Dave Catching

Dave Catching is a guitarist and producer from Joshua Tree, California, whose name runs through desert rock. He is a founding member of earthlings?, a touring member of Eagles of Death Metal and Queens of the Stone Age, and an active member of Masters of Reality, Mojave Lords and gnarltones¹². He owns and operates Rancho de la Luna, the recording studio in Joshua Tree where much of that scene was recorded¹³. He got his first guitar at fifteen, started playing live in 1978 with his band Red Sharks, and moved to LA in early 1985⁴.

The bands and Rancho de la Luna

Catching describes himself as "a musician and producer who has recorded and toured with Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, earthlings?"⁴. Beyond those bands he has recorded and toured with Masters of Reality, and he is named as a touring guitarist for gnarltones and Mondo Generator projects over the years⁴⁶. He also appeared on the Desert Sessions⁷. Early in his career he was a roadie for Kyuss².

Rancho de la Luna is the thread through all of it. Catching is the resident and owner of the studio in Joshua Tree, California²⁸. In 2023 the studio marked 30 years, and Catching was working on a 31st anniversary album with a documentary⁴. He was also working on an album with Masters of Reality, a band he toured and recorded with over the years⁴.

One part of his story sits outside music. He was on stage at the Bataclan in Paris with Eagles of Death Metal during the 2015 terrorist attack, in which he lost a lot of good friends⁴.

The pedalboard

In a 2024 interview with Origin Effects, Catching listed the board he uses live and a lot in the studio:

All of that runs into the Radial Big Shot ABY to split the signal into two amps⁴.

He is a longtime EarthQuaker Devices user. EarthQuaker calls him "a massive supporter of EQD both in the studio and while touring"¹, and Jamie Stillman of EQD noted in 2018 that Catching and Matt McJunkins of Eagles of Death Metal both use EarthQuaker pedals⁹. Gearnews reported that he keeps a drawer packed with EQD pedals and brings them out to show off in interviews¹⁰. SolidGoldFX also lists him among its artists¹¹.

Guitars and amps

His two favorite guitars have been with him since 1978 and have traveled the world with him: a 1958 Fender Stratocaster and a 1968 Gibson Les Paul that Strings and Things in Memphis, Tennessee made into a double cutaway in the early '70s⁴.

On amps, he uses an old Fender black panel Super Reverb quite a bit, along with a black panel Princeton⁴. His wider collection includes a Hiwatt, Peavey, Valhalla, Supro, Zinky, Lanham, Colby, Vox and Fucktone amps, plus a custom MP amp on loan from Bill Ryan⁴.

Origin Effects M-EQ Driver

The one pedal Catching singles out is the Origin Effects M-EQ Driver, a mid booster and drive pedal with transformer-equipped circuitry based on a vintage Pultec studio EQ¹²¹³¹⁴. Origin Effects is known for vintage, studio-inspired tones in modern guitar pedals, and the M-EQ Driver is built in the UK¹⁴¹⁵.

His endorsement is total:

Guitar World's reviewer found that with the EQ controls not engaged, the pedal can provide a transparent clean boost and a range of valve-like drive from just breaking up to mild crunch¹⁶. Origin Effects itself frames it as a shape-shifter: "Is it a classic drive? Is it a mid boost? Is it an always-on tone-enhancer? Well, it's all of those things but done in a way that doesn't sound like other pedals."¹⁷. The company positions it as a mid-forward overdrive pedal that can fill a similar role to its Halcyon Green¹⁸.

Signature and collaboration pedals

Catching has three pedal projects to his name:

• Dr No Roadrunner: an octave fuzz wah pedal, the "Octave Fuzz Wah Flying Machina," made for and in collaboration with him, released in 2015⁴²¹⁹. Premier Guitar described it as a collaboration with the Eagles of Death Metal guitarist and Rancho De La Luna owner²⁰, and MusicRadar noted that a guitarist of his pedigree "knows his pedals, so it's worth taking note of this collaboration"²¹. He joined the Dr No artists club in 2017²².
• EarthQuaker Devices Rancho de la Luna Dirt Transmitter: a special edition conceived by Catching and EQD's Jamie Stillman to celebrate 30 years of the studio³. Stillman brought an old Dirt Transmitter to the 2023 anniversary sessions at Rancho de la Luna, and it ended up used on a lot of the recordings⁷¹. Delicious Audio reports that legend has it the pedal was abused during the session²³. The edition's art was designed by his friend Mike Egan²³.
• FRED: a pedal he created with his friends at Gran Casino Factory, which he calls "truly unique and amazing"⁴.

FAQ

What pedals does Dave Catching use?

His live and studio board holds a TC Electronic tuner, a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby, a Jim Dunlop Rotovibe, an Origin Effects M-EQ Driver, a Dr No Colossus, an EarthQuaker Devices Disaster Transport, a Solid Gold FX Lysis, a Boss Digital Delay, a Solid Gold FX EM III and an EarthQuaker Devices Astral Destiny, all feeding a Radial Big Shot ABY that splits the signal into two amps⁴.

What wah does Dave Catching use?

He keeps two Dunlop units on his board: a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby wah and a Jim Dunlop Rotovibe⁴. He also collaborated with Dr No Effects on the Roadrunner, an octave fuzz wah pedal built for and with him⁴².

What guitar does Dave Catching play?

Two favorites he has owned since 1978: a 1958 Fender Stratocaster and a 1968 Gibson Les Paul that Strings and Things of Memphis, Tennessee converted to a double cutaway in the early '70s⁴. He got his first guitar at fifteen⁴.

What amps does Dave Catching use?

He names an old Fender black panel Super Reverb he uses quite a bit, plus a black panel Princeton⁴. His collection also includes a Hiwatt, Peavey, Valhalla, Supro, Zinky, Lanham, Colby, Vox and Fucktone amps, and a custom MP amp on loan from Bill Ryan⁴.

What pedal did Dave Catching use at the Rancho de la Luna sessions?

The EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter. Jamie Stillman brought an old one to the studio's 30th anniversary sessions in 2023, it saw heavy use on the recordings, and the reissue, the Rancho de la Luna Dirt Transmitter, was conceived by Catching and Stillman to celebrate 30 years of the studio⁷¹³.

Does Dave Catching use a Rotovibe?

Yes. A Jim Dunlop Rotovibe sits on the pedalboard he uses live and in the studio, alongside a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby⁴.

Questions