Headin' Home's Gear List

Reading Headin' Home's Rig

A band that tunes together has to agree on a reference, and that is the thread running through this page. Nearly every instrument carries its own strobe or clip-on tuner, so each player can check pitch between songs without waiting on anyone else.

Guitar, Fiddle and Dobro

Libby's guitar runs an Elliott McKinney capo, a machined capo with an adjustable screw that sets the pressure once and stops pulling strings sharp, alongside a Peterson StroboClip HDC. The HDC is a true strobe tuner with 0.1-cent accuracy, close enough that a guitar and a dobro tuned to it will actually agree onstage. Marina's fiddle gets the D'Addario PW-CT-14, a micro tuner small enough to sit on the scroll without catching the bow hand.

Luke's dobro takes EJ42 Resophonic strings, a 16-56 set built heavier than a standard guitar set to hold tension in high-bass G tuning under a steel bar. A second StroboClip HDC and a Toneslabs Crowe Claw thumbpick in large round out that corner of the stage.

Banjo

Timothy strings his banjo with GHS PF155 stainless steel custom lights. Stainless reads brighter than nickel and holds up longer against hand sweat, which matters on a five-string that gets hammered for a full set. A D'Addario PW-CT-12 micro headstock tuner keeps it in check between tunes.

Mandolin and Octave Mandolin

Lucy's corner is the deepest section of the page. Strings are D'Addario XSM1140 coated phosphor bronze 11-40 for the mandolin and EJ80 mediums for the octave mandolin. Onstage, a K&K Mandolin Twin internal pickup feeds a Peterson StroboStomp Mini, which brings strobe accuracy to the pedalboard, while RingStops grommets quiet the string lengths behind the bridge that ring sympathetically through a PA.

The rest is care and comfort: a Tone-Gard Sunrise holds the back off the player's body so it can resonate freely, a Boveda Small Starter Kit and AcoustiCare Bluetooth tracker manage and monitor humidity in the case, and the ToneSlabs Tweener Triangle 1.5mm pick gets kept smooth with a ToneSlabs Pick Buffer. A Music Nomad players cloth and Nomad Tool Set handle cleanup after the gig.