Rig Rundown - Widespread Panic's Jimmy Herring, John Bell, and Dave Schools
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Article & photos: bit.ly/Widespre...
Premier Guitar’s Ted Drozdowski met with virtuoso Jimmy Herring, frontman John “JB” Bell, and techs Joel Byron and Paul Agostino before the second of three dates at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater to get the scoop on how Widespread Panic’s string-stretchers get their sounds.
Jimmy Herring’s main guitar with Widespread Panic is a custom-built Paul Reed Smith with Lollar Imperial pickups, two volume controls and a single tone control. He favors jumbo frets with medium action for more clarity and definition, and strings them up with D’Addario .010 sets. The back of its headstock bears the legend “Custom built for Jimmy Herring,” and is signed by Smith. His backup axe, which also has Lollar Imperials, is a David Grissom signature PRS that he mostly pays in drop D.
John “JB” Bell’s main guitar is the latest in a line of Washburn HB35 semi-hollowbody models he’s been playing since 1990, with a distinctive custom red finish and white binding. It’s got Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbuckers and is strung with .012 sets with a wound G. His backup is an all-black HB35 he uses for slide-mostly in open G, open D, or drop D. His slides are brass, and he also tunes the guitar down a whole step to play some Vic Chesnutt songs. The pickups are a Duncan Alnico II Pro in the neck and a Custom in the bridge. He tends to use both pickups at all times, for both guitars.
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Jimmy Herring has got to be the most sincere and nicest guy in rock and roll.
Southern man
I met him years ago at the handlebar in Greenville S.C. I can’t even remember the band he was touring with...he was so kind. He took the time after the gig to hang out , talk about life and gear. He’s also super tall...(compared to me , and I’m 5’11). Super nice human and super talented musician.
For sure. I had a great conversation with him during a set break with the Aquarium Rescue Unit, in the early nineties. He let me drink on his tab for the rest of the night. A true gentleman.
Nastiest liquid leads too
I knew him back in my music store days. He is a really nice guy. I got to spend some time with him a NAMM. He was working the PRS booth, and went around with him on his breaks from that to check out the cool stuff. He’s such a great player and a very nice person!
He and I are both North Carolinian guitar pickers!
Not only is Jimmy a monster player, but a true gent to boot.
I read this comment too quickly and thought it said "and a giant tent to boot" lololol
@@MrTheenglishproject 🤣🤣
I loooove that sound Jimmy's guitar makes when he warms it up and shows Ted his pedals. I've heard that sound kick off every Panic show and I would recognize it anywhere! The band means a lot to me, I enjoyed watching this.
They're the best to ever do it
Where have I’ve been for the past twenty five years??? How did this incredible musician and human being went under my radar? I am a professional guitar player for fifty seven years, a devotee of Montgomery, McLaughlin, Coryel and all the masters, shame on me. This week I become a fan of Jimmy Herring, will watch all his videos. Hope to meet him some day. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🎼🎵🎶🎸🎵🎶🎼
So cool to hear! Here's a little project of his from years back. It's a play on grateful dead songs called, Jazz is Dead
ua-cam.com/video/1ugco5gykGI/v-deo.html
Just in case, here's Steve Kimock. Another under the radar amazing player
ua-cam.com/video/HJ45hPZ_2kU/v-deo.html
After so many half-ass Rig Rundowns with so called guitar players this one is a breath of fresh air. Jimmy Herring is a true guitar master. Technique, feel and sooooooo much soul. Thanks Guys. And lobe the host.
Man, when you look up and see him playing onstage he seems like the most intimidating, serious and possibly mean person in the room, but his personality is precisely the opposite. He seems like the coolest guy. He is also one of the greats of this era for sure. I was way too young, but I would have LOVED to have been able to see him with the Allman Bros for that short period he was in the band with Derek Trucks. Derek and Jimmy are literally as good of a combo for Allman Bros as you could ever cook up in the most perfect of conditions. Those shows would have been amazing to see both of them tearing it up.
Agreed if you add Warren
@@yaylorgahh3084 you’re saying you’d rather have seen Warren with Jimmy over derek? I just prefer derek to warren so I’d choose derek + Jimmy over warren + Jimmy any day. Warren more than held his own on this stage with legit guitar wizards, but derek is just in a league of his own (a league which Jimmy is perfectly comfortable in as well).
@@STSGuitar16 I think he's saying in addition to Warren. I agree w you though if I could only pick two.. Warren getting left behind lol
@@papa_pt and no hate on warren at all, he is also a monster! But yeah, Derek and Jimmy are literally the two best players on planet earth. There’s a great performance with Warren and Jimmy playing with Phil Lesh & Friends from a few years ago on UA-cam, and believe it or not, I think Warren sounds even better playing Grateful Dead music than he does playing ABB music (and he’s clearly already great in ABB). With Dead music there’s a lot more opportunity to stretch out and really jam and improvise, and not only did Warren rip some searing lead solos, his rhythm playing was absolutely phenomenal as well. Top notch right up there with Bobby Weir in his prime back in the 70s. He was constantly actively playing rhythm (meaning he was reacting to everything Jimmy and the rest of the band were doing in real time, not just playing the same rhythm chords over and over like a traditional rhythm guitarist would do), and he really led them into some excellent jams. Unfortunately Gregg wasn’t the biggest fan of when stuff gets wild and jazzy like where the Dead often ventured in their jams, so you don’t see that side of Warren too often in ABB recordings, but him being allowed to stretch out and really go for it in terms of improvisation was amazing. It was a whole new level of Warren imo. Check it out sometime!
So cool when the artist do their own rundown. Herring is an incredible guitarist. Loved his work with the Dead.
I saw him live opening for John McLaughlin at the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival last year and the man is just a beast. I’ve never heard him before but he blew me away, such a talented musician. Great show, I could watch him talk about his rig all day.
I saw Widespread Panic in college (U of South Carolina) when they came through regularly. They are from GA so they came a lot. They played at a bar that was set up great for bands. After every show, I could tell that they were going to be huge. JB was so young!
PRS needs to make a Jimmy Herring Sig. model! lord knows he deserves it! Where you at Paul???
Desmond Smith I have never understood the PRS signature model s .If I was a young player the sig models wouldn’t attract me to PRS . They seem stuck in time twenty years ago
reffoelcnu alouncelal
Probably because they don't market towards younger players? Their cheaper line starts at $550 and their core line is $2k+..
Jimmy needs to go back to the tobacco burst Strat circa 2008 Panic. Beast!
@@pauljasper5049 LOVE that Strat!
Jimmy Herring has a house pretty close to me. every so often you'll see him out at the grocery store or something and i have to stop myself from marking out every single time
Jimmy Herring is such a kind, sweet man, and his playing never fails to amaze me.
Great rundown too Ted! A road dog handling the rundown just feels right.
Extremely cool of them to still be playing Vic Chesnutt songs on the set, more people should know about him, respect
I would love to hang out with Jimmy for a day, he is without a doubt a true master of his craft!
What a sweet man and his reverence for Beck, considering what Jimmy can do with that bar, is exceptionally special. These guitar 'Gods' are so humble.
I saw a Panic show in Raleigh NC back in the late 90's and it was just nuts. I had never even heard of them before and we were doing a job in Durham and my buddy got us tickets. I was just thinking it was just another club band or something like that. When we arrived and seen how many people were there...and they were partying like it was a Jimmy Buffet concert. WTF? Then they began to play and holy smokes...I was an instant fan. A jam band like no other. So good. Jimmy's guitar skills are just mad.
Great story! I got into them in a similar fashion. A couple of my friends had been listening to them for a while, but I had only made it to the lot of a 99' show. Finally 2002 actually went inside! Hooked instantly on Houser's lead sound.. either fishwater or junior from 2002.04.26 first set. Hearing Houser's guitar that day..It haunts my soul!
Ted was great! He really knows It. He really got the most from the gentlemen. I really admired Mister Jimmy Herring. I didn't know Mr. JB. Searched a little and I got really satisfied with what I listened to. Same to Mr Joel Byron. Bless fee internet! tks guys
Love this guy! Saw him multiple nights and multiple years at Wanee Festival in north Florida ❤️
Ted did a great job - I like his style and he’s knows his stuff, too!
I got to play No Man's Land festival in Breckenridge, CO one year on the bill with Gregg Allman, Aquarium Rescue Unit, and many other great bands that weekend. I was hanging out backstage in the green room area and Jimmy walked in. He struck up a quick conversation with, "Hey, y'all ever use that Tennessee tuning?". Being a NJ boy at the time, I had no idea what he was talking about. It was completely alien to me. One thing that stuck with me was how genuine Jimmy was when I met him. I think if I learned anything that weekend, it was that Jimmy was a super cool dude to hang with. I just ordered my first set of Nashville strings to toss on a Les Paul. Better late than never Jimmy! 😊
That PRS is gorgeous
kabukiman69 yes it sure is. Was thinking the same thing.
Jimmy is the coolest. My personal favorite guitarist. Usually, I put distance between myself and my favs, personality wise. So many artists are just ego. Jimmy is just a cool cat who hasn't let his success go to his head.
I got to meet him when I was 10 with my dad, when he was playing with the dead in 2004 I believe. He sat and talked with us and specially me for 30 minutes. I was just beginning guitar and he was so kind, telling us how he learned dead songs, giving us his favorite versions of morning dew which they played that night and he slayed it.
The Jimmy Herring monitoring system!!! Trademark that! Awesome.
Awesome Video! Love how JB doesn’t seem to be a gear head like most of us, just loves to play and sing!
Jimmy is a BEAST!!! I've seen him close to 120 times live, will never get tired of seeing Panic. The interviews were a little weird though 😂
I recently found-out about Jimmy Herring and all-I-can-say-is: Wow . . . he is a Monster player. Very inspiring. Seems like a great-guy too.
Love Jimmy's rig, the 2 cabs separated between dry and reverb and the speaker cabs running dual stereo + the vol pedals for monitor mix is brilliant
Great job with getting the scoop on this rundown Ted Drozdowski .........It's easy to forget a lot of artists don't get to deep into their gear. Sometimes it takes a special finesse to get artists to think about what they use, how they use it.......and why?
So nice to have a host who's not gushing over both the gear and the players.
I think Ted did a real good job with this rundown. He was able to fill in really well without stepping on toes. From Atlanta and I followed Panic in the early 90's all around the southeast. I used to see Jimmy Herring play with the late Col. Bruce and The Aquarium Rescue Unit. These guys have a special place with me.
"No Egos Under Water"...
Lmao interviewer was terrible. JB wanted nothing to do with that fedora 🤣
@@Roll_Toddmy thoughts exactly. He was awkward around jimmy too
First time hearing him with his band The Invisible Whip..opening for John McLaughlin and The Mahavishnu Orchestra redux..and I was an immediate fan boy.Loved his technique , and what a cool head in the music business. Thank you for this post greatly appreciated.
Super player,very humble and accommodating.
Man I love Jimmy...gotta see him live asap....
What a great, genuine guy. Thanks!
I met Jimmy outside of the Canopy Club in IL. He is one of the nicest people ever, and the Wizard makes magic work on a guitar. Jimmy Herring is a legend! Play on! WSMFP!
Jimmy is a legend and a true gentleman. What a likeable person!
Jimmy please come to Italy we need you
Thank you for the music you perform. Thank You.
17 min Jimmy wins the internet and teaches even the Deads Wizard a new trick.
What a fantastic Idea ! A real sub mix with adjustable volumes at your feet.
In Texas I learned alot from Ej and watching him and he would use a monitor mixer
and mix all his amps and wet signal through JBL Eon 15s facing up at him.. Now Id imagine he had the entire bands mix on stage and how much of his own signal to hear.
I read about the Wall of sound and the Dead all had their own monitor mix on stage
and had mic's that would feed those monitors only and NOT out front..
Here comes the really cool part.. all that giant wall of speakers behind them was facing out and the mic's feeding out to mains would only turn on when the artists would step up to the mic and the Deads wizard techs had wired pressure switches in grocery store relief mats so the mic's woud all turn on ONLY when you walked up and stood on the mat right in front of them and while your singing they would not feed back but if you stopped they all would so when you are not singing step back and when you are step forward but you could still hear every member of the bands on stage monitor mix feed from each monitor around the stage but the Audience could not hear the private conversations.. Eg that one over there is really smoking hot or my head is baking into the earth off that latest batch would not be broadcast TO THE WHOLE CROWD BY ACCIDENT....
When your PA system is also your monitor.. you're doing something right! :)
Yeah I think they had two mics each, out of phase with each other, to keep the wall from feeding back into the mics. An owsley idea! Definitely why the vocals are so thin from the era's recordings. Oh well! Very cool stuff!!
Brilliant idea, mix at your feet, no need to lose concentration and try to nod over to a busy foh guy
A whole "pedalboard" of way to listen to the other band members? True musician
Its really smart , i empathize , never been able to get a good monitor mix.
It’s makes a lot of sense for the style they play. After watching this I’m considering doing it myself
@@Austin-fd4ep same
I like John Bell's attitude!
'More knife-edgey'... I hear you bro!!
I saw Jimmy Herring with the grateful dead one time and he was incredible. Unbelievable guitarist.
Sound City! Classic vibe.
When I grow up, I wanna be Jimmy Herring!
Jimmy Herring standing about 6ft in front of a 100+watt head n 4x12 with the Master and Pre dimed LOUD!!!!!!!!!!
Guys been jamming longer than I've been alive but we all make that face when we bump a guitar lol
Jimmy is the Man!
Awesome player
Volume on 11 and master on 12 on a 100 watt amp is nuts. He’s got such a killer tone
I love how often he says "you know"
Ted has a nice laid-back interview style. Love this channel!
Jimmy seems and sounds like Derek Trucks from the future
Great comment! So true...
@@davidnolan1139 well they are related................
Jimmy was on Out of the Madness, an album by The Derek Trucks Band. Some mighty fine playing on there! Check out Pleasant Gardens
Thank you.
I like it when Jimmy says "Vah-yum pedal"
Fuchs ! my new favorite amps. also that volume pedal mix station idea is brilliant
We love you Jimmy
Saw them in St. Augustine last Sunday. Herring rules.
Finally a band i follow!
thank you ted and PG!
Jimmy herrings
I am actually working on a prototype for Jimmy Herring based on that Hughes and Kettner Tube Factor. Fun fact is he doesn't use the red side of the Tube Factor.
I love hearing that he took advice from our monster Milwaukee talent, Greg Koch, (at 7:15) for tone wood selection on a Strat.
The best players are usually the sweetest people..
Wow, Jimmy uses just reverb and works the sound of his instruments and amps. Amazing! I would have to agree, getting a true mix on stage of all the instruments in real performance time
is a brilliant idea. How many times in a performance setting do we rely on the engineer and he doesn't get it just right. Mix on stage is everything for true inspiration and dynamic performance.
Jimmy is a sweet gentleman and an incredible player. To bad the mainstream hasn't picked up on him yet, probably never will. Keep up the great playing.
Jimmy Herring. Discretely being monster.
al.dis
Uhm - yes?
I'm not familiar with the band, but the dude seems like one of those chill folks who don't have shit to prove. I like that.
Dude is in it for the music. And he took the whole ride.
Is this the dad blues everybody talks about on rig rundown? You know when there's some new hipster band on here and people say rather see this then the same dad blues
@@tysonrinker5958 I think that whole dad-fixation is a way to try make yourself look good by making something else look bad. Of course when you do that you just look bad.
Greatness!
Cool set up
Jimmy seems the coolest
100W amp dimed at 11. Love Jimmy
That prs is stunning
First rig rundown I'd seen with Ted as a host. He did a good job, but obviously didn't know that Jimmy Herring had DONE a rig rundown before, as he said to Jimmy: 'you've seen Rig Rundowns". Jimmy always comes across as such a friendly, personable guy and he's a monster player. JB should have let his guitar tech do his part, he knew next to nothing about his gear.
He cut Jimmy off when he was telling the Greg Koch story. Why??!!!! Let the interview breathe my brother! Great job and very entertaining and informative...
Jimmy H is one of the greatest of all time!
I was recently roaming the mean streets of Bend, Oregon when a bearded young man wearing tight fitting trousers approached me and said “Hey Bro, have you heard Jimmy Herring is using PRS? It’s fantastic!” I looked at him, smiled and said “Little man I have no idea what any of that means but thank you for your passion” Then went about with my day.
Mister Tee people still think bend Oregon is real?
no one is consistently as nice as JH
Dave's Phil style bass is beautiful 😍
his monitoring system is crazy....but I like that idea...probably a bit complicated to set up for the monitor tech, but...he or she probably appreciates it once the show starts..!!!
I saw them a bunch in the 90s and John was playing a Gibson ES-346
Did you see jimmy’s settings on his amp? Lol I can’t imagine how freaking loud it is in front of that thing.
Holy volume pedals lol. He should buy stock in Ernie Ball
Besides Steve Morse with Dregs , Jimmy is my other main influence ! Fantastic player & coolest Cat out there ! ...
Joel sounds like a badass
JB with his pine needle basket.
6550 in a vintage circuit sound lovely and plenty saggy enough, they are a sweet spot for me.
"Wizards in the corner"
Jimmy was one of the best Garcia fill-ins.
He’s his own man
@@oliverchapman51177 I didn't say he wasn't.
I gave him a compliment.
Don't worry Jimmy, Beck would say the same about your playing.
My strat is swamp ash 3 peice maple best one I have ever played ever
Great!!! But too bad you guys forgot to mic up Jimmy's reverb cab!
Our camera only has three inputs (two for lavs and one for cab ... slight drawbacks for a very mobile setup needed to execute these shoots). Thanks for watching!
Jimmy may not be the best electric guitarist ever, but no one's been BETTER (or nicer, evidently).
Just'a kind Southern dude... oh yeah, and he can absolutely PLAY
Herring wrote some of the songs on Derrick Trucks album Into The Madness. Before that I didn't have a clue who he was. No question I know who he is now!
Hello? He played with The Allman Bros Band for years! Also listen to Aquarium Rescue Unit - No Egos Under Water.
I've learned recently PRS is superior to most other brands. I dont dislike any brand really, I just love prs.
fantastic ! .. no Bollinger!!!
So funny that Jimmy knows all about his setup and JB's like, uh, I just show up and do my thing. And Schools doesn't even take the time. Lol. And Jimmy's is the simplest and Schools is the most complicated.
Kinda what makes the band work in my opinion
The interviewer's look screams "don't tell your mom"
Walking Dead's Hershel special episode! 🤓
this interviewer is top notch
Jumbo frets are great, but I prefer the action as low as possible, keeps better notes and easier to play. It takes time to set up super low!
AWESOME!!!!!!!😁🎈😁🎈😁🎈😁🎈😁🎈😁🎈😁🎈😁🎈😁