Julian Lage Rig Rundown Guitar Gear Tour

​When it comes to jazz virtuoso Julian Lage, you’d be hard-pressed to find an electric guitarist who uses less gear. “Any time I’ve [used too much equipment], there’s an awkwardness where I’m still grappling with the fact that I play here,” he says, gesturing to his guitar, then gesturing to his amp, “but the sound comes out there.” He continues, “It sounds like a joke, but it’s been a struggle for me. Any time there’s layers or filters or anything, I feel dissociated.” Of course, Lage’s rig, which buoys his clean, no-frills tone, makes sense for a musician like himself—whose playing often comes across fluidly, and as gently as his personality.

For Lage, that fluidity stems from his conception of music as a language. “I think that the way people speak is often more unfettered,” Lage told Premier Guitar in 2021. “There might not be an obvious correlation between the way people speak in a lecture and the notes on the guitar. But it's just a little stretch of the imagination to see that those are pitches, those are rhythms, those are phrases."

On View with a Room, Lage’s second release on the hallowed Blue Note Records, he’s offering a fresh, bold continuation of the conversation he’s created over the years. The album features his latest ensemble, made up of himself, bassist Jorge Roeder, and drummer Dave King—but this time, he’s added the legendary Bill Frisell. Together, the musicians help to expand Lage’s body of work with performances of 10 of his original compositions.

While on tour for the album, Lage invited PG’s John Bohlinger to the soundcheck before his show at Brooklyn Bowl inn Nashville to share his insights into why he likes a straightforward rig and “honest” tone. In the interview, Lage elaborates on his three main guitars (his Nachocaster, Collings signature, and ’55 Les Paul), explains why he prefers low volume on his amps, and offers a remarkably brief tour of his pedalboard.

00:00 - D’Addario XS Strings
00:15 - Julian Lage Intro
00:59 - Nachoguitars 1657 “Nachocaster”
07:18 - Collings Julian Lage 470 JL
13:07 - 1955 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop
18:00 - Magic Amps Vibro Deluxe
21:25 - Julian Lage's Pedalboard

*© Copyright Gearhead Communications LLC, 2023*

#guitar #rigrundown #julianlage

[confusedscreaming]

Man I love this dude; not just one of the most amazing guitarists alive, but also one of the nicest people. What a champ.

[lucistired]

The way this man says "thank you" is so genuine. It's refreshing to see someone this good who's this humble

[christianscazzieri]

This guy doesn't even need a guitar to begin with to sound great. A monster player and what an incredibly nice human being.

[SpYr]

Julian's touch and taste on that Gibson is incredible, I'm speechless

[wychwoodmusic]

I'm always amazed at how expressive Julian's playing is. I don't often dig guitar jazz, even if I separately like guitar and jazz (mostly by horn players), but it's like Julian is breathing his phrases through his fingers, while everyone else is clumsily hammering them out.

[xFORESTCRUNKx]

Barely January and PG has already been killing it with Rig Rundowns. Julian and Sunn O))) are awesome starts to the year

[thebestian]

His music has a freshness to it while still being jazz at heart, it's intriguing. I'm almost more impressed by how comfortable he is talking and formulating sentences. I feel like he could tell us about his breakfast and we would all sit and listen.

[DaveStejna]

Julian is a gift to the guitar community.

[obsoletecd-rom]

One of the few musicians I would actually like to just have a conversation with. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing him 4 times in the last two years and it’s a transcendental experience.

[todweidner]

Julian Lage is a genius. Musically gifted, well spoken, and thoughtful. The cat is just... DEEP.

[theleftymonster]

Exactly when I thought guitar has reached to it’s end….BOOM! There is Julian Lage. What a breath of fresh air. I came from rock and metal side of the guitar but I get mesmerized each time I’m hearing him playing the guitar. His playing style matches his personality. Coolest dude ever! Thank you PG for arranging this interview.

[unnicornmusic]

Julian's personality is just like his music - warm, playful and uplifting. Great vid!

[matteocoda]

One of the few artists who actually managed to make me cry like a baby without saying a word.

[trbr]

Articulate, intelligent, humble, kind, gentle, unprecedented talent and creativity... thank you Julian.

And thank you John and Premier Guitar for all you provide the community of guitar players. This is a great convergence of modern times, technology, and guitar geekery. Love it.

[Guyallknowing]

saw julian's trio late last year and was blown away. Not a single note was forgotten, but in a very musical way. Instantly became a life long fan.

[kevinlevesque]

John and Julian... two of the nicest people in the universe.

[oddballsampler]

This highly educated prodigy has subtle class that will translate into a legacy that will be openly studied in the arts for a long time to come. Simply, and stoically, eternal zen.

[stephendawg]

What a great talent! Julian has such a beautiful guitar voice and his ability to verbalize his thoughts is equally beautiful. Good job, John!

[BrianAndersonPhotography]

Everytime I hear Julian I know I have to go practice. :)

[JTNMax]

I have to admit I didn’t know who this was, but trust me since watching this I dove into his music and wow. He’s probably forgotten more than I’ll ever know, plus he’s relatable, music is approachable and speaks in a way anyone can understand. He appears to be very intelligent and interesting person. I enjoyed this!