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In just seven years since meeting based on a recommendation, Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada formed the Black Pumas, released two albums, and have already been nominated for seven Grammys. However, this fruitful friendship was almost never developed.

Quesada was enrolled at the University of Texas but flunking out due to his dedication to guitar over textbooks. His parents gave him a proposition: Either stay home in Laredo, or return to Austin without a guitar in hand to focus on studying. He went with option B and headed back for school in Austin—or so his parents thought. Quesada took his remaining book money (about $200) and headed to Ray Hennig’s Heart of Texas, where he snagged a Squier Telecaster Thinline. His parents eventually figured out the switcheroo, but Quesada was determined and hasn’t looked back. (Side note: The family obviously sees and supports his musical talents, and attended Black Pumas’ Ryman show the night before the filming of this Rig Rundown.)

That matador move pulled off by Quesada allowed him to become a longtime fixture in the Austin music scene with bands Brownout, Ocote Soul Sound, Spanish Gold, Echocentrics, and Grupo Fantasma (with whom he played for over 15 years, earning a 2011 Grammy for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album). He started to explore new ideas that didn’t fit the mold for Grupo, and needed someone to narrate his musical vistas. A friend recommended he link up with Austin newcomer Eric Burton, who traded his busking spot on the Santa Monica pier for the bright lights of Sixth Street. The duo met up, and as the results prove, the rest is history.

Before the Black Pumas’ second headlining show at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville, bandleader Adrian Quesada, bassist Brendan Bond, and band tech Bryan Wilkinson invited PG’s Chris Kies into the hallowed grounds for a chill conversation about their tonal tools. During our time with the Black Pumas, we learned about Quesada’s love for tremolo (he even included it as a secret weapon in a semi-hollow Jazzmaster), Bond’s fateful trip to the Wilco Loft in Chicago, and why a ’59 ES-125 is Wilkinson’s perfect pairing with Burton’s expressive and emotive voice.

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© Copyright Gearhead Communications LLC, 2024

0:00 - D’Addario XPND Pedalboard

0:15 - Chris Kies Intro

1:57 - Adrian Quesada Intro

3:15 - Touring with Vintage Gear

4:02 - Adrian Quesada’s Fender Custom Shop Telecaster

6:13 - Playing with Fingers or Pick

8:03 - College or Guitar?

9:14 - Adrian Quesada’s Strings

10:00 - Adrian Quesada’s Gibson ES-345

11:53 - Playing ES-345 with DI Fuzz

13:11 - Adrian Quesada’s Fender Custom Shop Jazzmaster Thinline

14:27 - Built-in Tremolo

17:33 - Adrian Quesada’s Fender Limited Edition ’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb

18:36 - Adrian Quesada’s Pedalboard

30:05 - D’Addario XPND & John Bohlinger

30:55 - Brendan Bond Intro

31:49 - Brendan Bond’s 1974 Fender P Bass

36:15 - Brendan Bond Fingerstyle & Bass Strings

38:20 - Brendan Bond on Working at Willie Nelson’s Studio

41:03 - Fender Super Bassman

44:06 - Brendan Bond’s Pedalboard

46:07 - Tech Bryan Wilkinson Intro

46:27 - How Eric Burton’s Busking Past Influenced His Gear

47:03 - Eric Burton’s 1959 ES-125

47:36 - Eric Burton’s Wireless Setup

48:49 - 1959 ES-125 Song Choices

49:50 - Eric Burton’s Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb

50:36 - Eric Burton’s Playing Style & Strings

52:11 - Eric Burton’s Pedalboard

55:01 - Tech Bryan Wilkinson’s Go-To Guitar Items for Tour

58:02 - Eric Burton’s Fender Custom Shop Telecaster Thinline

1:01:33 - D’Addario Sound Better, Play Better

#guitar #rigrundown #blackpumas #guitarist #guitarplayer #guitargear

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