JG: I have a black Fender Custom Shop Strat that’s a copy of my original ’66 Strat. It was the main guitar I used on the album and I also have a white ’70s model, too. I like the action pretty high because I don’t want any fret buzz. I use .010-.046-gauge strings and heavy picks.
DM: I’ve been playing Fender guitars for years and my main one is a Strat with Hot Rails and a Floyd Rose tremolo. The newer Fenders are real workhorse guitars that can take the strain of the road and they sound great for what we’re doing. I use a Les Paul, too, which I played on some of the solos on the record. The Les Paul adds more variety to all the Strat sounds. I like to get underneath the strings so I can bend, so I don’t like the action too low I prefer it sort of high. I’m using .009s and heavy picks.
AS: I’ve got a Strat with a maple neck and Floyd Rose bridge. It’s just one in a hundred guitars, but it’s a bit special. I don’t really use the single-coils, but use the bridge-position humbucker most of the time. I’ve also got a goldtop Les Paul that I used on Bloodbrothers, but most of the time I use my Strat. I have the action set up quite high these days. I used to set it really low, but I think that it sounds better with higher action, because you get more vibration and sustain. I have the pickups set up as high as they can go without getting caught in the strings. I think that if you can get the guitar as loud as it can go acoustically, when you plug in an amp you’re going to be ahead of the game. I use custom-gauge strings (.009, .011, .016. .024, .036, .046) and heavy picks.