As many readers already know, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the rig at soundcheck on 10/20/18 and chat a bit with Trey and his guitar tech, Michael Kaye, about how it all works. One big takeaway from my tour is that the most important thing Trey thinks about in its construction and maintenance is his ability to express himself musically and focus on what the audience and his bandmates need, not the technology. That means that, as complex as the rig can appear, they’re making efforts all the time to keep it as simple as possible and facilitate communication with Page, Jon, and Mike, and with all of us in the crowd. For example, one reason they moved the gear rack behind Trey is that it was impeding communication between Trey and Page when it was between them. Another example: they have an outboard foot controller that toggles through specific “favorite” presets on the Whammy II (Trey only uses a handful of the 12 settings), but as convenient as that sounds they find the additional pedal distracting from the fundamental task of making music.
The second big takeaway was that the rig is really dynamic from night to night. I’d heard this before, but didn’t appreciate the full extent of it until I saw it in person. In early Fall, the “voicing” pedals (all the EHX pedals and the OC-2) and the compression were particularly in flux. The pedal drawers and rack-top are designed to allow for pedal rotation, with velcro fasteners, interchangeable power cables, and spare parts available in abundance when changes are necessary. When I arrived on stage, Trey had just asked that the Ross Compressor be returned to the rig in place of the Klon. Earlier that day, they had installed a second Tru-Tron so that Trey would have access to two settings without toggling manually. During soundcheck, Trey requested the addition of a second POG2 for the same reason. On 10/23/18 in Nashville, they’d added the EHX Key9 and Boss OC-2. It’s constantly changing – so much so that they keep a label-maker on hand to replace the labels on the RST-24 on the fly. Given that, the rig explainers we do here at TGR really are snapshots of a moment in time, which is why I generally have dates attached to photos.
Below you’ll find the usual rig rundown format that has appeared in previous tour notes over the years, but I’ve interspersed information gleaned from my conversations with Trey and Michael. I’ll update this over the course of the tour.
Heartfelt thanks to Michael, the Phish organization, and especially to Trey Anastasio, who has been an enormous influence on my musical and creative pursuits over these many years, and who was more kind, gracious, and generous with his time than I could have imagined.
Amplification: 2 x Komet Trainwreck 60. One has 6L6 tubes and the other has EL-34, with the 6L6 being used most often. 6L6 is a blackface-to-tweedy Fender sound with a strong mid-focus, while the EL-34 is a Marshall sound, with an even more aggressive, muscular low end.
Cabinets:
Ambikabs: 2 Komet Ambikabs. Each Ambikab has its own effects loop with a Source Audio Ventris Reverb and an Eventide TimeFactor. The 12″ speakers are Celestion Heritage 65’s. The cabs are cross-mic’d for a wider soundstage; see below for more details.
Leslies: 2 x Leslie G-37. One of the Leslies is dedicated to guitar, while the other is used for the samples coming from the McMillen 12-step. There is a Leslie speed selector switch and a volume expression pedal that controls the Guitar Leslie volume.
Guitars:
Electric: Koa 1. Koa 2 is backup and Mar-Mar is in the hotel and dressing room.
Mics: Trey’s rig is mic’d by a Shure SM-57 and a Royer SF-12. Trey also uses SE GuitarF Reflexion Filters to isolate these mics. Trey also told me that he added extra filters to the non-mic’d speakers just to tame some of the stage volume.
Effects (see below for order):
Gain/Overdrive
• 2 x Tube Screamer (vintage TS-808)
• Klon
• Ross Compressor (this was out other than 10/21)
Voicing
• Digitech Whammy II
• 2 x Electro Harmonix (“EHX”) POG2 (second added 10/21)
• EHX B9 (the EHX Mel 9 has been in this slot also)
• EHX Key9 (definitely IN for Nashville)
• Boss OC-2 Octave Pedal (definitely IN for Nashville)
• 2 x Beigel Tru-Tron 3x Envelope Filter (second added 10/20)
• CAE Wah
Time-Based (reverb and delay)
• Boomerang
• Eventide Space Reverb
• Source Audio Ventris (Ambikab Loops)
• 2 x Eventide TimeFactor (Ambikab Loops, set to DIGI)
• Moog MF-104M analog delay
• 2 x Way Huge Supa Puss atop rack (both have the R79 removed from the printed circuit board, allowing for a smoother curve or more linear slope on the mix control. One is set to quarter note, the other to dotted eighth.)
• Ibanez DM-2000 digital delay
Modulation
• Victoria Reverberato (used only for Trem on Phish tour, but Reverb is used on Acoustic Tour and in the studio. Trey called the Reverberato loop his “warm switch,” since the extra tube stage warms up the signal noticeably)
• Bradshaw Custom Super Tremolo (for CHOP)
• Shin -Ei UniVibe
• McMillen 12-step midi keyboard foot controller (see the bottom of the 2018 Spring TAB Tour entry for a full explainer)
• Snark SN-10S Tuner (replaces the Korg rack tuner. It’s fed from the tuner output of the Leslie volume pedal)
Here’s the CAE RST-24 switcher with all the loops labeled. While I was there for soundcheck on 10/20, they removed the Klon and replaced it with the Ross (bottom left). A new sticker was printed with a label-maker and affixed right on the spot. The Ross came out again shortly thereafter. After New Year’s 2017-18, the Bradshaw system went back for some tweaks. Bradshaw puts makeup gain stages between the loops in his rack systems in the form of small amps. Each loop bumps the signal a bit, and it resulted in a 2.4dB overall bump from the input of the Bradshaw rig to the output. Trey didn’t like this bump so they had the amps pulled out of the circuit.After soundcheck and before the show, they added a 4-button expander above the CAE, shown here. This was to give Trey access to the second Tru-Tron. By 10/21, the left two expander buttons were Tru-Tron #1 and #2, and the right two buttons were for POG2 #1 and #2. There’s a full backup for this board off stage in case this one has an issue, and all changes made to the main board are made to the backup, so it’s ready at a moment’s notice.Here are the rack top pedals on 10/20 at Hampton. “Supa T” is set to the dotted eighth setting, while “PUSS 4” is set to the quarter note setting. A second Tru-Tron was added that morning so that Trey would have access to multiple settings. The B9 is a dedicated organ simulator, so the POG can focus on Octave up/down settings. The Moog is used exclusively for a very specific sound; the LFO is maxed and the mix is at 100% – it sounds like a laser-beam and Trey engages it very sparingly for a quick disorienting transitional sound.The next night (10/21), the Moog had been placed on one of the rack shelves, out of view, and a second POG2 was added so that Trey would have access to two POG2 settings without having to turn around and mess with presets. The rig is very dynamic night-to-night, with Trey requesting changes right up through soundcheck. The additional POG and Tru-Tron were triggered using the CAE Expander shown above.A nice look at the settings on the TS-808s and the Ross Compressor (which was in for 10/20/18 at Hampton). Trey added it earlier that day, but removed it again before the next show. Trey seems pretty confident that the Ross isn’t necessary with the Komet amps, since the naturally overdriven tubes are creating their own compression as they saturate and distort. Outboard compression was more important, he suggested, during the Mesa/Boogie era. The Ross can add an inharmonic tone below the fundamental as well as some noise, so it’s not worth using if you don’t need the gain stage/compression.Here’s the CAE Wah, a Digitech Whammy II, the Boomerang, and the Keith McMillen 12-step. The 12-step triggers the loops stored on 2 laptops off-stage. It’s labeled with the names of the loop banks, and each bank can be triggered in any key. You tap to select a bank, then the dual function buttons act like piano keys to select the pitch/key. The banks are labeled (from top): LOOPS, DMT, CORRAL, GLADE, FX, A6, REGRESS, HAL. The Whammy was new-in-the-box last year, hence is in mint condition despite its 22 years. It came from Dimebag Darrell via Marty Friedman. Though he has the POG2, which tracks more accurately, Trey said he still uses the Whammy II for octave effects occasionally, in addition to sweeps (very frequently). I said I hadn’t heard the 4th/5th harmonizer setting in awhile so Trey played with it a bit through soundcheck. They added gaffer tape under the Whammy bypass switch to avoid accidental bypassing. They added a light to the Boomerang for THRU/MUTE (top of unit) to avoid accidental muting.There are two Komet Trainwreck 60 amps. On the right in this shot is the 6L6 and EL-34 on the left. They’re never used simultaneously. With the guitar on full volume, both of these amps are very gritty. Trey rolls off the guitar volume for a cleaner sound. A lighter pick attack will also clean up the sound a bit. The 6L6 is used most often, with the EL-34 engaged for particular sounds, like on Walk Away (10/19/18), which was played without outboard overdrive. Trey played the opening licks for me at soundcheck and it was scorching even without pedals. He also showed me a pretty sweet clean tone using a soft attack and a slightly rolled off volume on the 6L6 (playing Roggae). The preamp tubes in the 6L6 are NOS Amperex Bugle Boy tubes, which have different gain characteristics than a Mullard, and a good, crystalline clear, high end. NOS Mullards are in the EL-34.Here’s one Ambikab of two. The reflection filters help more cleanly mic the amp, but Trey wanted them on the unmic’d speakers as well in order to tame the stage volume a bit (it can be loud). The cabs are cross-mic’d, so that the 12″ speakers from the 6L6 cabinet are used with the 10″ speakers from the EL-34 cabinet, and vice versa. The result is a very wide soundstage behind Trey. He hits a note and the dry tone comes from one cabinet while the delayed/reverbed tone from the Ambikab loops comes from the other cabinet. Trey wanted me to hear the EL-34 amp with the TS-808 (MORE) on, but was hesitant play it in an empty room for fear of blowing my hair back. Eventually he played Divided Sky with those settings, as he’d done at the show the night before.The “ONCE” switch on the top right is used in conjunction with the Boomerang to create the high G-note “chirp” in Heavy Things. Trey pulls it closer to his feet when they do that song. At left is Trey’s controller for his bass monitor volume. The tuner out of that pedal sends a bass signal to the SWR bass amp for Page’s bass monitor. In the center you can see a Leslie volume control, a Leslie speed control switch (FAST/SLOW), and the CHOP speed control for the square-wave speed on the CAE Trem.The one and only Koa 1. I had the opportunity to play a few notes on this guitar after the soundcheck in Hampton on 10/20 and a few things really stuck out. First, it’s smaller than it looks on stage, which makes it even harder to believe that Trey is able to control the feedback at high volumes. Second, the action is quite high — higher than I was comfortable playing. Presumably Trey is happy to make that compromise for the trade-off in superior tone. It’s been well-love and heavily played — there’s a deep wear-mark in the Koa where Trey’s pinky rolls down the volume knob. The neck is quite slim and very comfy. The strings on this guitar are D’Addario EXP 110 coated 10-46, and they’re not necessarily changed every night. Trey doesn’t sweat significantly on the guitar, which prevents corrosion. They like the fact that these strings are not quite as bright out of the box as uncoated strings. Also Paul builds the guitars to intonate with these particular strings, which means they don’t have to tweak the guitar’s bridge on the road. Koa 2 is backup and Mar-Mar is in the dressing room and hotel.Trey’s string action on Koa #1 is high, — .09″ as shown here. That’s about twice as high as most guitars would be set up from the factory.Me with Koa 1.
Effect Order (as of Hampton 10/20/18):
Whammy–>
Wah–>
Klon–>
POG2–>
Mutron1–>
Mutron2–>
EHX B9–>
Puss Quarter Note–>
TS-808 Less–>
TS- 808 More–>
Supa Dotted Eighth–>
Victoria Reverberato–>
Shin Ei Univibe–>
CAE Tremolo Chop–>
Moog MF-104M–>
Boomerang–>
Ibanez DM – 2000–>
Eventide Space–>
(then Ventris and Eventide Time Factor)
Here’s a Twitter thread on the Kasvot Växt rig for Halloween (click for more):
This is an Ed O'Brien Stratocaster (EOB Model). It's decked out in white @drstrings. The CAE wah and RST-24 are also done in white. Trey's amps are off stage but he still appears to have access to most effects via the RST. pic.twitter.com/gQDmvDuo4a
He was incredibly gracious. He seems to like talking gear and knows a lot about it. He has a cool theory that guitar gear became lower quality after 1973 because Rock and Roll really exploded in the public consciousness and companies had to ramp up production to make enough gear to fill demand. It makes a lot of logical sense and if you look at the old gear it adds up as the most celebrated guitars and amps from the big companies do seem to date to the 50-60s and the first few years of the 70s.
It’s a beauty. Yellowing somewhat around the bindings and overall. It looks well-worn like a beautiful old guitar should. The guitar appeared to have a reddish hue when it first appeared in the 90s, but it’s definitely leaning more toward the light orange/yellow/gold these days. It’s smaller than I thought, and the neck is very slinky. I always thought the guitar would lean a bit more toward the style of a jazz-box, but it’s definitely a rock-and-roll guitar. The action between 7 and 12 is pretty high, which makes it all the more remarkable that Trey can handle it the way he does.
Hi, thanks for sharing all of this. Curious…. how did this all come about? Did they reach out to you? did you reach out to them? Did you just tell them you would be in Hampton and would want to meet? very cool stuff. thanks again
We didn’t discuss FOH too much, but I believe Trey’s signal is panned center, and the stereo effect Trey is hearing on stage is not translated out into FOH. That’s because in a big room like that, if you pan anything, half the house doesn’t hear it.
Great work as always and such an amazing story getting to talk to Trey about the rig first hand, this blog is getting better and better every tour!!! I don’t see any foot controller for the uni-vibe in any of the photos. If not how does Trey control the speed of the vibe if so at all ? Also he seems to be using quite a bit of vibrato in conjunction with other effects as of late. Is this the uni-vibe he is using for the “vibrato” sound or a completely different pedal entirely?
Thanks! The Uni-Vibe is set-and-forget — no speed control. The Vibrato is coming through the Victoria Reverberato unit, which Trey calls his “Warm Switch,” since the extra tube gain stage in the unit adds another layer of warmth to the tone.
Thanks for the response! I have also been meaning to ask if you can provide a specific example of Trey’s use of the Mc Millen 12 step for ambient tracks from this tour (show date and song?). I keep thinking I hear an added layer of sound but I can’t be sure. Thanks again !
Pretty loud, but keep in mind the room is enormous and will suck up a lot of volume. I was on stage for parts of soundcheck and they sounded like a rock band in a practice space — really excellent volume control all around. My understanding is that Trey does not even take drums in his monitor — he can just hear Fishman by proximity.
This is really amazing. What an incredible opportunity for you. Thanks so much for sharing with us. I’ve been obsessing over Trey’s rig and tone for years. One thing I don’t think I’ve ever seen is a definitive description of what the toggle switches on the Languedoc do. It looks like he is constantly rolling off the volume when he plays. Is he hitting switches too?
He’s using the volume dial very frequently; especially now that he’s on the Komet amps, which really don’t clean up unless you roll off. There are three switches on the guitar. The main one is, of course, a pickup selector. The mini switches are (1) coil selector (for single coil options) and (2) series/parallel.
Can you comment more on the delay and reverb in the Ambikab Loop? Are they in parallel? Mono? Delay out of one of the stereo 10” speakers and reverb on the other? Set to one level/ subdivision or adjustable? Delay always on? How is it set? Thanks!
Nothing is in stereo. There are 4 10″ speakers; 2 per cabinet. Only one pair is firing at any given time. Reverb from a Source Audio Ventris and Delay from an Eventide TimeFactor are pumped into each pair of 10″ speakers, in mono. The Eventide is set to DIGI and there is a tap tempo control (“BTAP”) for adjusting it. Delay is not always on. Reverb is always on.
Thank you! Are the delay and reverb in parallel? Any insight into how this is patched in? When does he turn the delay on and off and how does it sit in the mix with the verb?
That must have been an amazing experience. 2 Q’s. 1. What does he use the Klon for? Does he use them with the TS8’s or is it a separate thing. 2. Does Trey seem to be aware that so many people seem to pay attention to his guitar sound, or does he seem surprised by that a site like yours exists and gets a lot of traffic? Thanks a lot!
Trey uses all the overdrives separately and together, so the Klon can combo with the TS-808(s). He was very gracious about the site. He said he’s used it himself!
Where in the world did you come up with that Paul designs his guitars to intonate with a specific brand of strings. This makes absolutely no sense. Especially since Trey used DR strings up until more recently the past 5 years or so.
I don’t reveal sources for specific information, so I’ll just say that this is a reported blog, and I don’t “come up with” anything. I ask questions of very knowledgeable people and report what I find. This particular piece of information came from a very reliable and deeply knowledgeable source, and I stand by the information as I reported it. Thanks for reading!
Not all manufacturers use same design for the core wire on wound strings, could be round or hexagonal- or a different diameter (which greatly affects intonation) -so if Paul is using the D’Addario strings when setting the bridge (non adjustable saddles) other brand strings may not intonate.
DR makes some great strings- so do D’Addario
We know for a fact that Trey uses the D’Addario NY Steel EXP110s now
Thanks for this peek through your eyes. Honestly it’s a win for all of us and it makes me feel much better about my personal revolving door of coloring pedals 😉
Can you elaborate on the neck of the Languedoc? I appreciate knowing about Trey’s action…this is about how I keep mine. But I always assumed it was a thinner neck with a very mild V to boat shape to it along the spine, or are my eyes playing tricks on me? Thanks for the incredible site!
I didn’t hold it long enough to comment on neck shape. But it was a slinky neck, and smaller than I expected. I’m a big guy but my hands got around it easily (except for the high action). I was expecting more archtop-style, beefy neck. It’s slim. I do believe Paul builds them a bit beefier these days.
Actually I meant that it was narrow and very playable on the neck side. The string resistance was actually more than I expected — it was a touch on the stiff side. That high action makes it tricky. I’m sure you can get used to it, but he must have some strong hands to wail on it the way he does.
Is it just me, or is the bridge different on the Doc now? It looks tapered on the edges, and almost looks like a Tusq or Bone bridge… Are you able to comment on that? Or is it still the same metal saddles?
There are some pics where you can see the switch is taped over to the down or fast position- I fiddled with one of these amps and it greatly affects what feels like the preamp gain/saturation.
Cool thanks. I built clones of both k50 and k60 Komets. Live them but they’re loud! I’m thinking of building one with 6v6’s to get the volume down a bit.
Any reason the PA wedges have a block underneath? It obviously changes the sound trajectory but was curious if you have any insight as to rationale for this.
First of all, AWESOME that you got to do this. I’m seething with jealousy. I’d been maintaining a hand-written notebook of info I could gather from shows of the rack for years that I digitized around 2014 or so. And then I found this site and realized I was out my depth! Just so cool and thanks for sharing all this.
But can you talk more about the action on the strings? You said presumably Trey is making a compromise for the trade-off in superior tone. Does that mean that all of his Languedoc’s have a naturally high action? Or is there something unique about the way this particular guitar (Koa 2) is built that makes it higher than normal? Or did Trey address whether he just likes the action really high at all when you spoke with him? And how high exactly are we talking?
Can u explain how trey got dimebage wah? Why Marty would give it to trey ? Has to be a story there, being a big Darrel , and Marty fan, thanks again u do an awesome job, it’s amazing to see phish still going at it like they do,, they givin it all they got… Thank you
Great work as always with this behind the curtain run down. What a great playing the Koa must’ve been! I met Trey at the SiriusXM AMA last week and had a quick chat with him before the taping. I was set to ask him his thoughts on the Klon Centaur hype (if anyone can afford it, it’s Trey) or if he’s tried to Paul Cochrane Timmy (I use this one- it’s the only OD I’ve ever really liked). I also wanted to ask if he’s tried any of Red Panda’s pedals, like the Particle or Tensor- they’d probably fit well with the more abstract and dark stuff they’ve been working through the pst couple of tours. I never got the chance- we talked Randall’s Island and politics (!!) for a few minutes instead.
I would love a dedicated camera on their video streams solely for Trey’s feet, to see how and when he decides to trigger the sounds. Who do we talk to about that…
I’ve been searching for a while but couldn’t find the answer here or elsewhere – what is the silver box on top of the left Ambikab? I’ve seen a similar thing on top of his cabs from pics all throughout the 3.0 era, I assume it’s some kind of attenuator but don’t see it mentioned in any of your rundowns. Do you have any info on this?
I had a question about the moog Delay LFO setting. I notice he has it on the sample and hold setting, but the way you described the sound (laser beamy I think?), to me sounds like he might be using the “under the hood” feature of smooth sample and hold. Were you able to hear whether it was step S&H or smooth?
Thanks for all the work you do on this blog. It’s super fun to catch up on every now and then! I was wondering if you had any insight as to the action height on the high e side of the guitar? Your picture denotes around .9 on the bass side, but I’m curious if you know what’s going on at the other end?
Hey! Not sure if you know the answer to this question but there’s something Trey hits (started noticing it in summer 2018) that alters his tone – thought maybe it might be the different amps or compressor. It happens right at the beginning of the 9/1/18 Chalk Dust – any chance you can confirm what it is?
.09 is high-ish action but not unreasonable. That’s a little less than 6/64 on the low E, which is lower action than SRV and some other famous players. (.09 in = about 5.75/64 = about 2.3mm). A surprising amount of pro players use a higher action. It helps the notes ring out clear with no buzz and if the neck, frets and rest of the setup is good you can still play with a light touch. It makes for better tone because the strings can clear the frets entirely when vibrating and IMO gives a richer, cleaner sound. I have a hollowbody electric set up to similar specs and it’s quite easy to play. I have guitars with lower action that play well also.
It’s a very guitar specific thing and is affected by fret size/wear, fretboard radius, neck relief, saddle height, string gauge, etc. You can’t just set your action to a certain spec and expect it to be the magic number.
Trey's Guitar Rig 
Have always been curious about his stage volume…how loud was the rig?
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So cool that he let you strap on and play the guitar. How was your discussion with him? Was he excited to talk gear?
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He was incredibly gracious. He seems to like talking gear and knows a lot about it. He has a cool theory that guitar gear became lower quality after 1973 because Rock and Roll really exploded in the public consciousness and companies had to ramp up production to make enough gear to fill demand. It makes a lot of logical sense and if you look at the old gear it adds up as the most celebrated guitars and amps from the big companies do seem to date to the 50-60s and the first few years of the 70s.
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can u talk more about your experience playing the one and only
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It’s a beauty. Yellowing somewhat around the bindings and overall. It looks well-worn like a beautiful old guitar should. The guitar appeared to have a reddish hue when it first appeared in the 90s, but it’s definitely leaning more toward the light orange/yellow/gold these days. It’s smaller than I thought, and the neck is very slinky. I always thought the guitar would lean a bit more toward the style of a jazz-box, but it’s definitely a rock-and-roll guitar. The action between 7 and 12 is pretty high, which makes it all the more remarkable that Trey can handle it the way he does.
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Thank you so much for sharing!
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Hi, thanks for sharing all of this. Curious…. how did this all come about? Did they reach out to you? did you reach out to them? Did you just tell them you would be in Hampton and would want to meet? very cool stuff. thanks again
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Did you talk at all about Garry’s approach with the mics at FOH? Are there two of each microphone or just one? Does he pan them out front?
Thanks so much!
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We didn’t discuss FOH too much, but I believe Trey’s signal is panned center, and the stereo effect Trey is hearing on stage is not translated out into FOH. That’s because in a big room like that, if you pan anything, half the house doesn’t hear it.
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Great work as always and such an amazing story getting to talk to Trey about the rig first hand, this blog is getting better and better every tour!!! I don’t see any foot controller for the uni-vibe in any of the photos. If not how does Trey control the speed of the vibe if so at all ? Also he seems to be using quite a bit of vibrato in conjunction with other effects as of late. Is this the uni-vibe he is using for the “vibrato” sound or a completely different pedal entirely?
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Thanks! The Uni-Vibe is set-and-forget — no speed control. The Vibrato is coming through the Victoria Reverberato unit, which Trey calls his “Warm Switch,” since the extra tube gain stage in the unit adds another layer of warmth to the tone.
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Thanks for the response! I have also been meaning to ask if you can provide a specific example of Trey’s use of the Mc Millen 12 step for ambient tracks from this tour (show date and song?). I keep thinking I hear an added layer of sound but I can’t be sure. Thanks again !
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3/11/18 Split Open and Melt about 5 minutes in you’ll hear some loops in key of B
I hear it on my stream
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Went out- came back in D
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And now like voices in G
I heard that before on acoustic tour
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How loud was the amp and overall stage volume of the rig?
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Pretty loud, but keep in mind the room is enormous and will suck up a lot of volume. I was on stage for parts of soundcheck and they sounded like a rock band in a practice space — really excellent volume control all around. My understanding is that Trey does not even take drums in his monitor — he can just hear Fishman by proximity.
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This is really amazing. What an incredible opportunity for you. Thanks so much for sharing with us. I’ve been obsessing over Trey’s rig and tone for years. One thing I don’t think I’ve ever seen is a definitive description of what the toggle switches on the Languedoc do. It looks like he is constantly rolling off the volume when he plays. Is he hitting switches too?
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He’s using the volume dial very frequently; especially now that he’s on the Komet amps, which really don’t clean up unless you roll off. There are three switches on the guitar. The main one is, of course, a pickup selector. The mini switches are (1) coil selector (for single coil options) and (2) series/parallel.
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Do you have any info on what guitar picks Trey uses?
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He’s still using those Adamas Graphite 2mm picks from the old days. Jim Dunlop sells them now. Garcia used them, as well.
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Can you comment more on the delay and reverb in the Ambikab Loop? Are they in parallel? Mono? Delay out of one of the stereo 10” speakers and reverb on the other? Set to one level/ subdivision or adjustable? Delay always on? How is it set? Thanks!
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Nothing is in stereo. There are 4 10″ speakers; 2 per cabinet. Only one pair is firing at any given time. Reverb from a Source Audio Ventris and Delay from an Eventide TimeFactor are pumped into each pair of 10″ speakers, in mono. The Eventide is set to DIGI and there is a tap tempo control (“BTAP”) for adjusting it. Delay is not always on. Reverb is always on.
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Thank you! Are the delay and reverb in parallel? Any insight into how this is patched in? When does he turn the delay on and off and how does it sit in the mix with the verb?
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Parallel- Bradshaw talked at some point about building a line mixer into the rack summing to a mono return to both 10’s
The delay has killdry and tap control by midi, the Ventris is doing a spring reverb and on all the time, just a little holdover to the note
I’d imagine that in some arenas you’d not even notice it, but it adds nice color to the recordings
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That must have been an amazing experience. 2 Q’s. 1. What does he use the Klon for? Does he use them with the TS8’s or is it a separate thing. 2. Does Trey seem to be aware that so many people seem to pay attention to his guitar sound, or does he seem surprised by that a site like yours exists and gets a lot of traffic? Thanks a lot!
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Trey uses all the overdrives separately and together, so the Klon can combo with the TS-808(s). He was very gracious about the site. He said he’s used it himself!
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Different Preamp tubes in Komet make a big difference.
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Need details on the white Strat and everything else, please!
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I was updating Twitter as it was happening last night: https://twitter.com/TreysGuitarRig/status/1057869085063565318
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Ah! Thank you!
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Where in the world did you come up with that Paul designs his guitars to intonate with a specific brand of strings. This makes absolutely no sense. Especially since Trey used DR strings up until more recently the past 5 years or so.
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I don’t reveal sources for specific information, so I’ll just say that this is a reported blog, and I don’t “come up with” anything. I ask questions of very knowledgeable people and report what I find. This particular piece of information came from a very reliable and deeply knowledgeable source, and I stand by the information as I reported it. Thanks for reading!
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Not all manufacturers use same design for the core wire on wound strings, could be round or hexagonal- or a different diameter (which greatly affects intonation) -so if Paul is using the D’Addario strings when setting the bridge (non adjustable saddles) other brand strings may not intonate.
DR makes some great strings- so do D’Addario
We know for a fact that Trey uses the D’Addario NY Steel EXP110s now
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Thanks for this peek through your eyes. Honestly it’s a win for all of us and it makes me feel much better about my personal revolving door of coloring pedals 😉
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Do you know at which point in the signal path are things routed to the leslie?
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After the RST — so every effect that can be used with the Komet can also be used with the Leslie.
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Cool, thanks. Would that be the same point in the path where it is routed to the ambikab loops?
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Sorry, that question is answered above, in the signal path description.
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Can you elaborate on the neck of the Languedoc? I appreciate knowing about Trey’s action…this is about how I keep mine. But I always assumed it was a thinner neck with a very mild V to boat shape to it along the spine, or are my eyes playing tricks on me? Thanks for the incredible site!
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I didn’t hold it long enough to comment on neck shape. But it was a slinky neck, and smaller than I expected. I’m a big guy but my hands got around it easily (except for the high action). I was expecting more archtop-style, beefy neck. It’s slim. I do believe Paul builds them a bit beefier these days.
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Slinky as in the strings would bend with little resistance; in other words, the opposite of a “stiff” guitar?
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Actually I meant that it was narrow and very playable on the neck side. The string resistance was actually more than I expected — it was a touch on the stiff side. That high action makes it tricky. I’m sure you can get used to it, but he must have some strong hands to wail on it the way he does.
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Is it just me, or is the bridge different on the Doc now? It looks tapered on the edges, and almost looks like a Tusq or Bone bridge… Are you able to comment on that? Or is it still the same metal saddles?
Thanks!
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Ooohh also… I’ve wondered if his bridge is fixed / glued into place, or if it is still floating / held in position by string tension?
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Same bridge for years, metal saddles, pinned.
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I noticed that one of Komet’s had a white head shell instead of all black in vegas. Wonder why?
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That was a backup Komet – the EL-34 Komet had some issues and needed to be sent out for work.
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Gotcha thanks!
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Could you recommend a specific song during the Hampton run that you can hear the EHX B9?
Wild that he’s using that.
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On the back of the Komets there is a switch labeled Fast/Gradual. It’s basically a gain switch. Do you know what setting he uses?
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There are some pics where you can see the switch is taped over to the down or fast position- I fiddled with one of these amps and it greatly affects what feels like the preamp gain/saturation.
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Cool thanks. I built clones of both k50 and k60 Komets. Live them but they’re loud! I’m thinking of building one with 6v6’s to get the volume down a bit.
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What are the chances you would do a separate blog on Mike’s rig? I, for one, would be SUPER interested in seeing what he’s using for effects!
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Man I’d love to — it takes a lot of time. If I win the lottery, I’m in.
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Hey! What are the eventide space settings set to?
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He tweaks regularly, but he’s using the Centaurus algorithm as a starting point.
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Any reason the PA wedges have a block underneath? It obviously changes the sound trajectory but was curious if you have any insight as to rationale for this.
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The Clair 12am wedges typically have blocks to set the angle so that they are pointing at the Artist’s ears
Sometimes 2×4, sometimes 4×4 (Trey)
I think only Paul Simon smd Bonnie Raitt do not need the blocks
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First of all, AWESOME that you got to do this. I’m seething with jealousy. I’d been maintaining a hand-written notebook of info I could gather from shows of the rack for years that I digitized around 2014 or so. And then I found this site and realized I was out my depth! Just so cool and thanks for sharing all this.
But can you talk more about the action on the strings? You said presumably Trey is making a compromise for the trade-off in superior tone. Does that mean that all of his Languedoc’s have a naturally high action? Or is there something unique about the way this particular guitar (Koa 2) is built that makes it higher than normal? Or did Trey address whether he just likes the action really high at all when you spoke with him? And how high exactly are we talking?
Thanks again!
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I’ve just posted a picture of the action – take a look. It’s high!
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The frets look super flat. Did you notice anything about that? or do you have any info on fret wire type, if the guitar has been re-fretted, etc?
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Can u explain how trey got dimebage wah? Why Marty would give it to trey ? Has to be a story there, being a big Darrel , and Marty fan, thanks again u do an awesome job, it’s amazing to see phish still going at it like they do,, they givin it all they got… Thank you
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Great work as always with this behind the curtain run down. What a great playing the Koa must’ve been! I met Trey at the SiriusXM AMA last week and had a quick chat with him before the taping. I was set to ask him his thoughts on the Klon Centaur hype (if anyone can afford it, it’s Trey) or if he’s tried to Paul Cochrane Timmy (I use this one- it’s the only OD I’ve ever really liked). I also wanted to ask if he’s tried any of Red Panda’s pedals, like the Particle or Tensor- they’d probably fit well with the more abstract and dark stuff they’ve been working through the pst couple of tours. I never got the chance- we talked Randall’s Island and politics (!!) for a few minutes instead.
I would love a dedicated camera on their video streams solely for Trey’s feet, to see how and when he decides to trigger the sounds. Who do we talk to about that…
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On 12/21 what effect was Trey using during Waves around 12min in? It sounds like a pan flute.
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I’ve been searching for a while but couldn’t find the answer here or elsewhere – what is the silver box on top of the left Ambikab? I’ve seen a similar thing on top of his cabs from pics all throughout the 3.0 era, I assume it’s some kind of attenuator but don’t see it mentioned in any of your rundowns. Do you have any info on this?
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It’s a box for picks and capos and stuff like that.
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I had a question about the moog Delay LFO setting. I notice he has it on the sample and hold setting, but the way you described the sound (laser beamy I think?), to me sounds like he might be using the “under the hood” feature of smooth sample and hold. Were you able to hear whether it was step S&H or smooth?
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Scratch that. It was just the angle of the picture. Looks like it’s on a rising sawtooth. That makes sense.
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Thanks for all the work you do on this blog. It’s super fun to catch up on every now and then! I was wondering if you had any insight as to the action height on the high e side of the guitar? Your picture denotes around .9 on the bass side, but I’m curious if you know what’s going on at the other end?
much appreciated!
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Hey! Not sure if you know the answer to this question but there’s something Trey hits (started noticing it in summer 2018) that alters his tone – thought maybe it might be the different amps or compressor. It happens right at the beginning of the 9/1/18 Chalk Dust – any chance you can confirm what it is?
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Any idea why the quarter delay is before Tube Screamers, but the Dotted Eighth is after?
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.09 is high-ish action but not unreasonable. That’s a little less than 6/64 on the low E, which is lower action than SRV and some other famous players. (.09 in = about 5.75/64 = about 2.3mm). A surprising amount of pro players use a higher action. It helps the notes ring out clear with no buzz and if the neck, frets and rest of the setup is good you can still play with a light touch. It makes for better tone because the strings can clear the frets entirely when vibrating and IMO gives a richer, cleaner sound. I have a hollowbody electric set up to similar specs and it’s quite easy to play. I have guitars with lower action that play well also.
It’s a very guitar specific thing and is affected by fret size/wear, fretboard radius, neck relief, saddle height, string gauge, etc. You can’t just set your action to a certain spec and expect it to be the magic number.
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