Built to Spill

Built to Spill formed in Boise, Idaho in 1992 around guitarist and vocalist Doug Martsch, who has remained the band's sole constant through dozens of lineup changes. Martsch plays a 1987 Fender Strat Plus with the tone control and pickup selector removed — a guitar he has played exclusively for over thirty years, modified down to a single pickup setting and a volume knob. His signal runs through three Xotic EP Booster pedals stacked for progressive gain stages, creating a sound that ranges from clean jangle to overwhelming sustained noise. Perfect From Now On and Keep It Like a Secret are considered among the greatest indie rock albums of the 1990s.