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Q: Could
you recommend an overdrive pedal that will allow me to use jazzier
voicings in a rock fusion context without the usual associated
muddiness? - from Paul
A: There
are many good distortion pedals. Personally, I like the RAT pedal and
also the gree Ibanez one. But nothing beats the sound of an amp in
overdrive.
Q: I was
wondering how much you use your guitar volume knob(s) on stage for
varying the volume, distortion and tone of your sound? Some players
seem to do everything with pedals while others use the guitar volume
more. Which method do you prefer? I'm especially interested in your
approach to the Les Paul as I recently switched to a Les Paul after
many years of playing Strats and/or Teles and I'm finding it quite
tough to get the right settings for varying between clean/dirty and
rhythm/lead sounds on stage. Any advice would be much appreciated. -
from Paul
A: When I
am playing the Strat I prefer to use the volume pedal to change my
level which does slightly affect the sound. When I use the volume on
the Strat it isn't so great. But it is with the Les Paul that I find
the volume knob most useful or prominent. I can turn the level down
and get a clean sound and grunge it up by turning it up. It's with the
Les Paul I have more control with the sound especially by adjusting
the pick-up levels when I am in the middle position. I am hooked on
the Les Paul.
Q: I
noticed, that you are using lot of BOSS's gear. Did you ever have
problems (sucking tone, level lost, height loss, etc) with those boss
FX pedals, because they are not true bypass - they use a tone buffer,
so that the sound is influenced in the bypass mode to. Lots of
musicians prefer to use only true bypass equipment. Or do you have
some true bypass switch is or true bypass modifications in your stomp
boxes? Or are you using some external tube buffer or something like
that? And one more question - what wah pedal(s) are you using? - from
Adam
A: I do
use Boss pedals and a few others too. I had a pedal board designed by
Pete Cornish which gives me the best possible performance out of these
simple pedals. It's all hard wiring which gives the best or clearest
signal. It is also fool proof, meaning if one goes down during a show
it can be automatically bypassed. I can change the order of the pedals
without moving them by way of wiring. My guitar tech knows more about
the potential of this pedal board than I do. I use a Dunlop wah wah.
Q: I'm
curious as to what kind, but also the make and settings of reverb you
use when you record. Especially the reverb on the demos that you have
on your website at present. I know that your technique has a lot to do
with the purity of your sound but the way you utilise the reverb is
just heavenly! - from Gary
A: I use a
Lexicon PCM 90. I love this machine.
Q: I was
wondering at what point you utilize the boss heavy metal pedal on your
board? Is it something reserved for a specific instrument (Strat vs
Les Paul) or do you use it for solos? I have this pedal and and
struggle with its tone. How do you set yours and I suppose what
application do you use this vs. the Boogie distortion. I've seen many
of Stings DVD videos of the group in a studio setting and wonder how
that tone is achieved. Just one more thing, will the black Fernandes
Strat ever return or has it been retired? it sounded great and looked
too cool!! - from Andrew
A: I am
always experimenting with different distortion pedals. The Boss Heavy
Metal retired a while ago so now I use an Ibanez one which I really
like. It's best for solos or smooth grunge rhythm parts. For more
traditional grunge I use the Boogie dirty channel. The black Fernandes
might well make a come back!
Q: I saw
you use different kinds of pedals, and you get many different sounds
too (e.g. 'If I Ever Lose My Faith', 'This War', 'Sacred Love'...). I
wonder if it isn't difficult to change from one pedal to another all
the time. What do you think about multi-effects processors like Mesa
Boogie Triaxis? - from Luis
A: I
prefer separate effects pedals to the multi-effect ones because they
are more specific and just focus an a particular sound. Sometimes it
feels like I am tap dancing with all the changes I make which are very
often spontaneous. With Multi-effects pedals this would be hard to
achieve.
Q: I would
like to ask you about your pedal board. What are the pedals and
specially what is the order the you switch them. I use a Jim Dunlop
GCB-95 Cry Baby Wah Pedal, a Boss FV-50H volume pedal, a Boss CH-1
chorus, a Boss TR-2 tremolo, a Boss DD-5 delay and a Marshall Blues
Braker II that I use mostly in overdrived guitar solos. I'm not sure
about the order that I should switch them and what are the main
differences in changing this order. - from Joćo
A: I think
it should start with volume, wah wah, delay, chorus, tremolo,
distortion, and compression and then guitar. I hope this works for
you.
Q: I like
your sound and your technique, and I would like to know what guitar
effects you use on your everyday playing. - from Rubin
A: I use
basic effects like delays, compression ext. The best effect is always
your fingers and right hand (if you are right handed) technique.
Q: In your
picture of your guitar rig on your website, I see you use a line 6
POD. Are these any good and worth the money? - from Nic
A: These
are OK for the grunge sounds but not very good for the clean. I think
it's a useful tool for demos, but an amp always sounds better.
Q: My
question is what effects do you use to get both your clean & distorted
sound live? I have spent loads of money on Boss effects & Korg pedal
boards hoping to find a sound much like your own but can never seem to
even come close. I play a Fender Strat (with EMG pickups) & a Gibson
Les Paul Std. through a Marshall Valestate Amp. Have you any advice on
how I can improve my sound or get close to yours? - from Dave
A: It
sounds like you have the ingredients to get the sound you want. The
order you have the pedals in is important. The guitar should go into
the compressor and other pedals can follow. It's good to use the amp
distortion by setting the level right, i.e. slightly louder than the
clean sound.
Q: You
have great influence in my guitar playing. I love your style, sound
and setup. I've been using my zoom4040 for 5 years already. I'm
thinking of selling it and get those boss compact pedals like yours.
What is a good initial setup? If I'm not mistaken, you use a lot of
flange and phasing? Will I be okay with DS-1, CH-1, DD3, BF-2, Phase
shift? - From Jun
A: My
theory with guitar effects is very personal with the player. I am sure
the set up you have is fine. There is no better effect than your right
hand (or the picking hand) because I think most of the feeling comes
from the hands. Sometimes using effects can be fun though.
Q: I
noticed on the photo of your pedal board (for tech heads) that your
using a pod in your set up. I was wondering how you run it through
your rig and what type of tones you are using it for. - From Alan
A: I only
sometimes use the pod in studios when I there is no amp or I am lazy.
I wouldn't recommend using this unit live.
Q: You're
using effects in a very subtle and elegant way. What do you think of
guitarists like The Edge of U2 who's got a whole "mission control" rig
on stage, generating incredible sounds? It's like he's playing the
guitar and the effect rig as one "instrument". Do you think it's related
to the fact that he's got to fill a lot of "sonic space" in a band
with just drums, bass and very little keyboard? - from Werner
A: I think
the Edge is one of the greatest band guitar players of all time. I
love the way he uses effects because the sounds he creates never get
in the way of the song. Instead they compliment it. He is the example
of how to use effects. I try to emulate that in my own way when
playing electric. Having said that, personally, I can get more effects
with my acoustic guitar than with any mission control.
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