Rich Severson’s top 5 guitars

[Archie]

I'm impressed with the sound he gets from the Quilter!

Rich has a very advanced set of peddles and effects he puts on his sound.

I doubt that signal is dry going into the amp.

Worth asking him actually.

[Archie]

I’m confused as to why the L5 is too big but the Tal, which is a whale of a guitar, is not?
Granted the arched plates on the L5 are slightly more pronounced but I find Tals to be particularly uncomfortable. Mostly because they weight a ton.

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He is also endorsed by Quilter amps. Don’t forget he has been doing this for fifty years, I have no idea how old he is but no spring chicken. He has managed to make a living with his music which has got to be a real slog as many of you here can attest to. It also looks to me like he is developing arthritis in his left hand which has got to be very difficult. All in all I think the guy is one of the greats. I love to watch his videos and watch him play.

[Ukena]

He is also endorsed by Quilter amps. Don’t forget he has been doing this for fifty years, I have no idea how old he is but no spring chicken. He has managed to make a living with his music which has got to be a real slog as many of you here can attest to. It also looks to me like he is developing arthritis in his left hand which has got to be very difficult. All in all I think the guy is one of the greats. I love to watch his videos and watch him play.

The large knuckles on both hands indicate arthritis, which I can testify can be very painful.

I am also constantly amazed by the sound he gets without seeming to depress any strings! His right hand is quite often in the same position, moving up or down the neck, with lovely chords resulting, whether plucked or picked. His technique is wondrous.

[Hammertone]

I’m confused as to why the L5 is too big but the Tal, which is a whale of a guitar, is not?
Granted the arched plates on the L5 are slightly more pronounced but I find Tals to be particularly uncomfortable. Mostly because they weight a ton.

The Tal has 3” deep rims, making it noticeably more comfortable for the player. Many makers have figured this out - Heritage and Campellone come to mind. They can be ordered deeper or shallower, of course, but a 3” deep Heritage Super Eagle is quite comfortable, as are the 17” Eagles and Mark’s 17” models.

[Jx30510]

Really, he has a "very advanced set of pedals" in his signal chain on these videos ?
Are you sure of that ?
I've watched a quantity of his things on his channel, and don't remember him talking once of pedals. Maybe I'm missing something ?

[Oscar67]

As a player he’s everything I’m not. I watch his vids occasionally to remind myself of the importance of keeping everything relaxed, efficient and in the pocket. His playing reminds me of ballet, it’s all so graceful. His gear vids irk me somehow, I scratch my gear itch elsewhere.

[thelostboss]

Rich has a very advanced set of peddles and effects he puts on his sound.

I doubt that signal is dry going into the amp.

Worth asking him actually.

Well you know where he is. Have you asked him?

Cheers

[garybaldy]

The large knuckles on both hands indicate arthritis, which I can testify can be very painful.

I am also constantly amazed by the sound he gets without seeming to depress any strings! His right hand is quite often in the same position, moving up or down the neck, with lovely chords resulting, whether plucked or picked. His technique is wondrous.

He uses his "custom" set of strings which aren't particularly heavy. The top two are beefed up a bit though.

[Marty Grass]

He uses his "custom" set of strings which aren't particularly heavy. The top two are beefed up a bit though.

D’Addario Chrome Extra Light Gauge Flat Wound Strings, plus a 13 and 15 to customize to Rich's Special Blend 13-15-20w-28-38-48

When the term "custom" is used, it brings to mind some special wrapping or metals. He just swaps out heavier unwound strings. You can buy his set or get the standard set and use the 10s and 14s for something else.

[garybaldy]

D’Addario Chrome Extra Light Gauge Flat Wound Strings, plus a 13 and 15 to customize to Rich's Special Blend 13-15-20w-28-38-48

When the term "custom" is used, it brings to mind some special wrapping or metals. He just swaps out heavier unwound strings. You can buy his set or get the standard set and use the 10s and 14s for something else.

That's why I used quotes - for simplicity. He has a video promoting his set that he makes up and sells. Not viable for me in the UK but I have a similar gauged set on my L5. They are great on that guitar.

[nyc chaz]

He is also endorsed by Quilter amps. Don’t forget he has been doing this for fifty years, I have no idea how old he is but no spring chicken. He has managed to make a living with his music which has got to be a real slog as many of you here can attest to. It also looks to me like he is developing arthritis in his left hand which has got to be very difficult. All in all I think the guy is one of the greats. I love to watch his videos and watch him play.

My friend's son was asking advice about how to make a living playing guitar.I pointed him to Rich Serverson but told him his life would be one endless hustle if he chose this path.I mean even Tal Farlow had to keep his sign painting gig to get by.

[Archie]

Really, he has a "very advanced set of pedals" in his signal chain on these videos ?
Are you sure of that ?
I've watched a quantity of his things on his channel, and don't remember him talking once of pedals. Maybe I'm missing something ?

I had some lessons with him and asked him some years ago how he got the sound he did on his recording of Sugar, which I think is pretty near to perfect. He said he used compression, a boss peddle board and a para EQ peddle, he likely mentioned others but I have forgot.
I went out and bought said peddles to chase the tone but soon realised the extra juice, wasn't worth the squeeze (for me)

[Tal_175]

I had some lessons with him and asked him some years ago how he got the sound he did on his recording of Sugar, which I think is pretty near to perfect. He said he used compression, a boss peddle board and a para EQ peddle, he likely mentioned others but I have forgot.
I went out and bought said peddles to chase the tone but soon realised the extra juice, wasn't worth the squeeze (for me)

I mean it's not something I would randomly make up lol His sound is well curated.

It seems to me that you are consistently spelling pedal as "peddle". Is it a Brit thing? Like valve vs tube? Lol.

[Archie]

It seems to me that you are consistently spelling pedal as "peddle". Is it a Brit thing? Like valve vs tube? Lol.

Sorry, dyslexia. A peddle is for a bike.
Sometimes when I write ‘hi’ to people, I spell it ‘high’.

[Stringswinger]

Rich has done hundreds of videos and changes gear pretty often. I would not expect that something he used years ago is still in use today.

Using his settings on my Quilter Mach 3 combo gets me the tone we hear on his latest videos without the need for any pedals.

[Jim Soloway]

As a player he’s everything I’m not. I watch his vids occasionally to remind myself of the importance of keeping everything relaxed, efficient and in the pocket. His playing reminds me of ballet, it’s all so graceful. His gear vids irk me somehow, I scratch my gear itch elsewhere.

I'm sure he's learned what most music content providers learn: there's a much larger audience for gear videos than actual music videos ... and by a substantial muliple. And over time that muliple keeps getting larger.

[va3ux]

Really, he has a "very advanced set of pedals" in his signal chain on these videos ?
Are you sure of that ?
I've watched a quantity of his things on his channel, and don't remember him talking once of pedals. Maybe I'm missing something ?

For quite a while now, he generally plugs straight into a Mackie mixer. No amp. When does use an amp its often mentioned in the course of the video. I've never seen him even mention a pedal in any video.

[AKA]

I'm sure he's learned what most music content providers learn: there's a much larger audience for gear videos than actual music videos ... and by a substantial muliple. And over time that muliple keeps getting larger.

Reminds me of the the saying that fishing lure makers catch more anglers than anglers catch fish.

AKA

[Archie]

For quite a while now, he generally plugs straight into a Mackie mixer. No amp. When does use an amp its often mentioned in the course of the video. I've never seen him even mention a pedal in any video.

He told me personally what pedals he uses or (used).

The point I was trying to make is that Rich’s sound isn‘t just his technique, or just the guitar. He has a holistic view and pays attention to all the aspects that goes into making the sound and to what I considered, a surprising degree.
To what degree he does that now, I do not know. I only know what he told me when I spoke to him.