As we celebrate all things pedals, this month the PG editors—along with Billy Corgan and Ian Sheppard—describe what guitar hero/pedal combo made the most impact on their musical psyche.
Andy Ellis -- Senior Editor
What am I listening to?
Grant Geissman,
Bop! Bang! Boom!
Borrowing licks and vibe
from Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, and early
George Benson, Geissman reinterprets the
sound of ’60s soul jazz and beatnik blues.
What guitar hero/pedal combo has
impacted your tonal MO the most?
I lost
my mind when I heard Clapton’s warbling
arpeggios in Cream’s “Badge.” To emulate
the spinning horns in his Leslie cab, I turn
to my DigiTech RPM-1. Its 12AX7 adds
authentic tube grind. Classic!
Shawn Hammond -- Editor in Chief
What am I listening to?
Division of Laura
Lee, Violence Is Timeless.
Sadly, these post-punk
Swedes never got their due this side of the
Atlantic, but check them out if you dig jagged,
angular, fuzzed-out Teles (and P basses)
and snotty postmodern lyrical themes.
What guitar hero/pedal combo has
impacted your tonal MO the most?
Countless combos influenced me, but I’ve
tried to find my own pedal path. Of late,
a Strymon BlueSky Reverberator has been
the most integral to my sound.
Chris Kies -- Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Avett Brothers,
The Carpenter. The
rootsy-ragtimers get
heavier thanks to Rick Rubin, threatening to
dethrone Mumford as folk’s favorite sons.
What guitar hero/pedal combo has
impacted your tonal MO the most?
My
first two musical loves were punk and
grunge. Rancid and NOFX don’t use effects,
but I love Kim Thayil and his nightmarish
rotary-speaker sounds, and Jerry Cantrell’s
ominous-sounding Rotovibe chorus.
Billy Corgan -- Smashing Pumpkins
What am I listening to?
The new Beach Boys
album [That’s Why God
Made the Radio] and a
bootleg of Bob Dylan at
the Hollywood Bowl circa 1965.
What guitar hero/pedal combo has
impacted your tonal MO the most?
I
think pedals hurt more than help. True
tone is in the hands. Think Iommi and
Van Halen and Blackmore for pure sound
impressions. Pedals should only enhance.
Rich Osweiler -- Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Cat Power, Sun.
With its many synths
and samples, Chan
Marshall’s latest is certainly different from
the Cat Power sound many are used to, but
it’s a nicely executed evolution.
What guitar hero/pedal combo has
impacted your tonal MO the most?
I’m
primarily a bassist these days and often fall
into the “less is more” camp, but outside
my dad, it was Jimmy Page who got me
to pick up the guitar, and I still believe his
Tone Bender magic goes untouched.
Brett Petrusek -- Advertising/Artist Relations
What am I listening to?
Def Leppard’s High
’n’ Dry and other classics
like Ozzy/Randy Rhoads,
Tribute Live, and Jeff Buckley’s Grace.
What guitar hero/pedal combo has
impacted your tonal MO the most?
Schenker, Rhoads, Lynch, Jabs, the Young
Bros, Iommi, and Cantrell are my all-time
sound faves. Give me a TS808, a wah, two
big-ass amps, a little delay for solos, toss in
a touch of pitch modulation and I’m good.
Effects as a signature element: Gilmour,
Tom Morello, EVH, the Edge.
Ian Sheppard -- Guitar Tech for Josh Klinghoffer (Chili Peppers, Dot Hacker)
What am I listening to?
After 57 straight days
on the road, I’m currently spending my five
days at home listening to my cat purr.
What guitar hero/pedal combo has
impacted your tonal MO the most?
The
most spine-tingling use of an effect ever was
that MXR Flanger Eddie kicked in on the
intro to “Unchained.”
Charles Saufley -- Gear Editor
What am I listening to?
Allah-Las, S/T. This
melange of 12-string
West Coast garage-folk,
Sky Saxon-gone-tender vocals, and tastefully
’verbed-out surf tones is just about a
perfect record—percolating with tunes and
hooks, and as simple, evocative, and elegant
as the lines on an Avanti.
What guitar hero/pedal combo has
impacted your tonal MO the most?
Just
about anyone who kicked on a Maestro or a
Fuzzrite between ’65 and ’68.
Jason Shadrick -- Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Peter Bernstein
Quartet, Live at Smalls.
Captured at the basement
mecca for up-and-coming Greenwich
Village musicians, it finds Bernstein leading
a quartet featuring legendary drummer
Jimmy Cobb. His modern—but always
bluesy—lines serve as an endless source of
inspirado. Swing!
What guitar hero/pedal combo has
impacted your tonal MO the most?
Hearing Jim Hall use a DigiTech Whammy
was completely mind-blowing. Jazz dudes
aren’t supposed to use effects!
