The Crossfire Gear Page



For all the gearheads out there, here is a summary of the gear that helps Crossfire to do what they do. We hope that you enjoy it...

Each piece in Alan's rig is hand-picked and customized (as needed) to be as authentic as possible to help deliver the powerful, soulful tones that Stevie was famous for.

Guitars

Fender Stratocasters (of course) are used exclusively by Alan in the tribute. He uses four strats that are authentic replicas of four of Stevie's main guitars.


"# 1"

 

This guitar was created by mixing and matching many different bodies, necks, and pickups (all Fender parts) until the punchy, growling sound of Stevie's #1 was attained.

"Butter"

This is a 1996 Fender 60's Relic Body with a 2001 Fender Custom Shop 60's Relic neck and Custom Shop pick-ups. Like Stevie's Butter, this guitar is a bit darker sounding than #1.

"Lenny"

This is a custom-built Lenny replica. With its smooth, gentle tone and maple fingerboard, it is used for songs like "Lenny" and "Riviera Paradise".

"Charley"

Stevie's late friend and guitar shop owner Charley Wirz along with guitar tech Rene Martinez made the original white stratocaster for him, hence the name Charley. This one is a 1986 Fender '62 strat reissue body, with a neck by Scott Lentz. Of course, it has the "lipstick" pick-ups like the original. It has a biting tone and is used for songs like "Lovestruck Baby", "Mary had a Little Lamb", and "Life Without You", as Stevie often did originally.

 

Guild JF55-12

Stevie was known to borrow and play a friend's 12-string now and then. He was seen with a Guild much like this one on MTV's "Unplugged" when he appeared on the show. Stevie also used a 12-string when he recorded the song "Life by the Drop". This is a 2001 Westerly-built JF55-12 that has the characteristic huge-but-well-balanced sound the flagship Guilds are noted for. It is used when "Life by the Drop" is included in the set.

 

Amplifiers

1967 Vibratone, 1965 Vibrolux Reverb on top, 1966 Super Reverb on the Bottom

Although Alan would love to use a large number of vintage Fender, Marshall, and Dumble amplifiers for every gig like Stevie did, for practical reasons he must settle for somewhat less for most venues. However, at least two amplifiers are used always. Usually they are two vintage Fender units, a 1965 Vibrolux Reverb with speakers from Weber VST, and a 1966 Super Reverb with CTS AlNico speakers.

Songs that require the Leslie Effect are handled by the 1967 Vibratone.

Other amplifiers Alan has in his collection and are sometimes used in the tribute are a 1964 Fender Princeton Reverb, a 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb, and a 1972 Model 1987 50w Marshall. The amplifiers are all original, with no tone-altering modifications. Hand-picked and matched NOS tubes are used. Alan biases his own amps with the help of products by Weber VST (bias-rite). This ensures that the bias is set for tone and that the tubes are singing for all they are worth at every gig.

Miscellaneous...

Of course, an Ibanez Tube-Screamer and Vox wha-wha are on Alan's pedalboard at all times. A Kendrick Signal Splitter used in conjunction with Ebtech Ground Isolators to ensure a good signal to each amp with no ground loops or shock hazards. Alan uses custom-made picks by Steve Clayton and Fender Original Nickle-Wound Strings.


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