FAQs

How do you pronounce your last name?
Rhymes with "Chevy" — not with "Stevie."

Who has influenced your guitar playing?
It's hard to say exactly how my style developed, because my musical growth has been mostly unfocused and non-linear. Guitarists Bill Frisell, George Harrison, Jeff Beck, Les Paul, John Scofield, Steve Cropper, and Ted Greene have probably had the most profound influence on my phrasing, touch, tone, and sense of harmony. That said, some of my biggest musical heroes are not guitarists (for example, George Wyle — my piano-playing grandfather), and many guitarists have influenced me in ways I'm sure nobody hears but me.

What kind of equipment do you use?
Current gear list (as of spring/summer 2004 tour with Norah Jones):
My main electric guitar is a 1979 Gibson ES-335 (strung with D'Addario EJ21 strings, .012-.052, with a plain .020 substituted for the set's usual .024 wound string). I also play a 2003 Gibson ES-335 and a 2003 Daisy Rock custom Retro-H (both strung with D'Addario XL115 strings, .011-.049). My acoustic guitars are a 2003 Martin 000-18 and a 2003 Martin 000-28VS (both strung with Martin Marquis 80/20 bronze, .013-.056). Both acoustics have Sunrise soundhole pickups, which I run through a Sunrise SB-1 Mono preamp buffer box; my electric effects (in order, from guitar to amp) are a Boss OD-3 overdrive pedal, a Dunlop TS-1 tremolo, and a Maxon OD808 overdrive; my amp is a new Fender '64 Vibroverb Custom; I play with Dunlop heavy-gauge classic shell celluloid picks (equivalent, more or less, to a Fender 'Heavy' pick, in the standard shape); I use a Dunlop 228 chromed brass slide; I use Shubb capos; I use Levy's Leathers straps and gig bags; for heavy-duty travel, I use Calzone and Accord cases.

Last year's gear list (summer/fall 2003 tour with Norah Jones):
My main electric guitar is a 1979 Gibson ES-335 (strung with D'Addario EJ21 strings, .012-.052). I also play a new Daisy Rock Retro-H, a 2003 [hecho en Mexico] Fender '60s Telecaster (both strung with D'Addario XL-something-or-other strings, .011-.049). My acoustic guitars are a 2003 Martin 000-18 and a 2003 Martin 000-28VS (both strung with Martin Marquis 80/20 bronze, .013-.056). Both acoustics have factory-installed Fishman Gold Plus Natural II electronics, and I run both through a Fishman Pro-EQ Platinum preamp/EQ/DI; my electric effects (in order, from guitar to amp) are a Maxon OD808 overdrive, a Maxon AD80 analog delay, and a Dunlop Tremolo; my amp is a Belov Dragster Custom Reverb; I play with Dunlop heavy-gauge classic shell celluloid picks (equivalent, more or less, to a Fender 'Heavy' pick, in the standard shape); I use a Dunlop 222 brass slide; I use Shubb capos; I use Levy's Leathers straps and gig bags. If you compare this gear list to the one below, you'll notice quite a few differences. I'm still playing my ES-335 most of the time, but my pedalboard is totally different and I'm rocking a new amp. Why did I change my rig? The change in pedals happened one at a time. I still think the MXR Distortion + is a solid box, but the Maxon's overdrive is smoother, more transparent, and better complements the group sound we have with Norah. Not that I even use overdrive very often — maybe once a night. Likewise, I still think the Line 6 delay modeler is a mighty fine product, but it has more presets and programming firepower than I'll ever need on this gig. With just three knobs and one footswitch, the Maxon delay is simple to use, sounds rich, and works consistently well night after night. I also got a new tremolo pedal, swapping a Dunlop for my old Danelectro, for the simple reason that I think the Dunlop sounds more "physical" — that is, more like the tube-circuit trem in an old amplifier. I can't knock my little yellow Dano pedal, as it's a real bang-for-buck winner, but the Dunlop moves the music a little deeper. You know? This Belov amp replaced my old faithful Fender Princeton because my Fender was taking a beating on the road, and because now that Norah's band has expanded to half-a-dozen members (including guitarist Kevin Breit), I've got to have a bigger sound on stage. The Belov is 30 watts, through two 10" speakers. It's not unlike two old Princetons crammed together in one cabinet. I set the volume and all three tone knobs (Treble, Middle, Bass) to the 12-o'clock position, and set the reverb at about 9- or 10-o'clock — I adjust the reverb level according to how dry or echoey the sound is in the hall we're in on any particular night.

The gear I used previously:
My main squeeze has always been my Gibson ES-335, which I got brand new in 1979. I've had it refretted a few times and put new tuners on it, but it's otherwise all original. Most everything I've ever recorded was played on this ES-335, and I use it on most gigs. I also play a 1972 Fender Telecaster and a Burnstone Custom (Telecaster-style) guitar. I've been using the Fender Tele a lot on my gig with Norah Jones and used it almost exclusively to record the tracks on my forthcoming CD Get Your Glow On. For recording, this guitar is almost impossible to beat. There's not a bum tone in the thing. The Burnstone guitar appears on about half of my Buttermilk Channel CD. I also play two Martin acoustics: a 1964 0-18 and a new 000-18. My main gigging amp is a 1968 Fender Princeton Reverb, which I bought 'round the end of 2001. Before this amp, I had another Princeton that I liked a lot, but it had no reverb — and for a while I was really digging the immediacy of the tones I got from that non-verbed amp. It worked very well for my own music. When I started playing more regularly with Norah Jones (in the autumn of 2001, more or less), however, I found that I was missing the spaciousness of reverb in the context of her music. I happened to find this very sweet Princeton Reverb at a shop in New York City, and the deal was done. Now I rarely gig without this amp. I hadn't been using effects pedals over the past few years — just plugging guitars straight into amps. But in recent months (i.e., summer of 2002) I've been experimenting with effects pedals in search of some new timbres. One of my favorite recent acquisitions is a new MXR Distortion +. "Plus" what, I don't know, but this pedal sounds smooth and peaty — the sonic equivalent of a shot of Lagavulin single-malt scotch. My pedalboard also sports a Danelectro Tuna Melt (tremolo) and a Line 6 DL4 (delay). I use D'Addario XL strings (gauged .011-.049) on all of my electrics, Martin Marquis 80/20 bronze strings (gauged .013-.056) on my acoustic, and I play with heavy-gauge Fender picks most of the time. I keep other kinds of picks handy, especially when recording, because I've found that I can get an array of tones out of one guitar just by changing picks. I sometimes play without a pick, using the flesh of my fingertips. I carry my guitars in Reunion Blues and Levy's (no relation) gig bags. I strap on the guitars with Levy's straps (and one custom strap that Reunion Blues founder Glenn Cronkite made for me).

I'm not an official endorsee of any of the gear I use. I just like this stuff, and I list it here because people do frequently ask me about my equipment.

What's that extra toggle switch for on the lower bout of your ES-335?
It's a coil splitter. You can get your basic Gibson humbucker sounds, or split the coils for thinner, Telecaster-like tones. (This switch was stock on most ES-335s from 1979 to '81.)

Where are you from?
I was born in Encino (a suburb of Los Angeles) and remained in the Angelino 'burbs until 1989, when I moved to San Francisco. I toggled back and forth between San Francisco and New York from late 1995 through early 2003, and I now live in New Orleans.

How would you compare New York to San Francisco?
I wouldn't.

Why did you move to New Orleans?
Okay, people to not frequently ask me this. They usually say something more like, "I've always wanted to live there! When can I come visit you?"

Are you the Adam Levy who writes for Guitar Player?
Yes, though I haven't written anything for the mag in a long while. I still do some writing for Acoustic Guitar.

Are you the Adam Levy who plays in the Honeydogs?
No, but I'm a fan. Check them out: honeydogs.com.

Where can I buy your records?
Right here on this site, from the STORE page, and also at amazon.com. And I now have national distribution through Burnside Distribution in Portland, OR, which means you can get my discs just about anyplace. If your local store doesn't have my discs, they can order them.

Who built your site?
I did.

Whazzap?!?
Whazzap?!?