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Rig Rundown: Henry Kaiser's Five Times Surprise

A studio visit with the new gear-heavy improv/art-rock supergroup that includes Henry Kaiser, Andy West, and Anthony Pirog.

Henry has a simple strategy for his pedalboards, which change on a gig-by-gig basis: take everything that fits, and then throw a few extras in a bag. His chain for the Five Times Surprise recordings started with a Chase Tone Secret Preamp, which is inspired by the classic Echoplex preamp. From there, it hits a Sonic Research Turbo Tuner and, next, his favorite compressor: the Old World Audio 1960. After a Lovepedal Rubber Chicken filter, Henry’s signal chain gallops through six—count ’em—six distortion pedals: a Stomp Under Foot Ram’s Head (Catch Henry drop a King Crimson riff with it in the video.), an EC Custom Shop The Mystical Sustainer, a Montreal Assembly Your and You’re, a Tech 21 CompTORTION gated fuzz, a Tanabe Super Dumkudo, and a Gamechanger Audio Plasma. Oops! Accidentally skipped the Vemuram Jam Ray, which sounds like a dirty blackface Super Reverb.

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