Cracker Gear

"What guitars does Johnny Hickman use?"

"What's in that little rack on top of David's amplifier?"

"How does Kenny get that authentic B-3 sound without a real organ?"

"Is Frank a Secret Service agent? If not, why is he wearing an earpiece?"

The following equipment list is probably not complete or accurate, but represents the best of our knowledge as of June 6, 2001 when we checked the stage and interviewed Jeff the guitar tech before a show in Charlottesville. Cracker are constantly adding to and changing their live setup, but much of their core equipment seems to stay reasonably consistent. New items will be added as we notice them. Drum information was graciously supplied by Frank via email, so should be accurate. He may offer a more details, including his recording setup etc. in future.

This listing applies only to live performances. Recording gear is probably significantly different, and we have no details.

Information on this unofficial fan site is not approved by Cracker or any equipment manufacturer, and should not be taken as an endorsement of any manufacturer's products or services. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

If you want more information about Cracker's gear, the simplest way is to attend a show and wait for an appropriate time to ask a member of their road crew or even the band themselves. They usually seem happy to answer fans' questions if asked politely. Remember that the crew are very busy during setup and loadout, so please do not interrupt their work. After the stage is set up and well before the performance starts seems to be a good time. If you cannot attend a show, email us and we will do our best to find out.

David Lowery (Lead vocal/Guitar)
	Guitars: Charvel Surfcaster (nicknamed "Pork") Yup, the real thing. Date unknown. Blue Jackson Surfcaster copy. Black Ibanez Talman. Blue. Ibanez Blondie, in dropped D tuning Ibanez GX-90 acoustic, Black (2 identical) Amplification: Matchless Amp, model unknown at present (internal speaker miked) Marshall 4 x 12 speaker cabinet (monitoring only, not miked) Matchless Super Chieftan as backup Peavey Valverb in mini-rack on top of amp Effects: StudioLogic/Fatar Organ Bass Pedalboard, triggering a Roland SP808 GrooveSampler custom A/B switch (this is the one-man-band gear he uses to play samples during "Heaven Knows I'm Lonely" for example)
Johnny Hickman (Lead Guitar/Vocal)
	Guitars: Gibson Les Paul, approx 78/79 vintage, heavily "modified" with Kehler whammy bar. The body sports numerous carvings and decorations executed by Johnny himself, most noticeably a number seven, leading to the guitar sometimes being known as the "Lucky Seven" guitar. This is Johnny's main guitar, now used almost exclusively during live performances. His other Les Paul, with its distinctive fish decoration, perished on tour. Fender Eric Clapton model Stratocaster (rarely used live.) Sennheiser Evolution Series EW100 diversity wireless system with Series 300 beltpacks. Amplification: Hughes and Kettner EL-34 Triamp tube amplifier, driving a Marshall slant cabinet Effects Pedalboard: Boss AW-2 Autowah Boss DC-2 Dimension C Boss DH-3 Delay Boss TR-2 Tremolo Boss TU-12H Tuner MXR MicroAmp Morley A/B switch We do not know which effects Johnny uses for specific songs.
Kenny Margolis (Keyboards/Accordion)
	Main keyboards/controllers: Roland A-33 (used to control organ module) Roland RD-500 (mostly used for piano) Modules Voce V5 Hammond organ emulator. Voce Spin Leslie cabinet emulator Kenny's rack: Alesis Quadraverb E-Mu Vintage Keys Plus Voce Electric Piano module Amplification (monitoring only; all keyboards fed direct) Peavey KB 300 keyboard amp Mackie 1202 VLZ 12 channel mixer Miscellaneous: Custom shaker (used during "Low") Tambourine (unknown manufacturer) Will Kenny play a Stylophone in upcoming shows?
Frank Funaro (Drums and Percussion)
	Drums Pearl 20 in. kick drum Remo something or other on beater side Pearl 13 in. rack tom w/Remo Coated Ambassador on top, Remo Coated Emperor on bottom Pearl 14 in. floor tom w/Remo Coated Ambassador on top, Remo Coated Emperor on bottom Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum 14 x 6 1/2 Remo Coated Emperor on top DW 5000 bass drum pedal Calato Regal Tip "ROCK" sticks, sometimes nylon tip, sometimes wood tip, depending on song Zildjian Cymbals: 22 in. Heavy Ride for large stages and outdoors... Medium Ride for smaller stages and venues 16 in. Ride on left side, often used for crashing 16 in. Medium crash on right Frank uses an in-ear monitoring system controlled by a small module next to the drums.
Brandy Wood (Bass/vocal)
	Guitars: Rodriguez hand-built bass (designation unknown) Fender Mustang bass (backup) Ibanez acoustic guitar (for "Wedding Day") Amplification: Gallen Kreuger 800 RB rack-mount amplifier SWR Goliath Senior cabinet Effects: DOD Octoplus FX-35 ProCo DB-1 direct box TU-2 pedal tuner

This is all the information we have. We do not know things like string gauges, picks or effects settings, which may be highly guarded trade secrets. Thanks to John Brainard for his help in compiling this listing.

E-mail John Finch with corrections or additions.