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PG’s Chris Kies met with Tom Johnston, John McFee, and Patrick Simmons before their recent Nashville gig at the Ascend Amphitheater. Old-school mentality reigns with Doobie mainstays Johnston and Simmons using the same guitars for decades, but multi-instrumentalist McFee explains why he embraces the 21st-century technology.

Guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for Doobie hits like “China Grove,” “Long Train Runnin’,” and “Listen to the Music,” Johnston has been a tried-and-true PRS guy since he stumbled upon one in a San Rafael music store in the ’80s. His current No. 1 is a 2009 25th Anniversary Custom 24 that rides in standard tuning. And all his guitars are equipped with Greg Sfarzo strings gauged .009–.046 and he’s been loyal the Jim Dunlop Herco .50 mm picks since the ’70s.

Simmons main ride is this custom-built S-style constructed by his current tech and instructor at the Robero-Venn School of Luthiery, Joe Vallee. It has three active EMG pickups with an onboard mid boost that’s engaged most of the time and an old Washburn tremolo that he prefers because of how it stays in tune thanks to the rollers. For picking needs, Simmons takes a dobro thumbpick, cuts it in half (leaving just the main pick part), and marries it with a Dunlop Tortex, and then tapes it to his thumb with gaff tape.

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