“People often laugh, telling me I’ve chosen to play the biggest guitars possible”: Morgan Wade explains her love of oversized acoustics and why they're great for country music
The country star names the artists who inspired her to adopt Gibson Jumbos and Super Jumbos as her go-to guitar models
(Image credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Country music's ‘hardened Sheryl Crow,’ singer-songwriter Morgan Wade, is a Gibson endorsee with a penchant for oversized acoustic guitars – and her love of jumbo six-strings is rooted in her formative influences.
“I remember seeing Loretta Lynn and thinking, ‘That’s one small woman holding this huge guitar!’ I was listening to her songs a lot and learned a lot from playing those songs. I look up to her as a songwriter and guitar player,” she tells Total Guitar.
“People often laugh, telling me I’ve chosen to play the biggest guitars possible, but I like them because of the louder tone. They tend to be pretty powerful. And even when I play live, my tech guy prefers the sound of me using Super Jumbos. For some reason, they always sound the best.”
Morgan Wade - Psychopath (Live from the Blue Room) - YouTube
The King of Rock and Roll was another artist who inspired her to pick up a Super Jumbo.
“I was a huge Elvis fan,” she says. “When I was seven years old I was obsessed with him, and of course he had that Super Jumbo, and he also played the Dove. All these years later, Gibson still make Elvis signature models. But back when I first saw clips of him, I remember seeing his name on the fretboard and thinking that was the coolest thing!”
Elsewhere in the interview, Wade talks about what it's been like to tour with Alanis Morissette and Joan Jett. “On the first show, I saw both of them watching me from the side of the stage. You can’t really beat that! Those are two badass women who have been such a huge part of music and paved the way for more female artists.
Morgan Wade - Gibson Custom Shop J-180 Cherry Guitar (Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum) #shorts - YouTube
“Then I woke up to Alanis texting me, being really kind and saying she thought my show was amazing. I couldn’t believe it… how did my life end up here, chatting to Alanis and seeing Joan Jett watching my whole set? That’s crazy!”
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For more from Morgan Wade, plus new interviews with Molly Tuttle and Tommy Emmanuel, pick up issue 387 of Total Guitar at Magazines Direct.
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.
