As part of a series about music technology called “Noise Makers,” we’re talking to musicians about their favorite noise-making device.

When asked about the most important gear she brings on tour, Neko Case immediately points to the 1960 Fender Jazzmaster. Previously, the guitar belonged to Case’s favorite guitar player of all time, Pops Staples.

But more than its sentimental value, Case speaks of the guitar’s lower register, which she says helps her with vocal tuning: “Low end is a really hard thing to capture at a live show sometimes, if you’re singing. It’s a vibration that’s not that easy to make with your own body sometimes.” 

Plus, she simply adores it. Short on superlatives, Case let her imagination run, describing it as “a sleek panther covered in maple syrup shaking in slow motion.”

Click the media player above to hear Neko Case of the New Pornographers about her beloved 1960 Fender Jazzmaster.

Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified Pops Staples.