Before I changed professions and ended up talking to computers all day, I use to be a line cook at a very popular Italian restaurant in my home town. I really did like cooking, I wasn’t so much into creating recipes, etc, but I really dug working on the line. There was a great satisfaction being in the TALL weeds of a busy night and me and the A-Team crew would crush the tickets and dominate the night. There was something special working like a team in a stressful busy restaurant.

I remember one night, a fellow cook brought in Fu Manchu‘s “In Search Of…” album and I was blown away. A short time later, I picked up “The Action is Go” and “Eatin’ Dust” albums. I officially became a fan of the band.

In the kitchen there was my friend Jimmy (who is the same Jimmy that does the demos here) as well as another cook that played drums. We started joking around that we should form a Fu Manchu tribute band and play a show or two. The stupid band name ‘!Tra-Bang!’ popped out in the middle of one of our shifts and we started practicing for a gig to lay down some Fu and melt some faces. The gig was awesome and we even laid down a few tracks to document our efforts.

A few years later, Fu Manchu actually played Missoula, which was great to finally see the band up close and personal. I remember being right in front soaking in the fuzz and kick drum.

Fast forward a few more years to today, and I sit here now reading answers to gear questions I sent to Bob Balch about effects. I think that is pretty cool indeed.

Bob Balch is not only in Fu Manchu but also runs PlayThisRiff.com which is a site to learn how to play riffs by heavier bands, and are usually taught by those guitarists themselves. Bob also does lesson videos on the site breaking down scales and techniques. If you’re interested in learning some riffage or working on some heavier solos, etc. that place is a great resource! Additionally, he teaches guitar at North County Guitar Lessons in the San Diego area and offers in house and/or private skype lessons!

So I sent Bob a few questions asking about his latest pedal board below:

Creepy Fingers Creepyface Fuzz
Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
Dunlop GCB-95 Wah
Boss TU-2 Tuner
BBE Soul Vibe Phaser
Electro-Harmonix Memory Man Deluxe w/Hazarai

- Over the years, when I think of Fu Manchu, I think fuzz. What fuzz pedals have been on your board or used in the studio throughout the years?
I started with a regular Fuzz Face. I used that for years. Then I tried a Vintage Tone Project Fuzz. I had one custom made and the dude put my pic on it. Funny. Now I play a Creepy Fingers Creepy Face. I’ve used tons of different ones in the studio, but those are/were my main live ones.

- Currently, I see that you’re using the Creepy Fingers Fuzz. What did Brad Davis do right to the fuzz that makes this *the* fuzz on your board?
It has tons of gain but doesn’t get muddy. And it doesn’t feedback much either. I always wanted to most amount of fuzz with the most clarity.

- Is that Creepy Fingers Fuzz a prototype, or standard issue. Can anyone get that same exact fuzz?
You can get the same, but I have #1!!!!!!!

- Have you always been a germanium type of fuzz dude, or did you dabble in some silicon based transistors in the past?
Rarely. If it sounds good though I’ll play it.

- In my experience, you can get some pretty crazy reaction with a buffer in front of the fuzz. Have you ever explored that?
No I haven’t.

- Have you considered having multiple fuzzes on the board for different tone options?
Yes, but I haven’t yet. I just recently got a pedal board with power. I was going old school with 9volts for years. More pedals in that respect = more crap to worry about in my opinion.

- Why do you prefer the fuzz to be the first pedal in the line?
For a bigger sounding Wah.

- When I look at your board, I like the simplicity. Fuzz, Wah, Delay, Phase. I can see how this is perfect for Fu Manchu. Do you have other projects (or even with PlayThisRiff.com) that you need a board with more variety?
I have been working with tap tempo pedals a lot more with my own stuff. PlayThisRiff.com is mostly other bands showing what they play, so anything goes there.

- After your fuzz, you have the Boss NS-2 noise suppressor. Is there a particular reason why you have that in that location?
If it is on the other side of the wah it takes away a ton of sweep. I learned that the hard way after buying a new wah. Damn!

- In the past you use to ride the MXR Phase 100, but now you’re using the BBE Soul Vibe. What caused you to change? And why did you pick the BBE Soul Vibe?
BBE gave me that, and it sounds killer. I originally used a MXR that I bought off of J from WHITE ZOMBIE. After touring with WHITE ZOMBIE and FU MANCHU that Phaser got phased out. Our singer still plays his MXR though.

- If memory serves me correct, you use to run the phaser through the effects loop. What were the pros/cons of going through the effects loop with the modulation?
It just sounded more intense with the Marshall 2000. I used to play an 800 and it didn’t need the loop.

- Have you ever placed the delay in the effects loop?
Yes. I like it both ways for different reasons.

- You’re currently running the Electro-Harmonix Memory Man w/Hazarai.. a great sounding and feature rich pedal for sure. What other delays were in the line up in the past, and how is this Memory Man superior to those other delays?
I had a MXR carbon copy, and a Boss Digital Delay. I used to have a Washburn Analog too. The Memory Man is by far my favorite. I still discover new sounds on that thing after 1 year of touring with it.

- What amp(s) are you using right now?
Marshall 2000.

- For someone interested in playing heavier music, and wanting to pick up some effects, what would you recommend as a good introduction?
Creepy Fingers!

- Here are some EffectsBay staple questions that I like to ask…If you could only keep one pedal on your board, what pedal would that be? and why? The deserted island question.
Probably the Fuzz in FU MANCHU. Delay otherwise.

- What pedal are you most interested in adding.. something that’s been in the back of the mind, and just waiting for the right reason to pull the trigger on it
I want to get any delay from this link http://bit.ly/y3CHwa

- What pedal on your board do you not like, yet it consistently remains.. and you have no idea why? If any?
None really. They all serve a purpose.

- What pedal on your board, if any, would you like to upgrade or try something different?
Wah for sure. I’ve had it modded before, but I never tried any other ones. Oh wait, Lightning Bolt wah I think it was called. That thing is rare and badass. I used it on the intro to the FU song “Webfoot Witchhat.” Check it out!

Thanks Bob! Make sure you follow PlayThisRiff on Twitter and ‘like’ them on Facebook for daily lessons and news!

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Earlier this year, I had a chance to grab some lunch and a beer with John Haughm of Agalloch (and his lovely companion Veleda – you have to check out her photography!) to discuss another unrelated project. But recently, I thought it would be great to talk gear with John and how they play a role in Agalloch. Pedals, guitars and amps are always fun to talk about, but what I really like is how they *apply* to music or to the creative process. A simple fuzz pedal to one person is a completely different beast or tool to another, and it’s interesting to see how and WHY they use particular pedals.

I’ve been kicking around the idea of very gear (specifically pedals) oriented interviews by musicians for musicians for a while, so let’s start things off!

Agalloch is a dark metal band based out of Portland, Oregon. For more information, check out the website, Wikipedia, Facebook and MySpace pages! If you get a chance be sure to catch Agalloch on the road, they tour quite a bit (and to Europe).

To start, here is John’s pedal line. He’s using a bi-amp set up with half of the pedals going to one amp (78 Fender Deluxe Reverb Combo) and the other going to the other amp (Orange Rockerverb 100 MKII halfstack) with the option of running both amps (and all effects) at the same time.

Ernie Ball JR Volume Pedal -> Korg DT-10 Tuner (dedicated out from the Vol Pedal) -> TC Electronic Nova Delay -> Radial ABY Amp Switcher

-> Radial ABY for Amp Switcher -> ProCo Rat2 Distortion -> Red Witch Analog Empress Chorus -> Electro-Harmonix Freeze -> 1978 Fender Deluxe Reverb Combo
-> Radial ABY for Amp Switcher -> MXR M-152 Micro Flanger -> Boss DD-6 Digital Delay -> Boss RC-20 Loop Station -> Orange Rockerverb 100 MKII halfstack

Moogerfooger Analog Delay MF-104Z (effects loop on the Orange)
All housed on a Pedaltrain PT-2 and powered by a BBE Supa-charger

- John, how would you describe your music to someone completely unfamiliar with Agalloch?
JH: There is a long answer and a short answer to this question. The short answer is “Dark Metal”. The long answer…well we have a lot of influences that range from black metal like Bathory and Ulver to doomy stuff like Bethlehem and Katatonia all the way to stuff like Fields Of The Nephilim, Swans, Coil, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Arvo Part, Death In June, Steve Reich, and Joy Division. Our style combines a great deal of opposing musical genres to create some really dark, eclectic, heavily layered, and often longwinded compositions that ebb and flow with varying degrees of mood and depth. We have sprawling 17 minute long dynamic epics and we have 3 minute acoustic pieces. Plus ambient drone, noisy stuff, experimental folk, progressive rock tendencies, etc…

Also, my favorite band in the world is Rush. You can hear their influence all over our songwriting and especially Alex Lifeson’s influence in my playing.

- Ok, I’m sure you get asked this a lot, where/how did the name Agalloch come about?
JH: It is a rare type of wood that is burned for its aromatic smoke. The name sounded good and it didn’t pigeonhole us to a single, tangible heavy metal stereotype.

- How critical are your pedals for creating the Agalloch’s sonic atmosphere?
JH: For me especially, they are crucial because most of my parts totally depend on them. My bi-amping alone creates half of the wall of sound live.

- Has a pedal (or combination) actually gave birth to a song?
JH: Yeah, in fact I started writing a new composition the day I bought the Nova Delay. It ended up being a song on our last album called “Ghosts Of The Midwinter Fires”.

- How has the Travis Bean guitar influenced your song writing, if at all?
JH: Well I have only owned a Travis Bean since early 2009 but that guitar definitely cleaned up my very “loose and dirty” playing style. I had to get used to a guitar with such precise clarity that any sloppiness would be heard. I have played a lot of different guitars over the years but the Travis Bean is far and away the best instrument I have owned. I own three of them now (2 standards and an Artist). It is amazing what that tone can do to certain songs that used to not sound that great live….but now sound completely revitalized.

- I’m assuming everything is powered up with the Voodoo Lab PedalPower 2+ underneath?
JH: It is a BBE Supa-charger under the Pedal Train PT2. We use the Supa-charger for the voltage switching since we tour Europe a lot.

- You have 3 very different delay pedals. The MoogerFooger Analog Delay, the Boss DD-6 and the TC Electronic Nova Delay. Can you describe the differences and how they apply for your sound?
JH: The Moogerfooger is used primarily for leads and solos. The DD-6 is used with just the Orange for really noisy distorted delays. The TC Electronic is used for both the Orange and Fender simultaneously. I use it a lot for clean tone passages that require a very U2-ish pinging delay but I also use it for those moments when I want both amps effected for a full wall-of-sound atmospheric experience.

- Why do you prefer to run the MoogerFooger through the effects loop rather than through the input?
JH: It sounds cleaner. I use it for solos and leads primarily and I want those delays to be smooth and understated.

- How do you feel the Boss DD-6 holds up compared to the MoogerFooger and Nova?
JH: It’s reliable. I’ve never had a problem with it which is great for a cheap delay pedal that I’ve had forever. Sound-wise it does what I want it to do which is basically the more nasty distorted delays. I don’t like that it is not true-bypass but whatever. It doesn’t seem to affect my tone at all.

- Is there a specific task that the DD-6 can do that others can’t do as easily?
JH: It does have this cool haunting vibe to it with the settings I use. The other pedals could probably get that vibe too, but I use them for other specific sounds. But yeah…for a wicked haunting distorted delay sound from a cheap pedal that’s built like a tank, the DD-6 is just fine. Of course I’m always trying new pedals out and changing my board around so will likely replace the DD-6 eventually. For now though, it does its job.

- I see the ProCo RAT is on the the ’78 Fender Deluxe Reverb, why did you opt for that particular distortion pedal for the Fender?
JH: The RAT was recommended to me by several people so I checked it out and thought it sounded really great with the Fender, especially with that amp’s reverb. I mostly use it for texture on top of the normal gain I use from the Orange.

- Can you explain how the EHX Freeze is used? It appears to be in the effects loop, which I don’t see that often for that pedal. Is it with the Fender? Do you primarily use it in ‘latch’ mode? If so.. why?
JH: There are a couple newer songs that require a sustained note here and there. I also use it for one of our show intros which involves a very ritualistic drone that slowly builds into the first song.

- For modulation, you are using the Red Witch Chorus/Vibrato and the MXR Micro Flanger each to their respective amps. Can you let me know why you chose those modulation pedals over others?
JH: I have always loved Red Witch stuff so their chorus pedal was high on my list. Totally satisfied. Killer pedal. The MXR was something I tried in the studio. That pedal through the clean tone of a vintage Hiwatt was like a voodoo experience. I literally couldn’t stop playing ’80s post punk riffs! I had to get one! It is a great little chorus pedal that often does its job too well.

- Have you messed around with modulation in the effects loop?
JH: Yeah, whenever I get a new pedal I’ll try it with every possible configuration until I get whatever sound I’m looking for.

- There is something strange in the water over there in Portland (and in the NW in general) that promotes effects building. Have you dabbled with any of the effects that are made in your neck of the woods? Prescription Electronics, Devi Ever, Spaceman Effects, Jack Deville Electronics, VFE Electronics (WA), Catalinbread (WA) are just a few names that come to mind.
JH: I bought the Catlinbread Semaphore pedal but ended up giving it to the other guitarist in the band since he plays the majority of tremolo parts and he was looking for a killer tremolo pedal for his board. The others I haven’t tried. Our bassist uses a Monolith Lodestone which is made locally. My friend Daniel Menche (local noise legend) has a pedal made from an Altoids can! It’s awesome! Built by another local pedal artisan…

- How important is the RC-20 looper? Does Agalloch do a lot of loops?
JH: Well…we tend to use programmed ambient loops between songs while we tune. I also use it for layers of noise at the end of our set. Its clunky and takes up a lot of space….but we do use it a lot. Eventually we might just have our soundguy run these sounds through the PA but for now I kind of like being in control of them.

- I’ve asked this as a ‘community question’ in the past on EffectsBay, but if you could only keep one pedal on your board.. .what would be that pedal?
JH: Tough question….probably the Moogerfooger Analog Delay. Funny story…a Line 6 rep sent me a DL-4 for free along with a European A/C adapter for it. He’s a fan and wanted me to check out some of their stuff. I thought “Cool, I’ll use this overseas instead of the Moogerfooger”. Well, I did that and just found myself missing the Moogerfooger. The Dl-4 isn’t a bad pedal. It has some cool modulation effects that are nice for noise and such but…it just is not a replacement for the Moogerfooger Analog Delay!

- Is there a pedal or effect that you’re thinking about picking up next? If so, what are you thinking?
JH: I have been thinking more and more about guitar synth technology and maybe trying it out. I’d also like to check out more boutique delay pedals. Luckily in Portland there are several shops that carry a vast array of strange pedals that I can check out anytime.

- Is there a bastard step-child pedal on the board? Something that always bugs you, yet it remains?
JH: Not so much anymore. I have had problems with pedals in the past that I simply ditched after one tour. I had a Voodoo Lab tremolo pedal that I just hated. It lasted one show. Again, the RC-20 takes up a lot of space and we only use it between songs…which is important….but I could probably do the same with a smaller looping pedal. Another annoyance is the voltage switch on the Supa-charger is in a really bad spot under the PT2 so switching back to 120V literally involves either a toothpick and flashlight or simply unscrewing it from its mount. Not a great design.

I would like to thank John Haughm for spending a few minutes and geeking out with me. I would like to continue this series – if you’re a touring/recording guitarist/bassist or have contacts to someone that might be interested in non-traditional gear focused interview, please contact me!

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Sitting on my desk are two pedals – Heptode‘s (located in France) Deep Crunch and Heavy Tone. These pedals are in the queue for EffectsBay demo videos and sound really good.  In the meantime, I thought it would be cool to send a few questions about Heptode to Jean-Luc, owner/operator.

When I received the interview answers to my questions, one answer really spoke to me. I asked what got him into pedal development, and he mentioned how he turned 40 in 2005 and wanted to come back to his roots. I took that to heart. I tend to see friends/acquaintances “cash out” when they get older. Which I guess is fine. Settle down. Lock into the job. Put the guitar in the closet. Take care of the kids. Worry about retirement. They’re all good and we need to deal with all that, but I think it’s important to not loose the passion. Whatever that might be. Play guitar while you worry about retirement. Pursue art and still take care of the kids. I admire that Jean-Luc decided to make a change that affects his piece of mind and followed a dream. Good for you Jean-Luc! Good for you!

 - Where is Heptode located?
Heptode is located in Orsay near Paris, France.

- Does the name ‘Heptode’ have a particular meaning?
A heptode is a vacuum tube that was used as a mixer in old radios. I chose this name in reference to the tube sound that Heptode first pedals aimed to reproduce. I’m also thinking about designing a heptode-based effect pedal someday!

- How long has Heptode been in business?
The company officially started in March 2010, and the first pedals were built and sold in July 2010.

- What got you into pedal development?
I’ve always been passionate about electronics and music. I built my first amps and effects when I was a teenager in the early 80′s. Then I’ve been working for telecom and Internet companies in hardware and software development and management. In 2005, I was 40 and I wanted to ‘come back to the roots’. I restarted playing the guitar – that I unfortunately stopped – as well as I began to design amps and effects for my own needs. Some professional guitarists and people from guitar shops tried my effects and liked them very much. It convinced me to go in the effects pedal business and set up my company.

- When you started Heptode, what did you set out to achieve?
My first goal was to propose my personal vision of guitar sound and hoped there would be musicians that would share this vision. Creativity is the most important thing, just like it is in artistic domains. Also, as I had been working for years in the electronic industry, I had a good vision of what is needed to build high quality reliable products. I invested quite a lot of money in high-end tools and machines I’m using for the assembly.

- What do you see other pedal builders doing wrong.. that you try to avoid?
It’s a difficult question. I won’t say that other pedal builders are doing something wrong! Well, let’s say that I don’t want to make clones of already existing pedals. I always try to bring something new. Heptode pedals are and will always be original designs. I also don’t like noisy pedals. I try to reduce the noise as much as possible. It might be costly but worth it. And I have no taboo about technology. I may use tubes, transistors, digital processing or anything in my effects, as soon as the result is solid and reliable. Then, let your ears be the judge!

- What is your flagship or stand out pedal at Heptode?
There are two pedals available from Heptode: Deep Crunch and Heavy Tone. Both are analog pedals and inspired by the Soldano SLO-100 amp. I’m fond of the tone and the dynamic response of this amp. The pedals are not simulations of the Soldano amp. It was a starting point and the final result is my own creation. Both pedals have about the same sale success. I obviously love both of them! I’m currently working on new designs (overdrive/distortion and modulation pedals), and prototypes are being tested. New products will be launched within the next months.

- Can you explain what VST plugins
I’ve made digital simulations of the Heptode pedals and I offer them for free download on Heptode website. They are available in VST plugins format for Windows and Mac. They are intended to be used with Cubase or other similar audio software (Sonar, Audacity…). I surprised myself with the quality of the simulations. When used with a good performance audio interface, the sound is quite closed to the real analog pedals especially when the audio interface output is connected to a real guitar amp. It’s a free and easy way to feel the spirit of the Heptode pedals.

- Is it hard to get a pedal if I’m in the United States. Any US dealers?
No problem to get Heptode pedals in the US: check out the Mad Ape store at www.themadape.com. Thanks Matt! In Europe, Heptode have 34 dealers in France, U.K. and Belgium.

- Are there any noteable musicians playing Heptode pedals?
Several locally known French guitarists play with Heptode pedals. Unfortunately, no world famous musicians so far. It’s quite difficult to get in touch with them from France, but I’m working on it!

- What can I expect from a Heptode pedal?
You can expect high quality unique sounding pedals ‘fabriquees a la main en France’*!
(*hand made in France)

If you get a moment, be sure to check out Heptode’s website like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter!

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• effectsbay heptode
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I recently had a great opportunity to send over a few questions to David Quinones of Blackbird Pedalboards. Blackbird is making some beautiful and functional pedalboards allowing for completely custom designs. Checking out his site I was immediately loving the woods he was using in conjunction with the tolex protection around the frame. He is definitely working on some high quality boards, and is really starting to get his Blackbird Pedalboards out there. I was impressed to see that a Blackbird Pedalboard was on tour with Bon Iver! Not bad.. not bad at all!

Below is a short interview with David Quinones of Blackbird Pedalboards. Please check out the website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!

- What prompted you to start Blackbird Pedalboards?
I was looking at getting a pedalboard for myself but couldn’t find one I was comfortable with. The main problem was that I didn’t like a flat board but didn’t like the feel of my wah or volume pedal on a sloped board. So the only solution I found was to make my own that had two platforms-a sloped area for my stompboxes and a flat area for my treadle pedals. Once people started seeing the design I kept getting asked to make them boards to suit there own setups. Everything just took off after that.

- How long have you been in business?
I made my first board in 2008 and started selling the boards online in 2009.

- What makes your pedalboards stands out from the pack?
The multi-platform design would be the biggest difference to anything else on the market but asides from function we have strived to make the aesthetics of our boards like nothing else out there. We combine over 40 different options of tolex, carpet and hardwoods to craft a one of a kind board every time. Each board is tailor made to the customer’s specs but we maintain competitive prices to keep us on point with the larger companies.

- What are some of the most important considerations when designing pedalboards?
Since there are so many options to customize, the biggest consideration is the customer’s setup. You want to make sure everything from size to color and layout is exactly what they have in mind. Making sure the customer is involved in every step of the decision making process helps ensure the perfect custom board.

- What is the process for the musician to get a pedalboard designed (custom)?
We have made the process of designing a custom board as easy as possible through our webiste. Our interactive order form allows the customer to select the size and options that they want and get a price with shipping instantly. If they want to place the order they are emailed a price breakdown with instructions to complete payment and then we start building the board.

- Is there anything you *won’t* do when it comes to a custom pedalboard?
Everything is fair game when it comes to size and materials. I don’t like stepping on other builder’s toes, so the only things I wont put on the boards are things that define a competitor’s product. So no racing stripes, rails or lights on a Blackbird. I feel the Blackbird design stands out by itself.

- Do your pedalboards come with a flight case?
We offer two styles of flightcases with each custom board. We have a light duty case that is made out of 1/4″ laminate with aluminum edging and ATA style hardware. The other options is a full spec 300 ATA case. Both are handmade to the dimensions of the board and ensure a perfect fit to protect your pedals.

- You offer any custom routing/looping? Why I ask this, personally, I like my wah in the middle vs. the end or front of the chain.
Our wah wedge feature can be placed in any location on the board, not just far left or right. There is also enough clearance underneath the board to run all of your cables across the different sections of the board while keeping the top clean.

- Speaking of wah, can you explain the Wah Wedge?
Like I mentioned earlier, the wah wedge is what made me start Blackbird in the first place. I liked the feel of a sloped board for accessing several rows of pedals but hated how far my ankle had to go to use the full throw of my wah or volume pedal. The wedge allows your treadle pedals to stay parallel to the floor and can be made to any size. Also as mentioned earlier the wah wedge can be located in any position on the board and a board can have multiple wah wedges. It is definitely our most popular feature.

- What are your price ranges for a board?
The boards start at $110 for a 15×20″ board and go up based on size and add-ons such as locking jacks or power inlets.

- What is the turn around time for building a board?
Since every board is hand made and is different for each customer we usually run 4 weeks on custom boards.

- Can I purchase a board directly from your site, or do you sell through dealers? If so, who.
Custom boards are sold directly on our website but we do have stock sizes that are distributed through our dealers around the world. Prymaxe Vintage in the US, Tone Blue in Japan, Vintage Gitar in Norway and String Co. in Thailand.

- Any notable musicians using Blackbird?
Nashville giant, Brent Mason is rocking a blonde Blackbird with middle wah wedge and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver has a white and hardwood board that he is using on his current tour. We have also built boards for several effects companies such as Analogman Effects and Dwarfcraft Devices.

Blackbird on tour with Bon Iver

- What’s the deal with your referral system?
If you refer someone and they place an order for a custom board then you earn $10 via Paypal. There is a referral section where they can put your name and email on the order form and you receive the payment once they pay for the board. There is no limit to how many referrals you can earn.

- What’s the biggest board you’ve made?
The biggest board belongs to a customer named Bob Gore who ordered two boards; the first a 16×26″ board for his acoustic and the second a mammoth 16×70″ board for his electric rig. Both boards were wrapped to match his red and blonde Dr. Z amps and came with their own ATA flightcases.

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I had a great opportunity to send some questions over to Joshua of FXdoctor. For those of you that aren’t familiar with FXdoctor, it’s a shop out of Boston, MA building, customizing and repairing pedals and amplifiers since 2001.  Taking a look at their website and blog I was immediately impressed with the look of the pedals. From super clean/pro to crazy and off the wall. Their range of effects is broad as well – from volume to fuzz to overdrive to oscillation noise makers.

When initially hitting their site, I noticed their kickstarter campaign. I’ve seen a few companies do this to start development on prototype units, etc., but this is a little different.. and it really caught my eye. Their kickstarter campaign is to do a US tour of major cities to demo their product line. I think this is a great way to get out there and get noticed by musicians as well as various dealers.

Here is a great video explaining the campaign as well as a demo of the Super 8 Bit Fuzz and Scalpel Volume.

So I emailed Joshua a few questions about FXdoctor, and this is what he had to say:

- What got you into working on pedals?
When I was about 12 years old my first guitar cable broke and my natural curiosity got the best of me. My father told me it was as simple as resoldering the connector and my obsession with modifying my gear spread from there.

- At what point did you decide to work on your own line of pedals?
Probably around 2000 or 2001 I decided to make a switchable treble/clean boost for my Sovtek MIG100H. It had this awful red, white, and blue paint scheme which was terrible but the pedal sounded awesome.

- What pedal is your hot seller?
The hot seller for pedals has always been the Scalpel and the Super 8-Bit Fuzz. For modifications the Phase 90 mods and Whammy true bypassing has been incredibly popular this year.

- I see that you do pedal re-housing. Do you find a lot of people requesting this?
Rehousings are a funny thing; the labor costs more than most of the pedals are worth but some people are so attached to the tone that they’ll pay to have it last forever. It’s been very popular over the years and has always been one of my favorite aspects of my job.

- What’s the story on your oscillation pedals?
While working on new pedals sometimes I like to entertain myself with designing circuits to make strange noises for use in mixing and post-production. Some of the more abitious musicians even work them into their live sets.

- Loved the Tetris inspired enclosures. Are you going to continue to do those?
Man, what a pain!  My dream is to make my entire pedalboard and rehouse everything into tetris shaped pedals. Unfortunately the cost is high and the time to assemble is outrageous.  I originally made them as a challenge to myself but unless they are requested I won’t be stocking them in the future.

-How are the individual squares secured on each pedal?
I sanded down the sloped edges so they were flush, used epoxy to keep it level, and screwed everything together.

- How is the 8Bit Fuzz Kickstarter campaign going?
It’s going great! I’ve had so many people email me just to give input and help me find places to visit. We’ve hit the $1000 goal and more importantly made a lot of great contacts and friends.

- What inspired you to design the 8Bit Fuzz?
I’ve always been a fan of vintage gaming consoles and especially the soundtracks. Contra and Ducktales were probably my two favorites!

- Are you working on any new designs?
We always have new designs in the works. We just finished our latest revision of our Preamp pedal (3-band EQ with gain and volume controls) and a Super Bass Bit fuzz to compliment the Super 8-Bit Fuzz.

- How does the future for FXDoctor looking? Staying busy? Staying inspired?
Things have been going well. We’re working on making our pedals in larger quantities while looking better and costing less. So yes we’ve been very busy! Hopefully, our tour of the US will be a source of inspiration.

As you can see FXdoctor is doing some great things, be sure to check them out at their website and like them on Facebook when you get a chance!

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I had a chance to send some questions over to Chad Beeler of BassEFX.com. For those of you don’t know, BassEFX.com is a new site that is providing a great selection of effect pedals for the bass players out there. Chad definitely knows his stuff when it comes to bass, bass tone and effects, and he’s bringing in his knowledge to BassEFX.com.

When it comes to effects, some bass players benefit from one-on-one guidance. At BassEfx.com, you get it. Chad Beeler, a seasoned bass professional, can help you find, modify, or augment any sound.  Whether you want just the right amount of balls, anger, funkiness or beauty, Chad gets what you’re talking about. He’s played bass for more than 30 years, used every effect imaginable, and equipped some of the world’s best known bass players. 

A few days ago I had a great conversation with him on the phone, and wanted to send some questions his way. Here is the interview:

- What prompted you to start BassEFX.com?
I got frustrated trying to research pedals for not only myself, but for customers who had some specific requests.  Google-ing “bass effects” listed the usual suspects:  Guitar Center, Amazon, Musician’s Friend, etc…then a laundry list of random pedals. None, as it turned out, were what I was looking for.  So the light bulb moment came when I asked my self “Man, why isn’t there a central web site with effects targeting bass players?”  With 20 years in bass specific retail, I said to myself, “Why the hell don’t I do it?”  So I did it.

- Tell us about your past experience in the music industry.
I co-founded and ran Bass Northwest in Seattle for 15 years, (1994-2009) and prior to that, worked in the bass department at Seattle Music, a rather cool shop downtown.  I still work at Bass NW on very limited part-time basis to help out and stay in the loop musically.

- Do you see more bass players using effects?
Absolutely!  Some are looking for a specific effect or getting a game plan together, others are just starting to explore, but more and more are pushing the envelope with extensive, well thought out pedal boards that are constantly evolving. It’s a facet of the bass community that’s definitely getting bigger.

- What are some things you would recommend to avoid when it comes to effected bass?
First, I recommend avoiding bad advice.  Players, whether bass or guitar, have a sonic goal in mind.  It’s a path we’re all on, we don’t necessarily know the direction, but subjective and unqualified opinions make for unnecessary detours.  It’s easy to ask and get answers to “what’s the best pedal for this or that?”, but unless you know what instrument, amp, or cabinet the player is using or what kind of style or tone they want to emulate, you can’t offer or get a helpful answer.  I work very hard at asking all the right questions and giving thoughtful, professional advice.

Second, (and last) avoid buying pedals to correct your tone.  If you don’t like the tone of your bass, amp, cabinet, or any combination of those, fix that problem first. If you can’t afford to do that, make what you have work.  Use your EQ, your hands, your mind, your heart, your cojones, whatever, just make it work.  If your fundamental sound, (the tone you’re using 95% of the time), ain’t cuttin’ it, fix it.  Effects can help create and augment your tone, but if your tone is weak from the get go, buying effects to help will only be frustrating and expensive.  In other words, you can put diamonds around a dog’s ass…but it’s still a dog’s ass.

Otherwise, get to it and have fun!

- What pedals do you think are incredibly useful for a bass player?
Given the dynamic and sonic range of the instrument, compressors and outboard preamps are typically the fundamental building blocks to focused, fat tone.  Which pedals in particular?  That’s a personal, subjective call.  You get a good deal of EQing on your bass and/or amplifier and some compressing or limiting capabilities on some amps, but what you create in between, signal-wise, can define your signature sound.  Everything else, whether it be modulating, filtering, octave dividing, overdriving, distorting, delaying, etc… opens wide a giant sonic palate on which to geek out accordingly.

- How do you feel about using guitar focused effects on bass? Or do you recommend using pedals tailored specifically for bass?
Everything’s fair game. Experiment with all of it.  Some pedal groups: distortion, fuzz, overdrive, for example, may work much better for guitar than bass on paper and in the real world, but that doesn’t mean a bassist can’t incorporate any of those in creating or augmenting their tone.  It’s totally subjective and there are no rules.  However, bass players are very concerned with “losing low end” when stepping on a pedal. And, since the majority of players have one main rig, there is definitely an awareness of this when choosing a pedal. Bass specific pedals more precisely address the dynamic and sonic range of the instrument and can help minimize low end loss when the pedal is stomped.  Therefore, I’m a proponent of having a separate rig for effects and “A,B,Y-ing” the signal to the appropriate rig, that’s the best way to preserve the fundamental low end and use effects you may not try otherwise.   But, that’s not a realistic and/or feasible choice for a solid majority of players, economically or otherwise. So, that’s why bass-specific pedals are usually looked at first, though, some pedals designed for guitar fit nicely in the bass realm.

Bottom line, (as lame as it may come across,) use what works for you.

- Are there things to consider when dealing with amps and effects. Drawbacks of effects with Solidstate vs. Tube amps?
There aren’t really any drawbacks regarding amps.  But solid state and tube amps behave differently, so adjustments on whatever pedals you use will vary a bit.  Most bass amps, new lightweight class D amps included, are of hybrid design, with usually at least one 12AX7 tube at the preamp stage to warm things up along with a solid state power section, so again it just comes down to trying out pedals with a particular system, seeing what works best and tweaking accordingly.  The biggest drawback is that most bass cabs are full-range with some sort of tweeter or horn.  And if you run overdrive or distortion through a horn, you get a harsh bumblebee-ish sound, so the horn has to be dialed way back.  Unfortunately, that means when you go back to a clean sound and you want to slap and pop, for example, you lose that crystally high end.  So it’s a bit of a conundrum, but still solvable.

- What are the hot builders when it comes down to bass effects?
There are many great builders.  The bigger players, MXR, Aguilar, Tech 21, etc.. are making great stuff.  A newer company that I’m impressed with is Source Audio.  They’re smart, forward thinking, and they’re creating some very cool stuff for bass players including the Bass Envelope Filter Pro, Programmable EQ, and the Hot Hand products.  The boutiques I’m digging lately are 3Leaf Audio, Darkglass, and Wren & Cuff.

- Are there any new pedals coming down the pipe that you’re excited about?
Yes.  I’m very excited to be the first U.S. dealer for Darkglass Electronics, hand built in Finland. Their Microtubes B3K overdrive pedal has generated a massive buzz and I can’t wait to get my mitts on one.  I’m also excited about an exclusive pedal for BassEFX.com that I am collaborating on with Spencer Doren of 3Leaf Audio fame.  Spencer is a genius and it’s going to be an amazing bass-oriented EQ, DI, and headphone amp.  A “Swiss Army Knife” that’s designed to be a pedal that every bass player would want or need, with all aspects of it delivering at the highest level.  I have been in the business a long time and I can say that this will be one of the best pedals ever produced.  Price will be under $300.00 and, hopefully, it will find its way onto everyone’s pedal board.

- As a bass player, what pedals should probably be avoided.. if any?
None.  Check as much stuff out as you can.  Even the crappiest or weirdest pedal may have some attribute that you dig.  Maybe it won’t find its way onto your pedal board, but having a range of effects can stoke you creatively for recording or song writing.  Just keep your ears and your mind open.

- Who are some of your favorite bass players that are known for using effects to shape their tone?
There are waaaay too many to list.  The two that popped into my mind first are:

Dug Pinnick from King’s X.  Dude’s tone is epic, giant, and just plain filthy.  “Black the Sky” on the “Dogman” album is probably the coolest rock tone ever.  It blends a fat fundamental and tube driven distortion that is perfectly executed.  Most of it is created through a giant couple of racks of compressors and EQs in addition to Ampeg and Traynor amps.  Not a lot pedal wise, by I’ve made it a personal mission to emulate his tone in a downsized rig with the appropriate pedals.

Next is Tony Levin.  He wields compression like a broad brush stroke with his Music Man basses and adds bits of other effects, (octavers, chorus, distortion) in subtle but effective ways.  Combine all that perfectly crafted bass lines, dynamics, and use of space and you get a phenomenal bassist and musician.

It was great to talk with Chad. I think it’s awesome to have a site that focuses on bass effects. I know when I post bass related products here at EffectsBay.com, the feedback from bass players has been huge. Please check out BassEFX.com on the web and their page on Facebook.

Chad is also offering a EffectsBay.com exclusive coupon code for BassEFX.com! Simply use the code EFFECTSBAY10 at checkout and save 10% off of your order.  This offer is good til the 15th of November. Thanks Chad!

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Yesterday, I found this interesting video/interview of Steve Albini from December 9, 2010. I really like his style and angle of ‘engineer’ vs. ‘producer’ and how he focuses on capturing the instrument. I thought some of things in this interview was pretty interesting. The segue music is enough to put a ice pick through my ears though, but if you can get through that, there are some cool points discussed in here.

You can read the full post at leedsmet.ac.uk

After watching this I was contemplating a few points. Interested what you think as well (please comment below). One big point was the archivable media discussion. It’s interesting to think that analog is so archivable where digital media is not, based on formatting technologies, etc. On one hand.. I agree. Thinking about a Edison phonograph using a beeswax cylinder with grooves is still playable today.  The argument over digital is that the technology will change, formats are lost and old devices go away. I guess on one hand I agree. Needle and groove technology is simple. All phonographs could go away. It’s pretty hard to find a Edison phonograph today, but I guess you could build one. I think that’s one point that Steve didn’t consider.. at some point someone could write software to read an unsupported format. I know it’s not easy, but I don’t think whipping out a quality phonograph isn’t super simple either.

Another point that I’ve been pondering. And I want to say, I’m not arguing or disagreeing, but just thinking out loud. Steve mentioned the issues that he was not comfortable dealing with in the digital medium. He talked about virtual space, formatting, etc. I definitely agree, dealing with some of these things suck. I also personally have issues with working with virtual interfaces. I sorta need dials… me thinks. But, I would also have to say there are some big deals on the analog side of things. Head alignments, demagnitization, cleaning, there are a ton to consider. For a while there I remember working with digital ADATs (digital information stored in a analog format – SVHS tapes) and having to deal with interpolation errors, and having to clean the units after X amount of hours. Those are definitely issues to consider when working with physical devices that record. Also, we haven’t even talked about cost. For very little cost you could be up and running in the digital world with no media costs (beyond drives). Analog machines definitely have a higher price tag for purchase, as well as time/money for maintenance, spare parts, etc.

I think it really comes down to your comfort zone and what you’re familiar with.  If you’re familiar with one, it’s hard to go 180 degrees to the other way.. for anyone or anything.  Steve Albini is a master in the analog world, there is no point trying to argue that he needs to explore digital. What’s the point? Likewise, if you’re a virtual digital guru, why preach that you need to go to tape. Both have pros and cons, it comes down to what you’re interested in, what you’re familiar with, and what you think sounds the best. Either way, I thought his talk was very interesting and obviously it got me thinking.. which is a good thing.

Love to hear your thoughts on this, please comment below!

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This interview of Zakk Wylde on AOL’s Creep Show was originally posted at Ephiphone (read original post), but I thought it was a pretty entertaining interview for a Music Monday morning! Hope you enjoy!

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Starting in the 90s I’ve been really into a band called Silkworm. They were originally from my hometown of Missoula, Montana and during the late 80s or possibly 1990, they moved to Seattle. During their time there, they refined their distinctive sound. I was always a fan of their energy, their lyrical style, their melodies and absolutely loved their tone. Later, the band moved to Chicago and came to a grinding halt in 2005 when Michael Dahlquist, their drummer, was killed along with 2 others in a bizarre car crash/murder. The surviving members of the band later formed Bottomless Pit, which is absolutely fantastic, and you check it out.

January 2000, I had an opportunity to interview the band (via email) for a online zine titled Morph that never happened. That interview has been sitting on a backup file server for almost 10 years, and I thought it would be cool to bust it out on Effects Bay!

Silkworm Jan/2000

MORPH: What was your experience living and playing in Missoula in the early days?  Where did you play?  How was the local reception to early silkworm / Ein Heit?

SKWM:  We were young and dumb and excited about the rock, so the marginal interest with which we were greeted wasn’t dispiriting.
Being in a weirdo rock band was something of a novelty at that point.  We didn’t get many interesting rock groups coming through Missoula.  This was very pre-Nirvana, after all.  Our friends who weren’t big into the rock thought the whole thing was sort of alien, which made them curious.

We built up a following over years of playing, first EH and then SKWM.  EH had a rougher time of it.  There were no places to play for EH, and that band was just kind of ahead of its time, in Missoula at least.  Silkworm was at that time a little more accessible than EH, and we had a smattering of the old EH crowd to spur us on.  Most shows for both bands involved renting halls (the Moose, Elks, Valley Dance Studio) and p.a. equipment and doing the whole shebang ourselves.  Luckily for SKWM, Crickets (all-ages place) appeared at a certain point, and we did some less labor-intensive shows there.

Mostly we just depended on ourselves for sustenance, a pattern that continues to this day.

MORPH:  What was the final driving force to get the band out of Missoula.

SKWM:  Well, we’d done all we could there.  You can only play the Moose Lodge basement so many times before you start to feel like you’re going in circles.

Joel and I kind of forced the issue with Ben Koostra, the group’s original drummer, and he quit, not wanting to travel out-of-state, much less move.  Andy came back to MSLA one summer, the three of us rocked out with a drum machine, and we all decided to throw caution to the wind and set out for the Big City.

MORPH:  What were the early days like in Seattle for you.

SKWM:  We ate copious amounts of shit.  I mean, really, we were excited to be here, so we didn’t mind at the time, but it took us four years to find a label willing to release our records!  We played every dump in town.  It was insane.  I can’t imagine how we did it.  We would play in Bellingham every goddamn month, Seattle a couple times a month, practice three or four times a week.  We cut our teeth very thoroughly those first few years.  THEN we started to tour.

MOPRH:  Did you go through many drummers before finding Michael Dahlquist??

SKWM:  Zero, after Ben.  We lucked out, but we also had the good sense to realize that Michael was the right fit as a guy and had everything necessary to kick ass as a drummer.

MORPH:  How was the reception in the Seattle scene.  Was it good or bad and could you point out as to why.

SKWM:  General indifference.  Crowds were very small and all that.  But places were always willing to book us, for some reason, and a little cadre of fans would show up to each show.  It definitely was not a ‘good’ reception, but we felt that we were making progress as a musical entity and that our music of the moment was worthy of an airing.

MORPH:  Were there ever doubts that you would succeed as a band then, or did you always feel confident that you would produce albums and tour.  If there were any doubts, please explain.

SKWM:  I always knew we would do what we wanted to do, which was make records we really liked, with minimal hassle, and play a lot of shows.  The other guys may have had doubts, but if I had any, I’ve conveniently blocked them out.  My memories are of a solid conviction that we were the real thing, and that we would outlast every other flavor-of-the-month band as long as we didn’t allow external factors–audience size, reviews, etc.–to influence us.

MORPH:  Was the separation of Joel Phelps and Silkworm a mutual decision, and did it go smoothly?

SKWM:  Ah, it was a fuckin’ mess.  Joel hated the touring life, and that’s the life we all lived from mid-’92 until he quit in late ’94.  The whole thing just got on his nerves, including us and our sub-juvenile banter.

The last two weeks of our last tour together were a total nightmare for everybody.  Joel quit in San Francisco; undoubtedly, we would have had some kind of showdown if he hadn’t done so.  It was a painful separation at that time.

Now, we get along rather well.  Water under the bridge.

MORPH:  Was this before signing to Matador, also, how did signing to matador come about?

SKWM:  We signed to Matador a few months after Joel quit.  We had played footsie with a couple majors before that, but the whole big label scene grossed us out.  The trio made some recordings in Missoula with Steve Albini, and we were dithering about what we were going to do.  Steve asked us what we _wanted_ to do.  We said the only labels we liked were Matador and Touch and Go.  He said that if we wanted to be on those labels, we’d have to ask, ’cause both labels had plenty on their plates without having to recruit ‘talent.’  So we asked:  voila.

MORPH:  After releasing 2 albums (Firewater / Developer) under Matador, Silkworm was let go from the label.  Did you think this was the end of Silkworm?

SKWM:  Oh, shit no.  Matador is a very nice record label, but it’s still just a record label.  Record labels mean absolutely nothing to me artistically.  We liked being on Matador because the staff was (is) real cool and we liked some of the other bands on the label.
But we as Silkworm are no more wed to our record label than we are to our accountant.

MORPH:  How is it working with Steve Albini?

SKWM:  It’s lucky.  He’s the best.

MORPH:  Did you (Tim and Andy) know Steve while you were living in Missoula?

SKWM:  No, we didn’t.  We had a friend or two in MSLA who had been acquainted with Steve in high school.  Also, a couple of teachers in common.

MORPH:  What was the main decision to go to Touch and Go.  Was it on recommendation by Albini?

SKWM:  We had to choose between Matador and T&G when we signed with Matador.  Since we were 25 grand in debt at the time, and Matador was pretending we were going to sell some records, we went with them and wiped out our credit card debts instantly.  T&G was at least equal to Matador in every other way, but they didn’t throw money around like that, and we needed someone to throw some money at us.

We had heard nothing but good things about T&G from anybody, incl. Steve, and it’s all true, as it turns out.

MORPH:  Since the band members now live in different cities…. what is the future for silkworm?

SKWM:  Things are going very well.  Our timeline is just stretched out a bit.  We’re pretty much on the Shellac plan:  every year of old SKWM activity takes two years now.

MORPH:  (Question for Andy… how was it playing with Bush and how did that come about)…follow up….what was it like to lay down the “rock” in a stadium setting.  Any female underwear on the stage stories???

[Andy]:  Yes, a little female underwear on the stage, but it sure wasn’t up there for me.  Gavin’s the source of any attention like that.

Playing with Bush was nothing but fun.  They’re really good guys and their music is really fun to play, especially when there are 30,000 screaming people there who are into it.  Different reaction than I am used to from the Silkworm crowd.  Laying down the rock in a stadium setting is a lot like laying down the rock in a big club.  Since the venue is so big, you don’t get any acoustic feedback from the PA, so all you hear is the monitors and the stage sound, so from the perspective on stage, you can’t tell you’re playing anywhere especially big.  Unless you look at the crowd.

I got the gig because I’m friends with their guitarist Nigel, and because Steve A. was kind enough to second Nigel’s recommendation when Gavin called him for advice about who to use.

MORPH: Out of all of the albums and songs recorded…are there any that stand out in particular? (translation—- what album do you like best….what song do you like best)…and why?

SKWM: I always like the new one best.  We keep getting better.  The new one we just finished is my favorite.

MORPH:  What albums / bands do you like listening to now, other than your own… and why?

SKWM:  I like the Black Cat Orchestra, this really great kind of Weimar Germany dancehall-type band.  They play all this pre-WWII Eastern European kind of stuff, but it’s done in a really supple, rollicking fashion, not like a rock band and not like a bunch of
slacker cocktail freaks.  For some reason, I think they’d go over like gangbusters in Missoula.  I like Goatsnake, this super-heavy band from L.A.  I like Shellac a lot.  I like the new Cobra Verde album.  I like Kinski, Germanic droner people from out here.  I liked Pavement.  Other than that, I only like old stuff because I’m old myself.  The last record I listened to was a Dolly Parton best-of.  Besides Goatsnake.

MORPH:  What can we expect from the upcoming album (what is the title and when is the expected release date)

SKWM:  We haven’t settled absolutely on a title yet.  Should be out in June.

MORPH:  Where was it recorded / and who engineered it?

SKWM:  We recorded it at Steve’s beautiful studio, Electrical Audio of Chicago.  Steve recorded it, of course.

MORPH:  will it be released on Touch and Go

SKWM:  Yes.

MORPH:  You have a well maintained and visited web site, how long has it been running?

Tim:  Uh, at the moment it’s down, actually.

Michael:  …but it’s back up now, by Christ, and it will be as long as I can stand it. It’s been running for about two years now, I think. Just about two years exactly. A guy named Brian Eck ran one before we took it over, but he’s probably forgotten all about it by now.

MORPH:   Will you be offering any MP3 downloads at this site in the future.

Tim:  I hate MP3s.  I think they sound like poo.  I’m lobbying against them being forced into a position of preeminence as a digital audio format.  They THROW AWAY even more shit than CDs!  That you supposedly ‘can’t hear!’  CDs are bad enough already!

So, I doubt it.

Michael:  I’ve put some Real Audio shit on the web site, and it sounds incredibly awful, even next to MP3s, which make everyone, and everything, sound like they’ve got a gob of spit in their waddle. That’s the appealing thing about Real Audio, in a way – it’s meant to give you an idea of what something sounds like, as opposed to MP3s, which people somehow think can serve as an actual source of good-sounding music.

If I ever get the feeling that people understand how shitty MP3s sound, I won’t mind them so much. But people using them as a substitute for good sounding music, fuck that noise man! Fuck that shit!

I’m thinking of making some MP3s out of crappy live tapes of weird songs we never play, though. I think that might be fun.

MORPH:  Do any of you want to finish with any final thoughts for the Missoulians reading this interview??

Tim:  Wear your bike helmet.
Michael:  Have a “naked lunch” party. Serve “ecstasy oysters.”

MORPH:  Lyrically silk worm is unbelievable!!!  How do you all approach song writing?  Do you tap into personal events?  Do you consciously intend to write about something ..or does it develop on its’ own on the subconscious level?

Tim:  A little of everything for me.

Andy:   I don’t know because I’ve had ghost writers compose every lyric on our records.

Michael:  It’s nice of you to ask. Generally I just whisper ideas into their heads while they’re sleeping, or while Andy and I are spooning and he’s starting to twitch.

TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
Tim Midgett
MORPH:  What bass do you primarily record with?

Tim:  Travis Bean Wedge Bass, though I used Steve’s ‘Dumb Bass’ a lot on the new record.  He bought it at Electronic Sound and
Percussion in like 1981.  It’s basically a crappy knockoff of those Hofner ‘violin basses.’

MORPH:  Do you go on tour with Travis Bean basses?

Tim:  Travis Beans are all I play live.

MORPH:  What kind of amps do you prefer / use (for live and for recording, if different)?

Tim:  Live, I’ve been using Ampeg V4s.  The baritone guitar sounds killer through it, and it’s also a really good bass amp.

Recording, usually V4 or older Fender Bassman.  Or whatever else seems like it might do the job.

MORPH:  What kind of fuzz do you use?

Tim:  I used to use a Walter Woods solid-state amp for bass.  Good amp, but a bit clean.  At that time, I used a modified Chandler Tube Driver to dirty it up.

Now, I use no pedals.

MORPH:  Do you follow a basic formula when writing songs. (Do you come up with the bass line first then build from there)?

Tim:  I generally pick up whatever is lying around and twank on it.  Usually what is lying around is an unplugged electric guitar or my crackerbox acoustic.

Occasionally, I will make up a bass line in my head and use it, but not real often.

MORPH:  do you have a particular gear nightmare incident? (amp blew up…broken necks, etc)

Our gear is meticulously maintained, so we don’t really have any trouble with it.

Andy Cohen
MORPH:  What guitars do you record with?

Andy:  Steve A’s Veleno, a metal guitar from the ’70′s, Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul

MORPH:  What amps do you use on tour and recording.  (I’ve seen and heard the matchless…are there any others that you use?)

Andy:  Recording: Matchless, ’57 Fender Deluxe, have rented a Vox AC 30, our first 3 records were all done with a Rivera half stack I used to have.  Tour: I used to use a Rivera stack, to the horror of many people.  I’ve been using that 30 watt Matchless for a few years now, but I just bought an old Marshall half stack to use out in Chicago and points East, so I’ll be rocking again in at least part of the country.

MORPH:  Are there particular amps that use for specific songs during recording?

Andy:  Yes.  I remember almost every amp/guitar used on every song, so if there’s one in particular you are curious about, I can probably tell you what I used.

MORPH:  The guitar tone sounds refreshingly dry…do you ever use any effects besides distortion

Andy:  Yes.  I also use room ambiance.

MORPH:  Do you have any philosophies when it comes to writing / creating songs?

Andy:  No.  It’s good to try to write a direct rip off of another song because if you do it right, it will be really good and unrecognizable from the ripped-off song  and no one will ever know the source of your inspiration.

Michael Dahlquist
MORPH:  What drum kit do you use?

Michael:  I play a Spoon-Hooter on tour and an old Wangbister in the studio.

MORPH:  When recording…. you have a similar drum tones to older albums like zepplin, etc.  Did you pick up on this while recording with Albini.  The roomy natural drum tone.

Michael:  The sound is due in part to Albini’s smarts, in part to the size of the Wangbister kick (28″), and in part to the way that I play.  I could never tell you how it is that I play that makes it sound special, but everyone always says that how I play has something to do with it, so at this point, arrogant son of a bitch that I am, I believe them.

MORPH:  The kick sounds like its thumping in an abandoned high school gym, what’s the secret?

Michael:  I’ve got those Remo “natural” faux-calf-skin heads on all of the Wangbister  drums, both front and back heads. That’s one thing – heads on both sides of the kick, and those “retro” Remo heads are great, especially on nice “retro” kits like the Wangbister. On the Spoon-Hooter I just put regular Remo half-wacks, just something that can take the punishment of the road.

It’s definitely odd for me to read this today. This was a interview after their Blueblood release. I really wish the interview could have been released in 2000, but I’m super glad that I held on to it for some reason.

There is currently a feature length documentary in the works for Silkworm title “Couldn’t You Wait?“. Here is the trailer.. It looks amazing.

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