Derby, out of Portland, Oregon, plays something that a lazy music critic might call post-alternative music. There are all sorts of clever ways you could describe their music but fortunately there is no requirement to do so. The band released their first CD, This is the New You in 2005, toured extensively and are just about to release their second CD, Posters Fade.

Nat Johnson, singer, guitarist, etcetera spoke to Gearwire about guitars, mics, touring and more.

“The new album was primarily done on a Gibson SG -- a newer one -- but it looks fifty years old.� he says.

The guitar is an SG standard, cherry red. Johnson is a fan.

“You know when you find a SG and it plays perfect?� says Johnson. “It has a huge neck like a baseball bat cut in half.�

He was playing his ES 335 (which he also uses on the album) but slowly moved to the SG. For recording he uses a silverface Fender Deluxe Reverb. Live, he uses a reissue to prevent destruction. Derby’s other guitarist uses a 70s Deluxe Reverb live.

“He is more delicate with his stuff.� says Johnson.

The band has worked to downsize when it comes to gear. Carrying gigantic amps around is not a great deal of fun on a van tour.

“We play any size club—tiny, huge and we have learned to that to make us happiest we needed to scale down on size.� he says.

To that end, he uses a Vox AC15 (an amp that runs around $600). Johnson notes that in a big room they get any monitor mix they want so the stage volume of the amp is not a huge issue. In a small room why do you need a humongous amp? Excluding ego and that strange desire to have BIG things that some folks have, of course.

Johnson used to use a Marshall Plexi 50 watt with a 4X12.

“Touring with that is just ridiculous.� says Johnson.

All the gear they removed from their live set up has been big. Not bad sounding but big and Johnson says he would never go back.

For his acoustic guitar Johnson turned to an old standard -- a 1994 Gibson Dove.

“I got it because I was fed up with my acoustic.� he says.

Every time he strummed the guitar in the shop, it rang. He didn’t necessarily want to buy a guitar but he could not pass up the Dove. A new Gibson Dove runs around $2,900. A 1991 version will set you back around $2,000.

Asked if there was any piece of dream gear he would want when it came to acoustics he basically said he already had a dream guitar in the Dove. Beyond that it was hard for him to come up with something that was not a “whole studio.�

More with Nat Johnson of Derby soon.