ANSWERS BY: TIM MAHONEY (311)
* This article was translated from Portuguese.
1. We know that you’re a huge fan of delay pedals, and your pedalboard hosted a bunch of them like: timeline, brigadier, memory man and the maxon. Do you have the same presets ever or do you change during the show? Do you use the tap tempo?
Each of the delays has a start of show setting, then gets adjusted depending on the song. I use two Lexicon pcm42s, one for the clean amp and one for the dirty amp, that are set to specific milliseconds per song. The pcm42 delay times are adjusted manually by my guitar tech via the up/down keys on the front of the units and activated by remote bypass stomps on my board. The Maxon AD-9 is my main spike delay that services both amps, which gets changed a lot over the course of a show. I adjust, tweak, and steer the spaceship with it. The Strymon El Capistan is my tap tempo delay. It is exclusive to the clean amp and does most of the dreamy, dub-ish sounding delays and is used with trails for spikes. I adjust this pedal mostly with my foot at the tap tempo and mix knob.
I also use a second “Party board”, in it’s own remote loop, to house a DIgiTech Synth Wah, Electro-Harmonix 2880 Looper and Memory Man Delay, Providence Chrono Delay, and the Mega-Vibe’s expression pedal. I love the 2880 into Memory Man combo for soundscaping and the Chrono is a great tool for delay figuring.
2. I like how you use your effects in the songs. When I think about the octave pedal, I think about Homebrew; envelope filter – Amber; tremolo/vibrato -Uncalm etc. How is your music creation process? Do you write the songs first and then choose the effects? Or do you already create the parts using the effect?
How effects are used in the creation process varies. Sometimes the effect is on and attached to the idea, and sometimes I add an effect and tune it to work with the riff. A lot of times effects will inspire and spark ideas. For high gain single note riffs I almost always use the octave (Boss OC-2). The “Homebrew” riff was born with the octave on. Even when ideas are born bare on an acoustic guitar or piano, they tend to have a vibe about them that will usually suggest which direction to head effect-wise.
3. I’m a huge fan of the Whammy pedal. You have used the Whammy II in your set for a long time and this pedal has had many improvements in recent years. What’s the special reason for you been using it? In what 311 song(s) can we hear the Whammy?
The original reason I got the Whammy II was because of Trey Anastasio. His Whammy playing is genius. I have other Whammy models, but the Whammy II has all of my favorite pitch options and you can scroll thru the effects with your foot via the up/ down buttons, plus I like the foot rocker pedal size and feel. But unfortunately, both of mine are broken. Lately I’ve been using the Whammy 5. You can hear it on our song “Friday Afternoon” (dive bombs at the end of the section 2 riff right before the breakdown) and on the ‘Stereolithic’ bonus track “Vape’n Away”.
4. The first pedal you get is unforgettable. What was your first pedal? Can you tell us a little about it?
My first pedal was a Boss CE-2 chorus. I remember the light blue, the circuit board and spending time listening to how the sound would change when you twisted the rate and depth knobs. I think I ended up deconstructing it. The first two effects I purchased when I started playing in 311 were a Boss OC-2 for riffs and a Boss T-Wah for funk.
5. Single note riffs using octave and distorsion is your trademark. When I heard “Revelation of the Year” for the first time without knowing who the band was, I knew in a few seconds that was you playing guitar. What type of effects do you use on that riff (what octave, amp distorsion, overdrive pedal)?
The first riff of “Revelation of the Year” is an EHX Small Stone (orange lettering) phaser into an Xact Tone Solutions Precision Overdrive stacked into another Precision OD into a Fender Deluxe into a 2×12. Later in the choruses and outro it opens up into amp distortion from a blend of 2 amps recorded simultaneously, a Bogner Überschall and a Diamond Phantom, each into 4x12s and the Boss OC-2 octave.
6. Musicians seem to inspire other guitar players to choose a pedal. I use a vintage EHX Small Stone because of you and Ben Harper. This phaser is really very hot. How do you choose your pedals?
Phasers are a good example. I love phasers, but since there’s only so much room on a pedalboard and recording typically only calls for one at a time, you inevitably have to make some choices. On my main pedalboard I use an MXR Phase 90 or Phase 45 and an EHX Small Stone. The MXRs work especially well in front of high gain amps and the Small Stone gets super juicy. I have three different Small Stone versions and they each have their own charm. Another one of my favorite phasers is the Pearl PH-03 Phaser. It’s a great sounding phaser that has resonance and feedback in addition to rate and depth controls. When we record, I’ll try the part with the different phasers and use the one with the best vibe for that song.
7. The musical references of 311 are very diverse. Is there any Brazilian musician that you like?
I think everyone in the band are fans of Brazilian jazz and music in general, especially Sepultura and Soulfly on the heavy side. On the jazz side, Elis Regina is someone whose voice I love. I especially love her duet “Aguas de Marco” with Tom Jobim.
8. Are you using a new pedal that can be used in a new 311 song?
No new pedals lately, but lots of effects on the new record. My vintage Uni-Vibe has been doing some good work.
The PEDALMANIACS magazine wants to thank you for your time and attention. Happy 25th birthday to 311. The new album is awesome.
Writer: Maurício Romeu
Source: https://www.flipsnack.com/Pedalmaniacs/revista-pedalmaniacs-1.html pg 7-11
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