Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
One of the most exciting names in modern guitar, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s popularity has exploded in recent years and already cemented his reputation as one of the all-time blues greats.
How to get the Kingfish Tone
Kingfish gave an intimate behind the scenes look at his gear in a 2019 Rig Rundown video with Premier Guitar. In the video he explains not only the equipment he uses, but how he has his amps and pedals set, so it’s worth a watch if you want to get your tone as close to his as possible.
What’s most impressive is not just how little equipment he uses, but also how affordable some of the guitars and pedals are. In some cases that might mean you don’t have to opt for a more affordable alternative to get a sound like Kingfish.
We’ve broken down each area in a bit more detail below.
Michael Chertoff Custom LP & Tele
In some of Kingfish’s most popular videos he can be seen playing a Les Paul-type guitar, which he has revealed was custom built by Michael Chertoff and is not a modded Gibson as some had assumed. Spec-wise the pickups are modelled after ‘50s style Gibson PAF humbuckers, produced by Jalen Guitar, likely to be the Jalen Super Classic.
The guitar’s creator uploaded a video in 2016 showing off the guitar, presumably before handing it to Ingram.
In the Premier Guitar video he appears with a Tele-style guitar, also made by Michael Chertoff and suggested it may become him main stage guitar in the future. The Tele features the same humbuckers as the LP.
Guitars are available for custom order from Chertoff Custom Guitars, starting at $1,500.
Specs
Model: Chertoff Custom Guitars Single-Cut
Pickups: Jalen Super Classic
Fretboard: Pau Ferro
Frets: 22
Electronics: .0033 bumblebee caps, 500k CTS pots, Switchcraft 3-way switch and input
Notes: ‘50s-style wiring
Affordable Alternatives
Considering the asking price for a Chertoff Custom guitar, most Gibson Les Paul models that feature PAF-style pickups are likely to end up costing more than the Chertoff from new, but you might be able to find one for less on the second hand market. In the interests of recommending something that’s a similar spec but at a lower price these are worth considering:
Tokai/Burny/Greco Les Pauls
Often lumped together as ‘lawsuit era’ guitars, in the ‘70s these Japanese-built guitars rivalled the Gibson Les Pauls of their day for tone and quality.
Modern day Tokai Love Rocks start at Epiphone prices but higher spec models can cost as much if not more than a Gibson LP Standard.
On the second hand market Burny and Greco’s takes on the Les Paul can still be had for a good price, but it’s always worth familiarising yourself with the differences between the higher and lower spec models before buying as build quality and specs can vary greatly.
Epiphone Les Paul Standard ‘50s
If you’re after an affordable vintage-sounding Les Paul that’s straight from the factory, Epiphone’s (Gibson’s budget brand) ‘50s model is as good as it gets.
As well as resembling Kingfish’s #1 guitar, the Epiphone features pickups modelled to sound like a vintage Gibson PAF humbucker, so should provide a tone in the ballpark of the Jalen pickups in his Custom LP.
Available From
2018 Fender Player Stratocaster
When he’s not playing his LP copy, Kingfish is often seen playing a Stratocaster on-stage. He has clarified this is a 2018 Fender Player Stratocaster model, which is entirely stock.
The Player Stratocaster is effectively the entry-level model in Fender’s current line-up, but by no means does that make it less credible as an instrument. After all, Kingfish seems to have no trouble getting great sounds from it.
These guitars are readily available from Fender and are incredibly affordable, so it’s not really worth mentioning an affordable alternative, unless you really need to find something cheaper. In that case the Squier Affinity Stratocaster is a fine guitar and is cheaper than its Mexican counterpart by a couple of hundred pounds or dollars.
Although this is the guitar Christone has cited as being his go-to guitar for the part of his sets that use a Strat, he has played many different Stratocasters in his online videos, so it’s hard to say for certain whether or not it’s a Player Stratocaster every time.
The guitarist has also appeared in videos for Fender, promoting the (then new) Vintera Stratocaster , but as of yet it doesn’t appear as though a Vintera has replaced the Player Stratocaster in Christone’s roster.
Available from
Specs
Model: Fender Stratocaster Player
Body: Alder
Neck: “Modern C” Profile
Fretboard radius: 9.5 inch
Kingfish uses Ernie Ball Power Slinky strings (0.011s) on his Chertoff Custom Guitars and Regular (0.010) Ernie Ball Slinkies on his Stratocaster.
Power Slinkies are often used by hard rock guitarists, but heavier gauge strings have always had a close link to blues guitarists thanks to the fuller sound they create.
Kingfish only draws on three pedals to get his tone; a wah pedal, an overdrive and a delay pedal.
MXR M294 Sugar Drive Mini
The Sugar Drive is an overdrive pedal modelled after the iconic Klon pedal of the ‘90s.
The Sugar Drive isn’t a direct copy of a Klon (often called Klones) and has been praised for its tones, ease-of-use and affordability.
Dunlop CMB95 Cry Baby Mini
Kingfish uses the shrunk down version of Dunlop’s Cry Baby wah pedal set to “middle” as part of his short but sweet pedal board.
The CMB95 uses the same technology as the full-size Cry Baby, but shrunk down to half the size.
Players wanting to save money wherever possible may want to opt for the full size GCB-95 pedal, since these are usually a little cheaper and shouldn’t make a difference to tone.
Way Huge Smalls Aqua-Puss
The Way Huge Smalls Aqua-Puss is the shrunk down version of the delay pedal made famous by John Mayer.
The pedal boasts an all-analogue signal path and is tonally very similar to its larger predecessor, but shrunk down to a more pedalboard-friendly size.
Peavey Delta Blues 210
Kingfish uses a Peavey Delta Blues 210 amplifier, a tube amp with 30 watt speaker and built-in tremolo. Peavey have since discontinued the amp, but the smaller Delta Blues 115 is still available. The 210 features two 10 inch Celestion speakers, while the 115 features a single 15 inch speaker, but otherwise the two have the same specs.
Kingfish uses the following settings: “Reverb between 3 and 4, bass at about 8, treble at about 7 and middle around 5.”
