About Griz

About Bio Equipment The Nickname

Equipment

No. Most emphatically not.

I play guitars that I like. I have equipment that is functional for what I want to do. I have never been obsessed with getting just the right tone out of my amps. To me, the equipment I use is there to serve the music, not the other way around. I know how to work it all, but I have very little interest in equipment for equipment sake.

Don’t get me wrong, I admire those who are that obsessed, and I am very grateful for those with whom I’m acquainted. They are a treasure trove of information. But to me, the guitar is a tool, the mixer is a tool, they are there to get some sound to your ears so we can share the music.

So, I told you that to tell you this: this gear page is not “hey ya’ll look at my cool gear” because it ain’t all that cool. It’s here in case your curious about what made the sounds that you heard on a recording, or you are somehow involved in a show with me and want to know what kind of junk I’m putting on your stage. Perhaps you’re a prospective employer wanting to know if I’m capable of producing a quality performance. Whichever it is, here’s a current list of the gear I use:

Guitars

I’m not a guitar switcher. I have two axes that I use for most shows and that’s it. I’ve never had a good reason to maintain a huge collection.

Gibson ES-135
Blueburst finish. I walked into Guitar Center looking for a semi-hollow body and this baby hit me right between the eyes from where she was hanging on the wall.

Carvin Bolt Kit
Fairly faithful Strat copy. These are a blast to assemble and they sound great. I love Carvin necks.

Gretsch Rancher Acoustic
Frankly, I just liked the triangular soundhole. It’s a workhorse. I got it so I didn’t have to take the next axe out into the dangerous world.

1952 Martin 00-18
My Dad bought this guitar new when he was 14, and he gave it to me. It’s seen some rough roads but it still plays as sweet as ever. Hates the dry Utah climate, though.

Processors

Line 6 Pod Pro
I know a lot of vintage gear heads don’t think these modeling preamps sound as good as the real thing, and they probably don’t, but my ear can barely tell the difference. However, the convenience of having every amp and effect known to man programmed in one box is priceless. Sometimes I go direct into the PA with this box and I think it sounds fine, but most of the time I play with an amp.

Amplifiers

Fender Cyber Deluxe
Like with guitars, I have a gigging amp and I don’t change much. The idea behind this amp was to have everything the Pod gave me built into the amp, but I like the sounds of the Pod better and I got to missing the wah pedal, so I usually use both.

Mixer

Yamaha EMX5014C
This board gives me plenty of input and has two 500W amps on board. I can switch them from the mains to one main and one monitor, or both sides to the monitors. For years I used a 32 channel board and four power amps, snake, effects units and processors. Then I realized that technology had advance and I sold all that crap and got this guy. Reverb is built in and there’s even a compressor on the first few channels. For a my solo thing, it’s perfect, and it can easily handle a small band.

Speakers

B52 Matrix 1000V2
Two ten inch mains and a fifteen inch subwoofer powered by three channels totaling 700W. The sound is amazing and it’s easily powerful enough to fill your average hall. The speakers all strap together for a nice rolling package. The downside is that the sub weighs about 120 pounds. Get one but get roadies too.

Microphones

Boy is this ever a sore spot. A couple years ago I lost a mic bag that had every mic and wireless ear monitor setup I had, plus a couple that belonged to someone else. This included two wireless mic rigs as well as some very nice stage mics. I’m still sick about it, especially since it’s going to take me a lifetime to replace a fraction of that stuff. So right now I make due with a couple of cheapass Nady mics. For cheapass mics, though, the Nady’s are actually pretty good.