ampworks heads and cabs, which are my main stage amps. They’re built near Fort Worth in Texas. I have a pair of ported 2×12? cabs and two switchable heads, so I can select between 12, 15, 25 and 50W output.

The next Martin is something special. ‘The Martin Guitar Company wanted to make a special limited edition signature model for Beatles producer George Martin, and so they asked him want he wanted when it came to wood choice and the looks and so on, but he admitted to them that he didn’t know enough about guitars to contribute many ideas.

‘I had been working and hanging out with his son Giles, and Giles asked me what I would like to see when it came to the design. As it turned out they took all my ideas onboard and came up with the George Martin M3M George Martin Studio Edition, which turned out to be a very exclusive Martin model. It comes complete with all the trimmings including an Italian alpine spruce top, an ebony fretboard and a larger 0000-shaped mahogany body.

Having said that, I do have some nice rosewood-bodied acoustics. This Collings D2HA dreadnought has an Adirondack spruce top; it’s put together beautifully and sounds exquisite. This was a gift from John Mayer’s band and crew for my 50th birthday, and they all signed the case, which was a really nice surprise. I also have a solidbody Collings 290, fitted with a pair of Lollar P90s. I bought this when I paid a visit to the factory; 290 is the number of the scenic highway that winds through the Texas Hill Country and passes the Collings shop. The dynamic range of this guitar is quite amazing.

In this photo, which shows McIntosh's pedalboard (the uploader of the photo is an American guitar amplifier manufacturer Jackson Ampworks, which endorses McIntosh), one of the pedals that can be seen in his pedalboard is the Demeter TRM-1 tremolo.

Robbie McIntosh demos a Jackson Ampworks Britain 3.0 in this video.

Robbie has been using a SlideRIG Compact Deluxe since they were released. Robbie offered his talents to help Origin Effects make a demo video.

Live poster of him using one of his Strat's.

Jackson Ampworks - Robbie McIntosh Demo #1

Playing a Duesenberg Starplayer TV Electric Guitar

Robbie was joined by slide guitar supremo, and longtime friend of TNAG, Michael Messer with both guitarists playing Fine Resophonic instruments

‘I always wanted a decent, big-bodied 12-string and was lucky enough to get hold of a jumbo Guild 12-string for a really good price. It’s the model linked to Pete Townshend and the one I think Jimmy Page used for Stairway To Heaven, and it’s a perfect partner to this six-string Guild F46, designed by George Gruhn. I wrote and recorded practically all of UnSung with this one.’

Robbie McIntosh talks and plays through the electric guitars on Turn Up For The Books

Robbie plays his 1451

Robbie McIntosh talks through and plays the acoustic guitar and resonators on Turn Up For The Books

Robbie McIntosh talks through and plays the acoustic guitar and resonators on Turn Up For The Books

Regal model 19 Resonator from the 1930's

‘I did a lot of work with John at a show backstage in Kansas City. Ampeg had a guitar booth set up, and I took a liking to one of their Plexiglass guitars – this one here, in fact. I feel really privileged to own it, as Ampeg’s Ted Kornblum said if I used it that night on the gig, I could have it – and I certainly didn’t hesitate! It’s such a cool guitar with the see-through look, and quite versatile with the replaceable pickup units.

‘I also have a pair of nice Martins here, both with a personal story. I used the D-18 a lot with the Pretenders. It wasn’t actually mine at the time. I commented once to Chrissie Hynde in the studio how nice it was, and jokingly asked if I could have it. I didn’t think any more of it until I decided to leave the band, and she just said “It’s yours!” It’s 43 years old now, so it’s well matured. It’s fitted with a Mimesis soundhole pickup, which was the prototype of the Fishman Rare Earth, designed by Bill Puplett and Mike Vanden. Unlike the modern Rare Earth which runs on 9 volts, this is powered by just 3 volts, and to my ears it has a much better sound. Recording and sound engineers love the balance of this one.’

minute 2:06

ROBBIE MCINTOSH PERFORMS STONE COLD AT ABSOLUTE MUSIC Live using a Strymon El Capitan delay pedal

ROBBIE MCINTOSH PERFORMS STONE COLD AT ABSOLUTE MUSIC

Minute 2:06

In the article "Private Collection: Great Pretender" from The Guitar Magazine, Robbie McIntosh is noted for his collection of instruments, which includes a Fender Deluxe Reverb (original issue, 1963-1981).

In this photo, which shows McIntosh's pedalboard (the uploader of the photo is an American guitar amplifier manufacturer Jackson Ampworks, which endorses McIntosh), one of the pedals that can be seen in his pedalboard is the Fulltone Fat Boost.

In this photo, which shows McIntosh's pedalboard (the uploader of the photo is an American guitar amplifier manufacturer Jackson Ampworks, which endorses McIntosh), one of the pedals that can be seen in his pedalboard is the Eventide TimeFactor.

In this photo, which shows McIntosh's pedalboard (the uploader of the photo is an American guitar amplifier manufacturer Jackson Ampworks, which endorses McIntosh), one of the pedals that can be seen in his pedalboard is the T-Rex Replica.

In this photo, which shows McIntosh's pedalboard (the uploader of the photo is an American guitar amplifier manufacturer Jackson Ampworks, which endorses McIntosh), one of the pedals that can be seen in his pedalboard is the Klon Centaur.