SONNY LANDRETH
THE SLIDE GUITAR wizard has been called the King of Slydeco for the zydeco influence that runs through his work. Combining right-hand techniques of picking, tapping and slapping, with left-hand moves like fretting behind the slide, Landreth is a virtuoso like no other. Here’s what he uses to keep in practice, write songs and make demos.
What’s your home rig’s main purpose?
It’s my little one-stop, multifunction station for practicing, fleshing-out songs, trying out new gear and recording tracks that’ll help jumpstart the next album in a real studio with my engineer, Tony Daigle. It also gives me an off-the-clock, stress-free way to work on other artists’ projects, too.
What’s in it?
Though I keep a lot of gear handy, I basically start with the same tried-andtrue drive section on my pedalboard that I use onstage: guitar signal into a Demeter Fuzzulator for boosting solos, then to a Hermida Mosferatu, Analog Man Comp and Voodoo Lab Giggity preamp/EQ pedal combination. From there I go into whichever of my amp heads I wanna use with a Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box or a Dumble 2x12 cab, depending on which neighbors are home. Or I’ll change things up with a profile I’ve tweaked to as near the quantum level as I can get. Kemper, Fractal Audio or Line 6 — they’re all ridiculously good. Next in line is my mic pre and EQ before hitting a Demeter VTCL-2 tube comp/limiter in front of the iMac. Monitoring the whole shebang is an ART SLA-1 power amp that fires up a pair of Yamaha NS-10 speakers. I’m still running an earlier version of ProTools with a Digidesign Command 8 controller. Works for me and still more than good enough to make the cut sonically.
Sonny’s rig (top) includes several amp heads, a pedalboard (right) whose drive section mimics that of his live pedalboard and a rack (left) that includes his API lunchbox (shown in photo, top left).
How did you come to choose this gear?
Oh, man, lots of trial and error. And I’ve been lucky. All the years in studios and on the road exposed me to a lot of stuff and gave me the opportunities to discover and experiment with it all. The main thing for me is that each piece of gear in the chain — pickups, pedals, outboard gear, whatever — has to make a difference and contribute directly to the best sound I can get
Do you have a favorite piece?
That would be the vintage API lunchbox that the late, great Brent Averill put together for me back in 1994. It has two 312 mic cards and two 550A EQs. My producer, R.S. Field, turned me on to him and API way back then, and it’s been a blessing. I think anything sounds great through it, but I’ve always found the midrange clarity and chime it gives my electric guitars to be extra special.
What’s the latest addition to your home setup?
I recently got the compact version of the SlideRIG dual-comp pedal from Origin Effects. That’s really cool, and I used it for a track on Dion DiMucci’s new album in the works.
What’s the best thing about your home rig?
Accessibility. It’s literally part of my bedroom in a loft, so, for better and for worse, it’s right there.
What would you like to change or add?
I’ll eventually have to upgrade to a new computer, but I’m in no rush. Otherwise — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — I’m really happy with what I have. But there’s always something else around the corner to check out. That’s part of the fun... and the torture.