I think it’s really great to get good at your instrument
and your craft. There’s no substitute for that—even
the most talented and lucky person still has to put the
time in. Get to the point where you can hear yourself
on tape and go, “That’s pretty good!” If your heart
and soul are in it and you’re doing it for the right
reasons, nothing can hold you back. Take opportunities to get your music out there and heard, even if
it’s a small group of people at first. Find satisfaction
in pleasing yourself first, and then those you respect.
Whether you’ll make it in this crazy business, I don’t
know—that’s to be seen. But if you believe in it, keep
working at it. Post it on You Tube. It seems obvious,
but those opportunities weren’t around when I started
out. I’ve got a very talented nephew who’s writing
music, and he’s been doing it with his laptop. Pro
Tools has made things so incredible! You can get good
in a short period of time if you at least put time into
it—and a lot of heart.
Here’s an inside look at Raitt’s touring rig, as told by
guitar tech Manny Alvarez. Although Alvarez calls
the setup simple (“it’s all in her hands really”), the
specs for slide are more than meets the eye. “She
pretty much likes her one guitar [the naked brown
Strat],” Alvarez says with a laugh. “She probably
wouldn’t play any other if she didn’t have to.”
Guitars
“Brownie” Strat with 1965 body (tuned to open
A), three Fender Bonnie Raitt signature Strat
prototypes (one in open G, one in open A%, and
one in standard), Gibson ES- 175 with a P- 90,
three Guild acoustics (one with higher action for
slide work, another in open C), purple Pogreba
Guitars resonator
Amps
Bad Cat Black Cat 30R 1x12 combo (Raitt uses
only the EF86-driven channel 2)
Effects
Boss CS- 2 Compression Sustainer, Pro Co Rat
String, Picks, and Accessories
GHS Boomers custom electric sets (.013, .017,
.020w, .032, .042, .052), GHS Phosphor-Bronze
acoustic sets (.012, .016, .020, .036, .046, .056),
custom Jim Dunlop molded-plastic fingerpicks,
Dunlop bottleneck slides
