Holy Grail Guitars, Secret Weapon Pedals & a Magic Boom Box
Philadelphia’s The Polychromatics have spent eight years melding krautrock grooves, garage grit, and synth-laden experimentation into something entirely their own.
With their latest EP, In Caeru Leo, diving into darker themes and bolder sounds, the band’s sonic evolution is as much about their instruments as their imagination.
From John’s jangly Danelectro 12-string—a “holy grail” guitar that swallows sonic space—to Gisli’s ultra-versatile Reverend Dub King bass (complete with a secret-weapon JHS Low Drive pedal), their gear choices are as distinctive as their sound.
Low-tech or high-fidelity, their tools are extensions of their creativity.
Peek behind the curtain at the gear that fuels The Polychromatics’ hypnotic chaos.
Listen to their latest EP here.
Without further ado, check out their full gear rundown below.
John: Guitar I + Backing Vox
One of my favorite pieces of equipment is my Danelectro 12 String.
It was always on the list of holy Grail guitars after I played one at a recording studio a few years ago!
There’s something about the way it takes up so much sonic volume that makes it so special to me.
The second piece has to be the Music Man amplifier that our lovely bassist Gisli lets me play for shows.
I used to use a crate vintage club 20 in my earlier days, and its clean tone was difficult for me to mimic with other amplifiers until Gisli showed me what the music man could offer.
Gisli: Bass + All Around Cool Guy
My favorite would have to be my trusty Reverend Dub King bass.
It’s an absolute dream bass for me.
Short scale semi hallow with two big fat pickups in the neck and bridge positions.
My favorite thing about it though is the pickup blender knob.
You can get anything from massive upright bass tones to super mid-focused sounds and everything in between.
I’ve yet to find anything this bass can’t do.
My second favorite would be my JHS Low Drive pedal I built from a DIY kit many years ago.
If I could take one pedal on a deserted island, it would be that.
Though I mainly use it as a clean boost, it does everything you want out of an overdrive/distortion pedal.
It’s my secret weapon for guitar and bass.
Isaac: Guitar II + Gentleman
The main guitar I use in the Polys is a Guild TBird reissue, and it is the go-to.
Always at the ready, always close at hand! The versatility is extreme.
A healthy mix between warm creamy lows and twang on the high end.
There’s 100 different selector switches, which amount to billions of different combinations if my math is correct.
While that’s the case, I’ve learned never touching anything is the perfect solution.
A pedal that I’ve added to the board recently has quickly become a favorite.
The Danelectro Spring King is a special gift and its big footprint matches the personality it adds to my sound.
The reverb is a classic. An instantaneous transportation to a psychedelic age.
Group Bonus Favorite: Polys as a Whole Entity
A piece of equipment we all lean on for atmosphere is a beat-up old Sony cassette player/boom box from the late 80s.
It was John’s grandfather’s and he inherited a bunch of “on-hold” tapes that his grandfather would use for his work back in the day.
The beauty is that this little machine has a 1/4” out.
In a fugue state John plugged the Sony through a delay pedal and into his amp.
The rest was psychedelic soup! It’s been used as an atmospheric generator, mood setter, and transitional element between songs since the first show.
It’s low tech and full of jank, but we love it all the same!
