Doyle Bramhall II: Building Blues Tones with Fuzz and Drive Pedals
Guitarist Doyle Bramhall II recently sat down with Reverb to discuss how he stacks drive and fuzz pedals—and his unusual left-handed/upside-down technique.
Bramhall—who I first spotted in concert in 1989 when he backed Jimmie Vaughan as part of the Fabulous Thunderbirds' touring band—has spent ages working with Vaughan, Derek Trucks, Gary Clark Jr., B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Roger Waters, so he knows a thing or three about tone.
Ergo, take note at the 1:35 mark, when he starts discussing his impressive pedalboard.
As you'll see in the clip, his 1964 Fender Strat is plugged into a Shin-Ei Vibe-Bro pedal (“the closest thing I’ve ever come to a Uni-Vibe”), followed by a Vemuram Jan Ray for volume control. After that, you'll see a Berkos Third Stone, Zonk Fuzz Machine and Cob Fuzz., not to mention a JHS Honey Comb Deluxe Tremolo, Source Audio Nemesis Delay and a Hammond Leslie G rotary pedal.
All this finds its way into a Blankenship Master Plex amp head.
Last year, Bramhall released Rich Man, his first album since 2001’s Welcome.
“This feels monumental to me,” he told Guitar World. “I spent a year and half recording it and 16 years gathering inspiration and influences.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
"I’m like a musical hunter-gatherer. Every experience I have, every artist I work with, becomes a fragment of my journey. I’m always learning craftsmanship and artistry and striving to find an ever deeper, higher connection to music. That’s why I listen to a lot of classical, jazz, Arabic, Indian, Moroccan and Sufi music—the highest forms of pure music without any idea of a marketplace.”
For more about Bramhall, visit db2music.com.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
This Black Friday hack at Musician’s Friend gets you an iconic EHX reverb circuit and a Klon-style drive – for a fraction of the usual price
I went completely ampless for the first time this year – and with huge Black Friday discounts on Line 6 Helix, TONEX, and Quad Cortex modelers, now is the perfect time to join me