Since 1994, Jimmy Eat World has created some of the most memorable, earwormy, and iconic emo tunes ever recorded. Many of their chart-topping songs and iconic records have spanned the test of time and are still indelibly part of the collective musical zeitgeist.
In the video above, Jim Adkins and Tom Linton talk about how their guitars and amps have changed over the years and how they created some of their most memorable tones in the studio.
Naturally, the gear they were using back in Zach's (Lind) parents' garage in 1994 has changed over quite a bit. Adkins went from using an inexpensive Crate 2x12 combo in those days to '79 Marshall JMP Super Leads and 1990s Vox AC30s. "Basically everything I had, I brought out on the road with me," he told us of the Bleed American tour.
Later, the band's rig continued to morph and change in relation to the size of their live shows. In playing arenas, they needed to start considering and better controlling their stage volume so that everyone from the front row to the back of the stadium could hear them clearly.
In playing shows that large, they also grew to respect the simplification that Fractal Audio processors could bring to their tours both in how consistently they perform and the fact that they're exceedingly easy, compact, and light to pack into a trailer.
Be sure to check out the full video above to hear more about their gear philosophy, guitars, and other gear go-tos from throughout the years.