Vince Gill

Bluegrass maestro and parttime Eagle reflects on his love for the Ryman Auditorium and how golf has kept him sane…

- David Mead

What was your first gig and how did it go?

“My first gig was as a little boy: I played guitar at a fire station grand opening and they couldn’t have been more disinterested. So it started me on that path of not getting too uptight if people ignored me. The first paid gig I did I was 15 and I was asked to play at this pub and played all night long for four, five hours, four or five sets, and at the end of the night, the lady said she wasn’t going to pay us. So the first gig I ever did I got stiffed.”

Describe your current rig…

“I’ve been using amplifiers made by Phil Bradbury called Little Walters. I have two heads – one’s a 50-watt head and one’s a 22-watt head. A little bit of crunch, a straight ol’ guitar and a handful of pedals… not much, y’know? The key to a great rig is that it’s got to sound pretty good before you stomp on one of those boxes. At my own gigs, I play about 80 percent Fender – I have a white ’53 Telecaster and it’s the most unique-sounding Telecaster I’ve ever heard. I have several other old ones, but none of them are as special as that one. The neck shape – at some point I think someone might have taken some of the neck down, made it not so big. I’m not sure about that, but it feels like my oldest pair of shoes. But out with the Eagles I’m playing a lot of power chords and so it’s more of a humbucking deal with a Les Paul or a Special or something like that. Real simple.”

What’s on your rider?

“I have no idea! I don’t need a bunch of stuff. It’s pretty simple, a few snacks… some peanuts, something to drink. There’s a technical rider that’s just crazy, with all the sound stuff, the lights and this and that.”