Wellington folk-rockers In The Shallows have peeled back the curtain to talk to us about their trusty music gear.
In The Shallows caught our attention with their provocative hymn, Let’s Not Start A War. Like the rest of their catalogue, the single was as comforting as a warm blanket, featuring acoustic instrumentation with glistening tones and rhythmic pulse.
Naturally, we wondered how the indie duo crafted such a compelling sound. Well, lucky for us, they’ve taken out the guesswork. In the band’s words, this is a rundown of their favourite music gear. We hope you enjoy their selections and maybe even find some inspiration for your next creative endeavour.
2020 Taylor GS Mini Limited Edition Koa
Danni fell in love strumming the first few chords of the Taylor, with its darker tone and warm
resonance the special edition Koa certainly has a deep character for a small body guitar. The short scale and smaller dimensions are more manageable and definitely take up less room in the tour van!
1989 Fender MIJ Telecaster
Originally a Candy Apple Red 1950’s reissue bought years ago in a second-hand shop for $150, Lance’s main Telecaster has travelled around the world a number of times and found itself featuring on Later…with Jools Holland and playing to a sold-out Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Along the way it has been repainted to an original 50’s colour, acquired an old black period-correct pickguard and had almost all of its parts customised or replaced. The tele has played varying roles in the band’s sound and features in the new video for Let’s Not Start a War.
1980 Fender Precision Bass
Lent to Danni to play on the video for Let’s Not Start a War by Andrew Bain (Fur Patrol) this special edition P-Bass is considered quite rare due to its custom colour Lake Placid Blue and matching painted headstock. It is used live in the full band set up mainly as a backup to Andy’s Musicman Stingray due to its sheer weight! As per the majority of Fenders from that period, it looks and sounds amazing however weighs as much as a small planet.
2001 Martin D-28
Lance’s choice for all the acoustic tracks, his D-28 brings the evenness and bounce thanks to the rosewood back and sides. Using a Fishman transducer under the saddle out into a Fishman Aura D.I on the floor with the Bass boosted, the Martin covers all the bottom end when In The Shallows play as an acoustic duo.
2020 Golden Queen Esquire
Built as a gift to Lance by Jamie Agnew of Golden Queen Guitars, this single-pickup Esquire has found its way into Danni’s hands as its no-nonsense punchiness and long sustain suit her rhythm parts on the new tracks such as Let’s Not Start a War. The finish colour was actually a happy mistake of having gloss black paint sprayed onto the body, then wiped off due to a blemish.
1963 Gretsch 6119 Tennessean
Used on most of the recordings and a staple of the live gigs, Lance’s ’63 Gretsch is the magic behind the chimey guitar hooks and warm electric tones of the debut album tracks such as Take It Easy and the distant, western slide parts of Really Something.
Originally walnut then re-finished black decades ago, the Tennessean has seen a lot of action over the years but retains almost all of its original parts, aside from the replacement tuners and new pickguard. Despite the wiring being a little cranky from time to time, the road wear and tear adds to the feel and sound of this classic hollow body.
Listen to Let’s Not Start A War below:
