Mountainview Publishing, LLC

INSIDE the
The Rev Delivers
the Goods from
the Woodshed ! Report
The Player’s Guide to Ultimate Tone
$10.00 US, October 2002/VOL.3 NO.12
TM

Billy F. Gibbons
10
Lighten Your Load
with a classic Les
Paul Special

11
The Radiators’
Dave Malone on
Tone from the
Bayou!

19
The Electro-
Harmonix Holy
Grail Reverb

www.tonequest.com
 cover story

Welcome, Señors and Señoritas. We resume our exploration formed a feisty combo The Jazzy Five, followed by The
into the mysterious realm of tone, and this month our journey Gibbons Brothers Band, appearing in the upstate New York
begins midway between Houston and San Antonio in a little resorts. Full out 30’s elegance… and a bit of ragtime, shabby
town called La Grange. You know how that story goes... The sheik to boot.
creepin’ shuffle boogie intro to “La Grange” exploded into
one of the most unique and recognizable guitar tones on the TQR: Jimmy Reed is credited as a most important influ-
planet, compliments of Billy F. Gibbons and that Little ol’ ence. Why Jimmy Reed in particular?
Band from Texas. You gotta hand it to the Rev... with just one
note stroked from Pearly Gates, there is no absolutely no The JR simplicity is nothing short
doubt who’s in charge, and that’s a high wire act matched by of infectious. It grabs you quick. A
a mere handful of players in the long and colorful history of pure and accessible sound, which
the guitar. is always still around. Two guitars
and drums is the ultimate trio.
We caught up with Mr. Gibbons in his hometown of Houston, Jimmy Reed, and also the Big Beat
and it was a good hang. ZZ Top has ridden high on the charts Master, Bo Diddley… Street-sim-
with a ton of hits over the past 30 years, yet the band and ple and elemental, with an unex-
crew are a completely down-to-earth outfit lacking any of the pected complexity of the inner
hubris that often infects successful artists and their ‘people.’ workings of tremendously toneful
We spent two days in Houston talking about Billy’s unique trios. Bo Diddley on guitar,
vibe and how he nails it, and as you might expect, many sur- Clifford James on his solid snare,
prises await, so let’s get to it! and Jerome Green’s propelling
maracas. All quite intriguing. Loud
electric guitar became the move.
TQR: What was the first exposure to this strange music
that set ya’ll on the path to play the blues? TQR: So LOUD electric guitar was next?

BB King, Jimmy Yeah… single cut, single pickup Gibson Melody Maker with
Reed, Muddy a Fender Champ amp.
Waters, Little
Walter, Howlin’ TQR: Damn… you got right on it, didn’t you?
Wolf, Elvis, and
Houston blues Yessir… That was ignition!
radio! It started
way early… these TQR: I suppose your garage band scene was not far
are just a few of the behind?
many that stand as
the inventors of this fine American art form. The challenge Yeah. At first, just bangin’ and jangin’ things after school,
remains to attempt a refreshed interpretation of the magnet- chasing blues records. Some buddies also picked up the gui-
ism of the blues. tar, and a guy a couple of streets over with a set of well-beat
drums, well, that was it. It was on. The unlikely aggregation
TQR: Your dad entered the picture about that time, yes? The Saints started runnin.’

Indeed. He enjoyed entertaining, spanning a remarkable
career, from concerts through the motion picture business,
and all points in between. He developed quite a wide range of
creative expressions…
TQR: A house full of music, no doubt!
Si, Señor!
TQR: You’ve got ties from England, correct?
Yes. My poppa and his five bro’s hangin’ in New York
TQR: Was there any particular mentor, or was it picking
things up on your own?
The back rooms blaring the likes of Chuck Berry and Little
Richard took over.
TQR: So The Saints provided a genuine beginning!
Most certainly… neighborhood parties, always out of control
– always real gone. Truly reckless. The Stones suddenly
jumped on the scene, playing their version of classic R&B
with their different twist, and providing even more influ-
-continued-

TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002

2
 cover story

ences. I organized a new group and recorded a tune, “99th at Gazarri’s

Floor,” released on a local Houston label, which fortunately on The Strip.
caught on over the region’s radio stations. Out of town calls I saddled up
and bookings started showin’ up. We loaded up a station along side
wagon and headed out of town. Nuthin’ but a blast. the drummer
to redesign
TQR: Is “99th Floor” still available? the lineup
back in
Yeah, the original version is to be included in a new ZZ Top Houston,
boxed set. It’s furious and fuzzy. Texas. After
looking
TQR: And the name of this new band was… around a bit,
we found a
The Moving Sidewalks. By that time we were guitar, bass, friend of
drums, and keyboards. There was a brief time when soul ours who was an accomplished Hammond B3 specialist. He
music was the rage and we briefly added horns to the band, also kicked bass pedals, which filled out the sound, and that’s
but the tough sound of a combo was tighter. all we really wanted.

TQR: What kind of guitar were you playing? TQR: What kind of music were you playing?

A white ’63 Jazzmaster. Stabbin’ at that cool look… match-
ing stuff… Fenders and blonde piggybacks.
TQR: Definitely a style, Amigo.
Oh, yeah… two blue
frame 12’s behind
maroon grill cloth – full
volume. Then Vox started
making an appearance on
the scene. Vox were the
biggest things we experi-
enced. From the rare Vox
tube models moving on
to the super chrome-
framed towers.
Meanwhile, I switched
the Jazzmaster to Fender
Esquire. And with the
inherently thin, cutting
Esquire, Vox made the sound pretty hairy. Those circuits
could really bark.
We kept all the blues influences, and then the psychedelic
scene captured us. One of the first psychedelic bands ever –
The 13th Floor Elevators – actually coined the term psyche-
delic. Their first record was called The Psychedelic Sounds of
the 13th Floor Elevators, and they followed that with an
album called Easter Everywhere.
TQR: We’ll check that out. Another heavy acid band from
that period were Blue Cheer, and that was a direct,
4-way hit.
Oh, man… I loved that band. When was that… 1967?
TQR: Yes, when they broke out with “Summertime
Blues…”
Loved that song. We went out to see them one night, and not
only were they the loudest band we had ever heard, but that
was the first time we had ever seen a drummer use cut-off
broomsticks for sheer power (laughs).
TQR: You retained your 3-piece organ trio?

TQR: What happened on the heels of “99th Floor” and
the subsequent Moving Sidewalks releases?
We continued performing throughout Louisiana and
Mississippi – mostly southern stuff – and in 1968 we were
signed to appear on the Jimi Hendrix tour along with the
band from Paris called The Soft Machine. We played a num-
ber of shows in Texas and a few in Arizona, and wound up in
California twisting off on our own for awhile. We’d play a
middle of the week gig at this joint or that, then Friday nights
Yeah, we changed the name from The Moving Sidewalks to
ZZ Top, and we cut a single in 1969 titled “Salt Lick,” backed
by a track called “Miller’s Farm.” It was named after a ranch
we’d been given access to. We set up at the ranch house and
you could play as loud as you wanted and bothered no one.
TQR: Did you come up with the idea for the name of the
band?
Yeah… we practiced and wrote material for about six or so,
and the drummer and I decided on recruiting our buddy from
-continued-

TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002

3
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Dallas to play bass, Billy Etheridge. He originally was ning. Marshalls and humbuckers.
rhythm guitarist in one of Jimmy Vaughan’s first groups out
of Dallas called The Chessmen. And then, Etheridge intro- TQR: Is that when you began to really hone in on what
duced me to drummer Frank Beard, who quickly established we would consider to be “your sound?”
the now famous backbeat. And Frank then recommended
auditioning another Dallas bassist, Dusty Hill. Frank and Pearly GatesYes. Things took another
Dusty worked together in Dallas, and made for a solid step up a month later
rhythm section. when a friend called and
said he knew a farmer
TQR: Rock solid and tight, indeed… with an original Les
Paul. He kept it under
Yeah, Dusty did a few pickup gigs around Houstontown, and his bed and rarely
took Mr. Beard’s offer to join an afternoon jam session. We played it. At that time I
did a simple blues shuffle and it lusciously lasted for three was driving an old 1930s
full hours. We looked at each other and said, “Man, this feels Packard automobile, and
pretty good.” That’s what went down. I gave it to a girlfriend
so she could get out to
TQR: What gear was on the deck at this time? California to audition for
a part in a movie. She
We still had Vox, the old made it and got the part,
Esquire, an Oyster Pearl and swiftly sold the Packard and sent a check to me. I
Ludwig kit, and, of course, remember the day her letter arrived, and immediately struck
a Fender bass. Then we met out toward the farmer’s place and said, “How ‘bout $250 for
Jeff Beck… We hung that guitar?” He said, “Fine,” and that’s Pearly Gates.
around with his outfit for
awhile and noted a strange TQR: An original Texas gee-tar…
amp even bigger than the
Vox. Man, it did sound It sho ‘nuff is.
great. We had discovered
Marshalls. Beck’s road TQR: And what followed was the culmination of one of
manager had contacts at the most distinctive, unique, and recognizable gui-
Jim Marshall’s factory back tar tones on the planet…
in the U.K., and suggested he score a couple of stacks for us.
They were the 1969 Super Leads, and as soon as they arrived, Well, it did take
we jumped over to them immediately and never looked back. some time to
Now, when I met Beck, he was playing his sunburst Les Paul. develop, and there
Shortly thereafter, the Jeff Beck Group album came out… was an evolution
what a great record. in progress, but all
of these little indi-
TQR: So Beck was playing his ‘burst… cators… seeing
Beck, and then
Pearly Gates
Yeah, I kept asking around and discovered that Gibson had Clapton with one
discontinued them. The original sunburst Les Paul as we all of these guitars, and Mayall through his brilliance, finding so
know it, now long gone, got replaced by the Les Paul SG. At many wonderful guitarists like Peter Green and Mick Taylor.
the same time, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers appeared, They were all playing these sunburst Les Pauls.
and on the back of the album cover was a picture of Eric
Clapton with a ‘burst and a 2x12 Marshall Bluesbreaker TQR: And ZZ Top was off to the races…
combo. Well, I saw that, and thought there must really be
something to that guitar. I didn’t have much technical knowl- Yeah, we had met this individual who had an interest in man-
edge at that time, but noticed the pickups on the Les Paul agement. He had come down to Houston with another friend
were larger than the pickup on the Esquire, plus there were of his to see us perform with The Doors. He ran a record dis-
two of them. A buddy of mine, Red Pharoah, had a guitar tribution agency in Houston that happened to handle London
with a couple of those pickups on it, so I bought it… a 1958 Records, which was the label for The Rolling Stones and
Flying V. I picked it up for $300, and we were off and run- Mayall. Well, Mayall had organized a U.S. personal appear-
-continued-

4 TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002

 cover story
ance tour, traveling alone from town to town. More often than
not, he would get a hankering to put together impromptu jam
sessions, and would usually inquire who might be available
to handle a couple of hours of the blues. And that’s how we
met our soon-to-be manager. Being somewhat familiar with
our work, we got together and it was a classic scene. He
brought out some cigars and said, “I’m going to make you a
star.” With our handful of songs, we piled into this 1968
Buick deuce and a quarter – a big old land yacht – and drove
to a little town in east Texas. We cut the first ZZ album at
Robin Hood’s on the Texas/Louisiana line. That studio
already had a couple of national hits with J. Fred and the
Playboys, Mouse and the Traps, and a lot of the big soul
bands from southern Louisiana…The Boogie Kings, GG
Shinn and the Rollercoasters, Cary Ray and the National
Soul Review… all from Robin Hood’s. They had the momen-
tum and knew how to do the do. A preview of the ZZ record-
ings reached a few labels, with London Records showing a
keen interest. I said, “Man, that’ where The Rolling Stones
are. Let’s go there.
TQR: In regard to your playing and your fine, fine signa-
ture guitar tone – you mentioned an ‘evolution’ had
taken place over time. We might say a revolution
considering the impact you made with Pearly…
Looking back now with the benefit of hindsight,
how were your influences as a guitarist continuing
to develop and become more defined, from Trés
Hombrés, onward?
A most interesting
question… A revisit
of the vintage record-
ings from some
favorite blues per-
formers, including
Muddy, Little Walter,
BB King, Clifton
Chenier,
Howlin’Wolf, and the
all-time longstanding
favorite, Jimmy Reed.
Oddly enough, as many times as one revisits these timeless,
unchanged recordings, different ways to look at the blues as
an art form continue to appear. As soon as you think you’ve
got a bead on exactly what’s going on, at the very least you
discover something that might have been overlooked or inter-
preted in a different fashion. My interest in the blues still
rides high.
TQR: Were any of your contemporaries or blues heroes of
the past inspiring your playing and songwriting?
We all have our personal influences, and it’s worthy to note
TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002
some of our cherished contemporaries, like the late great
Doug Sahm, Jimmy Vaughan, and of course, Stevie… Also
the work of John Mayall and his line of infamous
Bluesbreakers, who have continually provided a source of
mystery and entertainment.
TQR: The first time we heard Buddy Whittington on a
record we thought, “Now, who the hell is that?”
(Laughs) Yeah… and another great player, James Hard
Harpin’ Harmon is a fine entertainer who would be just as
happy walking onto a stage at 9 p.m. opening a show or
strolling in at midnight as the headliner.
TQR: You can righteously be accused of having created
the perfect marriage of the smokiest, greasiest blues
riffs slithering around the ka-ching of monster big
time Top 40 lyrical hooks and tongue and cheek
imagery… a tall order, indeed. What’s the voodoo
behind your song writing success? Is it more inspi-
ration by accident (“I was playfully engaged with a
warm snifter of Reposado one evening when
Mescalito appeared…”) or do you just sit down and
deliberately create another hit?
The mystery behind the magic of ZZ Top is an engaging
endeavor… We take the latest composition and go to the
woodshed, where we place Frank Beard at the opposite end
of the room where Dusty and I are set up. We then deliver the
goods, and at the end of the day we ask Frank what it is he
thought we said? Usually, it’s an interpretation that is so far
removed from what was actually written, yet it’s usually bet-
ter than what we had originally started with earlier in the day
(laughs).
TQR: So there’s still room for the happy accident coming
from the ZZ woodshed.
It starts out with the two bearded boys posing a challenge to
the beardless Mr. Frank – “Where’s it going, and what’s your
interpretation?”
TQR: How has your stage rig evolved from the early days
with ZZ Top to the present? You’ve credited the Les
Paul ‘burst and the Marshall Superlead…
The Marshall and Pearly were the energized origin of the
sound of the ZZ Top trio, enjoying the acquisition of some
really exotic critters that we’ve since collected over the years.
We managed to build a couple of stacks of guitar rigs on
either side of the drum riser, and in essence, we have Dusty
pounding out his thang on a Fender 4-string, (which is basi-
cally a low guitar in the band), and the Reverend Willy G
slamming out his thing on a high bass… and we have Mr.
-continued-
5
 cover story

Beard in between. Over time, there were some interesting It’s a mouse
excursions into guitar design centered from that one corner- trap which is
stone element… Pearly Gates was the mystery factor that still not
founded the sound of the band, and that particular sonic ele- completely
ment was the one to be acknowledged. All of the creative understood,
excesses we’ve made managed to succeed as playable instru- yet, it is one
ments while retaining the tonal qualities still found in Pearly of the key
Gates. features in
the old Bo
TQR: Were you putting Seymour Duncan’s Pearly Gates Diddley
pickups in a lot of the custom guitars you had built records.
for ZZ Top tours? Steve
Melkisethian
Yes, and we also had the goodly assistance of Angela Instruments had stumbled across one and sent it
of the Gibson Custom Shop, the Fender down thinking that we might be interested and perhaps even
Custom Shop, Seymour Duncan, Mr. John find a use for it.
Bolin’s outfit out of Boise, Idaho, James
Trussart, Tom Anderson, WD Products, TQR: How long ago was that?
Warmouth… the list is endless. I should
also mention the late Eric Yunker. It is a Pre-Eliminator. We framed it
somewhat idealistic approach, entering as a quizzical shelf piece in
brave new worlds without compromising our studio and on one after-
tone, taste, or tenacity. As most instrumen- noon, one of the great
talists know, you could grab the first six Houston engineers, “Willy the
guitars on an assembly line and the last six Workingman” took the
on the line and none of them will necessari- DeArmond over to the con-
ly sound the same. In the final analysis, it’s sole to see what this thing was
Bamboo Tele

basically meat on metal on wood… At the
same time, you’ve got a complex
collective of different grain struc-
tures and wood from different
stands of trees held together by
new glue, old glue, and sometimes
no glue… Pickups are wound with
42 gauge wire that might have
been dipped in lacquer one week
and something else the next.
Thanks to the stalwart persever-
ance of people like Seymour
Duncan, Lindy Fralin, DiMarzio, Rio Grande, and others, we
now have insights into the unknown.
TQR: We live in the golden era of the guitar. We have
more choices today than ever before.
That’s the good news. And despite these disparate, unpre-
dictable elements, it really comes down to diggin’ in deep for
some creative soul and spirit, and from there you can sho
‘nuff make it happen.
TQR: Now, the DeArmond tremolo is very cool, and we
particularly liked it on “What’s Up With That?” and
“Zipper Job” on Rhythmeen. When and how did
you discover it?
all about. It rattled and shaked
and tumbled and quaked, and
we thought it was a little bit
of insanity, but it sure sounded
good.
TQR: He had taken it over to the console and he was run-
ning the guitar signal through it?
Yeah, he had it plugged up and we said, “What is that doing
over here?” to which Willy replied, “We’re gonna find out.”
As you know, the DeArmond has reached a point with me
that has gone beyond the point of being ridiculous, yet if you
can get one that actually works, they produce one of the cra-
ziest, indescribable tremolo sounds…
TQR: It’s a reddish blue, transparent throb which we find
particularly satisfying on “What’s Up With That?”
on Rhythmeen.
Oh, yeah…
TQR: That track showcases the throb quite nicely.
I think that’s an appropriate description of the sound. Thanks
to Bo Diddley and Steve at Angela Instruments, we have
another peek into the Wonderful World of Tone.
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TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002

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 cover story

TQR: Your two pound
‘bursts are quite the
thang… How’d they do
that, and what were you
thinking when you de-
cided to gut them perfect-
ly good guitars?
Sheer laziness… I got to
talkin’ to some of my Les
Paul buddies… Jimmy
Page, Jeff Beck… even
Eric Clapton… he kind of
grimaces when you bring
up the Les Paul. “Hey, Eric, how about throwing this over
your shoulder?” (making a “bad oyster” face and laughing).
hemp Tone Tubby, so we did a little experiment and loaded
one cabinet with the two darker ones side by side and the
other cabinet with the two brighter ones. Then we tried
another cabinet with one of each in the same cabinet. Each
one of them has merits, and they’re all different, but we con-
cluded that no matter how you stack it, that is one fine, fine
piece of product. They look great, but most importantly, they
sound great. They are really stunning, and they stand tall with
anything – blue frame Jensens, 30 year- old Celestion
Greenbacks, the Vox Bulldog… you name it. All of the indus-
try leaders are now standing beside another new individual,
and it’s really cool.
TQR: We couldn’t agree more. It’s not often that some
thing truly new and cool comes along, just like
those old Dual Professionals in their time…

TQR: Well, we all kinda want him to play one again, They were introduced
‘Lil’ Red’ & Dual Professional
which is reason enough for him not to. Eric seems in 1948, and I believe
to be quite the contrarian… that Don Randall
may have had some-
That well could be. Even Slash… my two buddies from the thing to do with the
Black Crowes… Jimmy Vaughan even played one during his decision to build an
early career, and there may be lingering memories of the amp that could hold
weightiness of our favorite tone grinder. But the code has two speakers instead
been cracked, and with a judicious approach to the modifica- of one. They didn’t
tions, you can lift the load but still deliver the tone. know what to call it,
and Leo looked over
TQR: So what you’re saying is that many of our favorite his shoulder and saw
players may have put the Led Paul down ‘cause it a box of metal name-
was too damn heavy. plates that they used
for their double neck
That was one reason. Credit should be given to those that fol- steel, which was
low form. Fashion may change, but this is an instance where called the Dual
form must remain, even in the face of changing fashion. Professional. They
reminded Leo that
TQR: You’ve certainly stuck to your guns, Rev… the name was used
for a Hawaiian guitar, and Leo said, “Yeah, but we have a
You gotta have the tone, brother. few extra boxes of these names plates, so let’s just call it the
Dual Professional, too (laughs). So, for the first run, they had
TQR: Tell us about your fascination with the old tweed a double neck steel and the amp with the same name, and I
Fender Dual Professionals. believe it was 1951 when they changed the name to the
Super.
Yes… by the way – the
hemp Tone Tubby TQR: And you’ve been collecting them over the years…
speakers were sent
over to the studio last Yeah. They were only 18W-20W, and they varied somewhat.
week. We had a couple Although the circuit boards were the same, the values of the
of Dual Showman components and transformers could change from week to
cabs, and you know that week. Thanks to the ingenuity of Leo and his staff, they were
amp went through an evo- able to create a cabinet and an amp that was louder, and it
lutionary renaissance, but fortunately, we had a couple of the sounded bigger than Dallas. The Dual Professional was one
old, smaller 2x12 cabinets with the maroon grill cloth. Now, I of the interesting turning points in amplifier history. They’re
didn’t realize that they make a “darker” and a “brighter” rare, and like guitars, each one has a peculiar personality, but
-continued-

TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002

7
 cover story

if you’re willing to check them out, there’s probably one That’s true, and the good news is… it’s not always the guitar
that’s perfect for every application. And if it doesn’t work, or the amp or the amp and the guitar… it’s how you spend
just find a good fuzztone and turn it up to ’10’ (laughs). your time getting it to go from here (head) to here (hands).
That’ll work every time.
TQR: You don’t seem to be someone
TQR: You’ve used the B.K. Butler Real Tube who practiced a lot though – it
Overdrive for a long time, haven’t you? seems as if you just jumped
into a band and you’ve been
Yeah, the Real Tube has a 12AX7 playing ever since.
driven circuit, it’s not battery pow-
ered, and at the same time, the stan- Yeah, let’s change the old adage to
dard that Mr. Butler established still playin’ makes perfect.
stands tall with each and every
model. With a little experimenta- TQR: What’s up with those African
tion, you can tweak them in to what guitars? Where did you get
I call “sittin’ on the fence” tone. You them?
don’t have to go ‘Rat’ and you don’t
have to go ‘Clean.’ You can just I went to Africa.
approach… let’s call it the border
zone. No… la frontera (laughs). It’s like TexMex tweakin.’ TQR: You’ve been in the
studio recently polishing
TQR: And Dusty uses one too… off a new CD that will be
out soon. What’s the theme
Yes, he does. He takes a little bit more of a darker stance than of this year’s ZZ Top party?
most, but at the same time, it just produces an indescribable
yet delightful sense of overdrive without getting out of con- We’ll know soon. There are all
trol. kinds of challenges to be
addressed.
TQR: Or pummeling your amp and speakers…
TQR: I’m sure there are.
That’s right. Harvey Moltz from Rainbow Guitars in Tucson
discovered the Real Tube. He was really the grist of the Well, you do it every month…
grind, and he was the one who allowed me to first check it
out. I’m also still very fond of one the most exotic little TQR: Kinda like a ZZ Top record… We consider every
effects ever made – the Expandora – the little silver Skoal can ZZ Top record to be a party record, and every party
with all of the craziness inside. That unit not only carries needs a theme.
good tone, but it works off batteries, and a lot of players real-
ly like it. Just pop it in the car stereo, drive to El Paso, and report back
to me later.
TQR: And they are priced accordingly… You also get a
ton of your tone through your hands. You have a TQR: Is the Quest for Tone ever over?
real easy touch, and you don’t appear to be break-
ing a sweat going through the motions of playing No. You got to have the tone.
the guitar. It’s smooth, light, and fluid, with no
struggle at all. TQR: ¡ Gracias, Amigo ¡

That’s a gracious compliment. It’s not a problem workin’ up a ¡ Si, Señor ¡ TQ

sweat – the problem is wipin’ it off (laughs). It’s always a
challenge to get the mind to match the motion. But the real
task is to enter that wondrous realm of making it flow.
TQR: And there’s that innate ability to play the song perf-
ectly when the little red light is lit. You either have
that, or you don’t.
Stay tuned for ZZ Top’s new release on RCA, plus reports
from the road as TQR Advisory Board member Billy F.
Gibbons and the boys embark on the Europe Tour 2002! For
more information on the band, including tour schedules,
swag, and news, visit www.zztop.com

TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002

8
 cover story
Gear from the Woodshed
TQR: Whoah! What the hell…
Check this out… (handing over
a ’59 burst Historic Reissue) I
bought a few recent re-issue
models right from the rack,
and following a bit a some
experimental customizing,
each one successfully
emerged as ultra-light Les
Paul Standard ‘50s style
Sunbursts – traditionally
considered a rather weighty
solid-body Spanish electric
6-string. The modifications
were expertly transformed
and customized by the illustrious guitar maker, Mr. John
Bolin & Co., from his state-of-the art studio out in the wilds
of Idaho. Bolin and crew developed a technique allowing the
radical transformation of these fine instruments, which
retained the heaviness of the performance of the guitar, while
lifting the guitar into fresh heights of slingin’ the slab.
Definitely a shot in the dark, yet, a surprisingly utilitarian
outcome from a previously unknown design concept! The
challenging aim to liberate the weight progressed with no
shortage of the
unknown…! At the com-
"Gibbons Historic Jungletele"
pletion of this radical
restructuring, the series
were restored to factory-
fresh like thrasers, retain-
ing structural integrity and
most importantly…the
TONE…! As the infamous
Pearly Gates remains one
of ZZ Top’s cornerstone
elements, workin’ within
that mysterious structure
proved to be most reward-
ing. This unexpected
excursion jumped up during a discussion out in California
with our good friend Jimmy Page & Co. over in Hollywood’s
late night loud-zone… Jimmy’s Les Paul is one of the
wickedest examples on the planet, along with one of the
wickedest pound-for-pound heavyweight electrics. The com-
bination of our curiosity of revamping our fave-rave
Standards forwarded the move. And, thanks to the brilliance
from Bolin’s expertise in handling the affair, all’s good on
stage and studio. Quite a delight! Deep, dark grindin’ contin-
ues onward, Amigo – no question about it. Great work.
TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002
TQR: Any difference in performance regarding altering
weight and mass?
Again, each instrument held differences in character and per-
sonality, yet, the object of the project retained the profile of
perfect personality. Ghostly!
TQR: And Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups entered
the mod, too, yes?
Indeed. Bolin’s
relationship with
Seymour Duncan
Research is still
the choice of
champs. Bolin
and Duncan both
acknowledge the
value of the orig-
inal elements
from Seth
Lover’s remark-
able invention of
the Humbucking
magnetic pickup.
The real luxury
of hot-rodding
one’s preferred rig is still cuttin’ up with scant regard to sani-
ty. Going for some serious tone ain’t no thang. Just light up
the torch and go for it – decals on ‘em, paint ‘em and rip ‘em
into Day-Glo world! Chop ‘em, rock ‘em, and do what you
wanna do. Drive it straight to the unknown zone…and play
them Blues…!
TQR: (Walking to the rack of amps and effects) This is
the stuff that delivers some of the ZZ extremes…
Mostly so… loads of variables are in there, but we’ve man-
aged the sound analysis using real-time analyzing gear. We’ve
stayed up through those all-night jams just running Pearly
straight in and straight out, standing on the Texas ‘G.’ We lis-
tened for the averages, and after those 3 o’clock-in-the-morn-
ing moments, satisfaction rides on in. And once you do it
twice…you be right on. Establish the curve of your picture
and get it on, man…! What is the character of this crazy girl
named Pearly? Soulful EQ’ing will bump it up down the line
and you’re in there. Another good thang…!
TQR: Calibrating those variables sounds like a righteous-
ness kind of night…
Yeah. You get to play it. We’re sorting about with some
experimental tunings on the main guitars – open ‘E,’ even
down to ‘B,’ and on down to low ‘A’, bro… Hideous…!
-continued-
9
 guitars

TQR: Which gauge strings? Vintage effects include many DeArmonds, Marshall Supa
Fuzz, Park Fuzz, and DeArmond volume pedal.
Eights. Wet rope below-sea-level.
Studio Notes:
Billy Hale (BFG’s guitar tech): “Have
no fear.” We also toured “The
Woodshed,” where we
As you know, each piece of gear usually impacts the output found a few more tone-
in some manner – positive, antagonistic, and always unex- ful curios, including a
pected. Double the rig. If one bank breaks down, you got a customized little vintage
back-up restoring the line. We’re on JMP1 12AX7-driven Marshall 2x10 combo
preamps, Line that had been modded
6’s rack unit, for dual 12’s. Also pres-
Zoom’s power ent in Billy’s studio rig was a vintage Alamo (Valco), a
box, a Marshall Valve State, and the ever-present Real Tube
Varidrive sig- Overdrive by B.K.
nal snapper Butler. Guitars included
from San a wild ‘matchstick bam-
Diego, Bixonic boo’ Tele, a vintage
Expandoras, Z Vex oddities, all of it… matched into Esquire, and the
Marshall’s tube boys for a grind to warp the mind. Prior to esteemed and worldly
this we were using a beautiful Marshall EL34 100/100. This Pearly Gates. Billy’s rack
Pro 120 hit the market, and I can’t remember where we rig in the studio included
experimented with this amp, but we started collecting them a pair of Marshall JMP1
and flooding the valve midi preamps (dimed), Tech 21 Sans Amp units, and a
tone settings, and duet of rack-mounted DeArmond Tremolo units.TQ
the effect became
truly transparent as
one might want, still
retaining the whip
of Jim Marshall’s
special sound.
HISTORIC REISSUE
Power amplifier SINGLE CUT LES PAUL SPECIAL
platforms simply Most of us won’t be willing or able to acquire a ‘59 burst RI
Demeter Isolation Cabinet
takes the sound and and lighten the load as the Rev did, but if toting the Led Paul
make it bigger. We keep some measures of available head- is beginning to put a hurt on ya, there are options…
room, ‘cause we don’t wanna redline the motherfuckers per
se… Just tweak those 50-some odd user presets and step on Feeling devilish? The horny SG
it. Keep domain over your power …! might do the trick. It’s light, you
can run your humbuckers in it,
Notes on Instruments Pictured: and it’s a Gibson, which means
it’s supposed to be ‘good
‘Lil’ Red’ (SG enough.’ The SG’s evil look never
pg. 7) is one of really caught on, which also
Billy F. Gibbon’s makes the vintage models a great
first guitars. bargain (comparatively speaking),
and even some of the 70’s era
The Teuffel was brown (should we say ‘chest-
custom-covered nut’?) SG’s can be pretty good utility guitars with a simple
in pink fabric pickup upgrade. But it’s a bit of a crapshoot... Many old ‘70s
resembling the SG’s seem to now be cursed with screwy necks, and we’ve
old pink paisley played a few that divebombed like a Strat (but in the absence
pattern used on ‘60s Telecasters. Billy and Dusty own match- of a tremolo tailpiece). Not good...
ing Teuffels.

-continued-

TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002

10
 interview
Let’s go for something much more
comely, with kinder curves, like a
1997 Gibson Historic Reissue
Les Paul Special. We specifically
hunted down a single-cut model
on eBay and we wound up pay-
ing just under a grand for our
barely used ‘96. The Les
Paul Specials remain in pro-
duction at the Gibson
Custom Shop, and they are
available as double or single
cutaway models in Cherry or
TV Yella finish. Our particu-
lar guitar was originally shipped from the Gibson Custom
Division on September 1, 1996, which was the first year of
production. According to TQR Advisory Board member and
Gibson Pro Shop Manager Ernest King, our guitar was an
early transition model, since the Gibson logo on our guitar is
a gold decal rather than the later pearloid logo on holly
veneer. These axes are more in the Stratocaster weight range,
but they are single-slab mahogany, and they sound real good.
Part of the mojo is the wrap-around tailpiece. It makes an
audible difference that you’ll really feel and hear when you
play. This guitar vibrates, and the tone has a deep, woody
vibe that’s lacking by comparison in a lot of new instruments
today. Again, it’s the wrap-around that really makes the dif-
ference, and if
you’ve passed on
this feature think-
ing you couldn’t
get your intonation
dialed in, that’s just
not so. In addition
to the standard
Gibson tailpiece
with two sets screws for fine tuning the position of the bar,
the wrap-around tailpieces made by TonePros offer 3
adjustable sliding sections for improved intonation. You
adjust each section for a pair of strings, similar to vintage
Telecaster saddles, but the tonal benefits of the wrap-around
design are maintained. Reviews are in the works.
The ‘60 Special is considerably lighter than a ‘58 or ‘59 Les
Paul Historic RI, and it’s a really fun guitar to play. The
Special sounds plenty big enough, although the neck profile
is the ‘slim taper’ rather than the late ‘50s baseball bat style.
We like ‘em both, and would be happy with either neck shape
exclusively. We did notice that the slimmer neck needs a
shade more playing time to settle in after changing strings.
The truss rod on our Special had never been touched, and it
needed tightening by a quarter turn when we received it. That
done, we strung it up with a set of Pyramid .010-.048’s and it
took about 10 minutes for the neck to settle down. Since then,
TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002
the Special has stayed in tune perfectly, and it seems to get
happier every time we play it (as do we). Of course, the fac-
tory fret level had skimmed the crown on the frets, and we’ll
probably get them dressed. We’re back to P90’s again with
the Special, and the Gibsons on our guitar sounded very, very
good. They’re dynamic, warm, punchy, full of bite, and
kicked down a little, they can be charming, subtle, and
smooth. We mentioned the fun factor, and the way the Special
resonates is energizing and inspiring. You can feel the entire
body and neck vibrating as you play, and the Special’s
extraordinarily lively character is absolutely captivating. The
classic design is so uniquely cool, that if you leave this guitar
out where it’s accessible and in view, you’ll quickly discover
just how irresistible it is. We rarely find such a unique classic
that really has something different to offer, but the Special
fits the bill, and we hope you’ll find the time to check them
out. It’ll be well worth your time.TQ
Dave Malone & the
Interview & photos by Jim Beck
Thanks to TQR subscribers Jim Beck and Dave Malone for
the following interview in which Dave so thoughtfully shares
his personal Quest for Tone. Once again, you’ll find pIenty of
priceless tips in this article, straight from an experienced and
supremely talented and accomplished player who has devoted
years to The Quest.
TQR: When did you first pick up a guitar?
I’m one of those peo-
ple that saw The
Beatles on Ed Sullivan
and went, “That is
cool!” I didn’t really
get into it right away –
my older brothers
shortly thereafter were
playing guitar, and I
ended up kind of
sneaking in and play-
ing theirs, and as you well know when you’re learning, it
hurts like hell… When you can actually play a song for the
first time, I don’t know about you, but for me it was, “Oh, my
God – this, I’m gonna do!” So I would play ‘til my fingers
bled – one of those goofballs. Having my older brother play-
ing helped immensely.
TQR: Did you ever receive any formal training?
No, no – my dad was in the Air Force, but by the time I start-
-continued-
11
 interview
ed playing guitar, we had settled in the country in Edgard,
Louisiana. You’ve never heard of it – David Bartholomew
was from there – the guy that arranged for Fats Domino and
wrote all those songs. It’s just a little town along the river in
Louisiana. Lots of sugar cane...
TQR: Louisiana is one of the most musically rich areas in
the world. Who were your local influences?
Songwriters... the stuff that Alan Toussaint wrote and then all
the famous New Orleans singers did – really cool songs…
Earl King, and as far as just the sheer joy of playing music
and having this energy just jump out of you that infects the
crowd, Professor Longhair was the guy for that. I was lucky
enough to play with him a few times, and I was luckier still
just to hang out with him a lot. Man, that guy was music!
There were lots of people like that. Jesse Hill was a nut, but
he was a great entertainer, and then somebody like James
Booker, who was just beyond description. His piano playing
was from another world.
TQR: You all tend to have a pretty rich sensibility to your
playing.
Yeah, we were exposed to a lot of different kinds of music,
and you know, in the South, they make gumbo out of pouring
a lot of different things into a pot, and I guess that’s kind of
what we do.
TQR: You seem to have become associated with The
Grateful Dead, and the band is absolutely adored
by Deadheads. How did that came about?
You know, musically, I don’t see it… but maybe it’s just from
how we carry ourselves. We’re one of those bands that has
always allowed people to record our shows, so then you get
tape traders, which becomes a thing – maybe it’s that. Or
maybe its just that we’re into this free abandon, go for it kind
of attitude, with the jamming, I mean. Maybe it’s that and the
fact that we kind of mix up blues and rock and country and
soul, because The Dead did too, to some degree.
TQR: You have a working repertoire of several hundred
songs, just like they did, which must have its own
challenges.
Yeah, but you know what? As far as I’m concerned, if I was
in one of those bands that had to play the same 15 songs
every night, I would go absolutely nuts! I couldn’t stand it.
That might be another connection to The Grateful Dead.
People know that if we’re doing a 3-night run, at say, Great
American Music Hall, they’re not going to hear the same
songs from one night to the next. We’re going to do three
nights and not repeat a song. Some people really like that,
12 TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002
and some people don’t. People who are prone to buying
whatever the current pop sensation is want to hear the hits all
the time. Maybe they don’t like it, but it certainly keeps
everything fresh.
TQR: You and Camile are very complimentary players.
Yeah, we don’t play at all alike. Before The Radiators,
Camile was in rock bands and I was in country rock bands. I
was very into vocal harmonies, and I still am, which The
Radiators don’t do a lot
of. We’re not the
singin’est fools on
earth, so I was playing
country rock stuff –
Buffalo Springfield,
Poco, Burrito Brothers,
Graham Parsons, and
stuff like that. I was
playing country rock
and rockabilly licks,
and he was playing
blues and all rock stuff,
and for some reason our styles worked well together. And
even from day one – and this is not horseshit at all – we have
this ESP thing going on that freaks us out to this day. It hap-
pened last night several times. In the middle of a song that
we’ve played however many times, we’ll play a lick that nei-
ther of us has played before in that spot in the song. We’ll
play the same lick, and we’ll look at each other like, “Where
the hell did that come from?” Not only that, but sometimes
we play them in harmony and it just freaks us out. We don’t
even really talk about it that much because we’re afraid we’ll
jinx it. But literally from the very first day we played togeth-
er that happened.
TQR: It seems like one of your signatures is kind of a
sweeter bayou feel, for lack of a better term – triad
9th’s and 7th’s funk. And Camile, he just shreds.
He’s up and down the board and he screams. But
you tend to stay with the “in-the-pocket” riff…
Well, my thing is, I never have been and never will be, nor
want to be “Mr. Guitar,” where people say “Oh, look at that.”
I’m glad Camile does it, because then we have a guy in the
band who does it, and people dig it. I’m really only con-
cerned with the song and what the song needs, you know?
Trying to figure out something that helps the song along.
Thinking that way, I’m all about trying to think about
melody, and stay in the pocket. That’s definitely where I
come from. Sometimes the song tells you. Talking about this
ESP thing that Camile and I have, I think the song sometimes
tells you what it wants you to play. I can’t stress enough that,
bottom line, there is nothing more important than the song.
-continued-
 interview
The fact that we play these same licks at the same time out of
nowhere – that came from somewhere. Maybe the song dic-
tated to us to play that lick right there, and we both heard it
the same way. Or maybe this is all bullshit (laughs).
TQR: I don’t think so. I’ve seen it, and others who have
seen you play see it as well. We’ve seen it in a lot
of the great bands where the players are able to
communicate in that way.
Bottom line for me is, I try to play either melody or counter-
melody, or something that I think the song needs in the
moment. I always try to stress doing something that works
perfectly for the song, not necessarily just going off on the
guitar, although that is fun, too. But I can’t stress enough
that, to me, nothing is more important than the song itself.
TQR: Let’s talk about guitars. Your main stage axe is the
Strat…
Yeah… I might as well mention
that last year at the end of
October our equipment truck was
stolen. They got everything, and
we’ve gotten nothing back so far.
We’re getting our equipment back
together now. I had 7 guitars on
the truck, Camile had 3, and
Reggie had 2 or 3 basses. My
main guitar was a 1982 ‘57 reis-
sue blonde Strat. I think that was
the first year that someone at
Fender got the bright idea to start
making them like they used to,
‘cause everyone wanted those
guitars, anyway. I think 1982 was
the first year they reissued the
‘57 Strat, and from what I can
tell, that was the only year that
the neck had a lower profile. It’s not as stocky as my
Telecasters, and it’s just a breeze to play. Maple fretboards
are very unforgiving, and I just loved having having the
smaller profile Strat neck. I changed the pickups to Van
Zandts, and after the stuff got stolen, I couldn’t find one.
Then my wife found one on eBay that was 15 serial numbers
off from the Strat that was stolen. We were going to New
York a week later – here, in fact, at BB King’s. The last time
we were here, the guy that had the guitar on eBay met me, I
played it, and it felt exactly like my stolen guitar, so I was as
happy as could be. I think I’m going to change the pickups
on it, too. They’re not quite right, but it plays like a dream.
TQR: Did you like the Van Zandts?
TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002
Yeah, I did, and I didn’t know anybody else that used them,
actually. I kind of stumbled on to them. I’m always looking
around for stuff, which is what’s cool about The Tonequest
Report, because you can get all that information you would-
n’t get elsewhere. I don’t remember how I heard about them.
I called them, and they told me if I would say that I used
their pickups, they would give me a set. I checked them out
and I really liked them. My younger brother Tommy is a gui-
tar player in The Subdudes. After I had my guitar stolen and I
wasn’t able to find another Strat that had that shape and same
neck feel, I got the ‘82 that I play now and Tommy actually
had his neck measured and cut exactly the same as mine, he
liked it so much. He has Lindy Fralin pickups, and I really
like the sound of them, so I might check those out. They have
a nice sweet tone to them– a little bit hot – but not hot
enough to be abrasive. They still sound very liquid, and all
the other words people use to describe Strats, but with a little
more “oomph.” So, since the stuff got stolen, I’m playing that
‘82 reissue Strat. Fender was very kind to me. They sent me a
bunch of guitars and said “Try these, buy the ones you want,
and send the others back.” I’ve got a sunburst ‘57 reissue
Strat as my backup, and then I have a ‘62 Custom Tele as my
Telecaster guitar. The first guitar I ever bought was a ‘56
Tele, but I don’t bring it on the road – it stays at home. I
bought it when I was 17, paid eighty dollars for it and bitched
about the price! But that thing... I will not take it on the road.
TQR: Do you still have the Melancon (pronounced muh
lah’ sah) – your “Melecaster?”
He makes really good guitars. I got the Melancon because I
didn’t want to bring my ‘56 Tele on the road anymore. I
played a bunch of Fender guitars at the time, and I couldn’t
really find any I liked. I didn’t want to drop a bundle on a
vintage Tele when I already had one, so I tried this Melancon
and it was just perfect. That got stolen, too.
TQR: Those are custom made in Louisiana?
Yeah, a guy in Thibedeaux, Louisiana by the name of Gerard
Melancon. He makes really good guitars. That was a heart-
breaker, too. I got that stolen and a couple of Danos and a
Gibson SST – the electric acoustic with the star inlays in the
neck. My backup Strat was a ‘62 body with a rosewood
Telecaster neck on it. That got stolen, too. Somebody’s got
some cool guitars out there, the thievin’ bastards!
TQR: What about your Les Paul – it really sounded great
at the show. It looks like a Special with a tune-o-
matic.
They call it the TV Les Paul, with the P100’s. It’s not old –
about 10 years old, I guess. It screams, and I love that guitar!
Like I said, the first guitar I ever bought was a ‘56 Tele with
-continued-
13
 interview
a maple fingerboard, and those
things are hard as hell to play.
They’re very unforgiving, and you
better be right on, ‘cause they will
damn sure let everybody know that
you screwed up. Playing Gibsons to
me is almost like cheating (laughs).
Fenders are harder to play, but it’s
very rewarding when you get some-
thing out of them, you know?
Gibsons, to me – they’re just like
butter. I’m still a Fender guy, but I
do like that Les Paul. I’ve owned a
few Gibsons.
TQR: I was really impressed with the tone on that guitar.
I noticed on your web site that you play some other
weird stuff – mando-guitar, baritone, some other
Danelectro… What other cool stuff stays home?
The mando-guitar I did bring on the road. That’s a thing this
guy named Fatdog at Subway Guitars in Berkeley built for
me out of old Danelectro parts. Basically, it’s 4 double cours-
es of strings, but they’re set apart on a guitar neck, so they’re
spaced far apart. I tune it like the first four strings of a guitar
– I don’t tune it like a mandolin. It’s wacky sounding, but it’s
real cool. I might bring that back on the road again. It’s just
been sitting at home. Let’s see… at home I have a Fender 8-
string electric mandolin – I don’t even know the model num-
ber. That’s going to go back on the road. I have one of those
4-string late ‘50s Fender electric mandolins with the anodized
pickguard. They look like a tiny, shrunken Stratocaster, and I
don’t believe they made a whole lot of them.
I have a ‘68 cherry red Gibson 335 in mint condition, and
that is the most I ever paid for a guitar. It looks brand new.
The very first gig I played with it, I banged it into the mic
stand and dented the lower horn (laughs). I thought “Oh, OK
– it’s definitely my guitar, now.” I also have a ‘65 Gibson
J160E, and I’m a real Beatles fanatic. Don’t get me started on
that, ‘cause we’ll never stop talking! I really like that percus-
sive sound of the J160. They never were very good acoustic
guitars, and I think they are more of a percussion instrument
with tuned strings. For that ching-ching-ching percussive,
acoustic strumming thing that’s on the old Beatles records,
it’s perfect. That’s the sound.
After all of my stuff got stolen, Anders Osborne gave me a
1946 Gibson L50. I had to get it tweaked a little bit and get a
new trapeze tailpiece for it, but when I strung it up, that gui-
tar was just saying “thank you, thank you!” It was so happy
to be strung up again. I have a 1936 Epiphone Broadway
archtop with the off-center indentation on the headstock, and
a 1921 Martin 00018. I just used that doing some recording
14 TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002
with Martin Simpson, the famous British guitar and slide
player, who is phenomenal. Reggie and I did some tracks
with him, and I also used the Gibson L50. I have a nylon-
string classical guitar that this guy in San Miguel de Allende
in Mexico made for me, and I have a turquoise Rickenbacker
12 – the pointy one. I think it’s the 360, and it’s just a beauty.
I have a ‘62 reissue Strat in Sherwood Green, too. I also have
a bunch of old Silvertone amps, a tweed Vibrolux, a brown
Vibrolux, and a blonde piggyback Bassman that just kills.
TQR: Do you play on the Bass or the Normal side on that
amp?
I go in the Normal. The secret weapon for our last album was
this thing I kind of stumbled on to at Guitar Center in New
Orleans. It’s called a Pro
Junior by Fender – a little
teenie class A amp that
just screams. For a little
amp with great tone, I
highly recommend it.
They come from the fac-
tory with kind of crappy
input jacks and controls,
like the plastic shaft con-
trols, but you change all
that stuff out and then
you’ve got a great amp. They’re so good sounding! We used
it more than any other amp, probably. For recording, they’re
just awesome.
TQR: You got into the tweeds a little bit... Tweed
Vibroluxes – you don’t see many of them.
No, this one has the original cover, it’s in really good shape
and it is a sweet, sweet amp. I love it, but that stays home.
TQR: And the brown Vibrolux, too…
Yeah. That stays home and I’ve had that thing for ages. It’s
gone through all kinds of changes, me messing with different
speakers after I blew up the originals. Back then, people did-
n’t think about “Oh, it’s a vintage this or that.” They would
mess with their stuff, then they’d kick themselves in the butt
later when they realized what they’d done. Everybody has
stories of guitars or amps they wished they had never gotten
rid of.
TQR: What’s yours?
Oh, the best sounding Twin Reverb that was ever made, prob-
ably. It was my amp for years when I was doing country
rock. You know, Twins are kind of clean. In fact, they’re very
clean. But this one had that cleanliness to it but with a vibe
-continued-
 interview
and a warmth to it. I sold it, like a moron! I had a nice Super
Reverb, old Les Pauls…
TQR: Tell me about your Silvertones...
Dickinson turned me on to this, and I think he got turned on to
them from Ry Cooder. It’s the 1x12 Silvertone – I don’t even
know the model name – but the controls are mounted vertically
on the right side, on the back. They are just great. I have one
that’s completely stock with the original speaker, and I have
another one where someone modified the baffle and put in an
ancient 10" Jensen speaker that just kills. Then I have another
one, which is one of those 1x15 Silvertones – the kind where
the amp stores in the back of the speaker cabinet. The amp
stores in the back, and these two little plastic things flip down
to keep it from falling out. It’s really goofy, but it sounds awe-
some! That big 15" Jensen just kills in that amp. All of these
amps I’m talking about are really great studio amps, but they’re
not really loud enough to play gigs with.
TQR: Thanks for drawing out your signal chain (on hotel
stationery). That really helped me get a handle on
what you’re doing with your effects.
That’s something I’ve invested countless hours on. Years ago,
people didn’t realize how drastically every little thing in your
signal chain affects the sound. I’ve experimented with all dif-
ferent kinds of cords, etc, and have hours of my life invested in
trying different stuff. Not to the degree that Eric Johnson does
– like which battery sounds better – I don’t go that far. It’s real-
ly surprising when people realize that just changing a cord can
change how their whole rig sounds. So, I experimented with all
that stuff, and I came to the conclusion that for my needs, I like
the Rock 500 Monster cable from the guitar to the input, which
is the first input into the Vox wah. Then I patch mostly little
George L cables. George L’s are really good-sounding wire.
You buy the wire in bulk, then you buy the connectors. There’s
no soldering – you clip the end off of the wire, stick it in the
connector, bend it through this thing and tighten up a knurled
knob, and that’s how you make the cables. And they just sound
great. You have no loss in the high end, and all the low end,
and the low end is no longer muddy. It really makes a big dif-
ference. They’re not really good to use as guitar cables,
because the wire is real stiff, and I don’t think the connectors
could take a lot of abuse, but for wiring pedal boards and con-
TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002
necting my splitter box up to the amps, that’s where I use them.
So, it’s the Monster cable from the guitar to the wah, then
George L’s patch , then a 3-foot George L goes around the mic
stand to the left pedal board, and then on some of those, just
from me messing around with them, I like the sound of the
Planet Waves right-angle 6" wire. I just like the way they
sound, and I don’t know why. I’m just going by what I like,
which is all anyone should do, really. No one should just say
“Oh, I’m gonna do this because so-and-so does it.” Everybody
should listen for themselves. I have a Planet Waves cable going
back to my left pedal board to the Bayou Buff Box, and then I
have George L’s going to both amps and then another George L
going up to my Korg rack mount tuner.
TQR: How did the concept for the Bayou Buff Box
come about?
At some point, probably in
my rehearsal space just
monkeying around, I
decided to see what two
amps sounded like togeth-
er. I discovered that I real-
ly like the spatial thing
that two amps create, but I
also discovered that I really, really like this enveloping thing...
When you stand in the middle of the sound with one of the
amps wet, meaning reverb, and one of them dry, it just creates
this sound that I love standing in front of. And let’s face it, if
you’re loving the way you sound, you’re going to play better.
So, I did that, and at the time, I was using a splitter box, and I
was checking that out, and I noticed some serious signal loss.
It’s worse with the splitter boxes that they sell in the music
stores, like Whirlwind and Morley. They split your signal sure
enough, but you most definitely have signal loss. You have loss
in the high end and the low end gets muddied up compared to
going straight in. So I was thinking there had to be a way for
me to do this, because it wasn’t much better than a crappy Y-
cord.
I was talking to my brother John, the older brother who played
music before I did, who works in the physics department at the
University of Virginia. He put together a splitter box, and
exactly what you put into the inputs is exactly what comes out
of the outputs. That’s what a buffered splitting box is. In my
case, I need one in and three outs, because I use two of the outs,
which are footswitchable off/on that go to the amps, and the
third out is always on, which goes to the tuner. So I can walk
back to the splitter box, which is in front of my amps, step on
the buttons to kill the two amps and go right to tuner. I couldn’t
find a box on the market that did that. So my brother John built
me one, it was stolen, and I was shit out of luck and back to
square one. Kenny Lannes (Acoustic Analysis, Inc./KJL Amps)
-continued-
15
 interview
had called me years
before to tell me
about his amps, but
I wasn’t interested
at the time, or
maybe, too lazy or
whatever. I called
him back and got
connected with
Kenny, and I just
wanted him to make
me another splitter
box. But then when
I heard his amps, I
went “Wow, these
sound good, man!” So we put our heads together and with
my input and his input, we’re going to come up with a modi-
fied version of his 60 watt head. I tweaked the tone circuits
on it a little bit. He’s got a midrange selector that’s a “cut”
knob more so than a boost. You can add mids when it’s all the
way off, and there’s a 6-way frequency selector switch. I cut
the low mud out with the mid range cut knob, and then I can
dial in the independent tone controls, which is very cool, and
dial in whatever treble and bass I want and then cut that
mushy100 Hz that sometimes just sounds like mud.
TQR: So, you select, say, the 100Hz frequency on the 6-
way selector and then decide how much to cut out.
Right. I just wanted him to make me another buffered switch-
ing box, but then we started talking about different circuits
and he knows all that stuff so well, that he could tweak out
the tone section to exactly how I wanted. I said “Well, shit, I
want to start working with you, and I’ll use your amp as my
dry amp.” At the same time, I told him about this buffered
switching box that had been stolen, so we put our heads
together and redesigned that and actually improved upon my
brother’s design, because it used a transformer or something
to do the buffering, I think. With the new one, we have op
amps where you can actually hit the front end of the amp
harder if you want, or lower, so the two outs going to the amp
have a little volume control. It’s almost like having a gain
device stomp box on before you plug into the amp. So you
can either set it at unity, which is zero, or a little less if you
want, or whatever. It’s very usable, and it sounds great. I’ve
got the prototype now and we’re working on getting the fin-
ished thing done. If something like that is on the market I
damn sure couldn’t find it, because I went all over the
Internet looking and in music store catalogs, and I found
nothing like that.
TQR: I tried a Morley AB box probably 15 years ago to
do a similar thing and I gave it up, because I could
n’t make it sound good.
16 TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002
Right... they sound like crap. The Whirlwind is my backup.
That’s the only one that’s even usable, but you can hear the
difference with that, too. Big difference!
TQR: When you go above unity, it really will drive the
preamp in your amp and break it up a little quicker?
Absolutely! I don’t do that a lot myself. I’m from the old
school. I’m a stomp box guy – I love stomp boxes. The dry
amp is not distorted, really. A lot of people who use two
amps call them their clean amp and their dirty amp. I keep
them both on at all times. My dry amp has got a little bit of
dirt to it, but more of a warmth, and not really distorted. I get
any distortion I want from pedals, because I like my rhythm
parts to be clean. I like that watery Strat tone, or whatever
other adjectives people use to describe that liquid Strat sound,
especially when you’re in the 2nd and the 4th position in the
5 way switch. If you have a lot of distortion on them, you
lose all that stuff. I like my dry amp to be not too dirty.
TQR: It’s loud, but it’s not breaking up yet.
Right,
right. I
get all
the dirt
from the
stomp
boxes.
So my
reverb
amp I
kind of
discov-
ered by
accident. I was in International Vintage Guitars in New
Orleans and I had seen pictures of these Gibson GA-30s, and
I plugged into it, and it freaked me out. Probably the best
sounding reverb I’ve ever heard. And that’s saying a lot,
because as I said, I did have the best Twin Reverb ever made
(laughs).
TQR: And the GA tends to mesh well with the KJL?
Yeah, very well. So I get the reverb from the Gibson and I
just stand in front of this wall of beautiful sound, and it really
inspires me.
TQR: How do you power the Buff Box?
Oh, just a regular 110 power cord. I was adamant about that.
I’m on the third prototype right now because of all the
changes we’ve made. The first one was battery powered and
that was a pain in the butt. I got away from batteries com-
-continued-
 interview
pletely, although truth be told, on some of the stomp boxes I
do prefer the sound of batteries, but it’s just too much hassle.
So on my
right pedal
board, all
those ped-
als are
powered
up by that
VHT Valvulator, which I don’t use in line. It’s got a tube in it
that’s a little kind of preamp too, but I didn’t like the high
end sound of it, so I don’t use it in line with my guitar, but I
do use it to power up the pedals. Before I got the buffered
switching box, when I was using the Whirlwind, I would use
the VHT because it would restore the high end from all the
long cable runs. Now that I have the buffered switching box, I
don’t use it as a preamp anymore. I just use it’s power section
to power up the stomp boxes on my right pedal board. Then
on the left
pedal
board, I
have a
Voodoo
Labs
Pedal Power 2. The new versions have little dip switches for
each output where it can do, like, battery sag. It’s very cool.
So it simulates my Tube Screamer. I have one that Analog
Man modified for me, with batteries. The harder you dig into
it, it dips a little bit and makes this cool thing. I don’t even
know how to describe it.
TQR: Like compression?
Yeah, and Voodoo Labs kind of simulated that somehow with
these little switches for each of the outs for when you’re
using any kid of overdrive or gain device.
TQR: I noticed that you’ve got a real broad functionality.
With your huge repertoire, you don’t just throw it
up on the neck pickup and call it good – you use a
variety of tones.
Well, it’s not just for the songs – it’s just that I like sounds as
much as I like guitar playing. I like the atmosphere that dif-
ferent sounds make, like a good sounding chorus used spar-
ingly, or whatever. I like sounds. I’m just crazy about that
stuff.
TQR: You mentioned chorus... I noticed your chorus tone
has a lot of nice clarity to it – all the lush and none
of the mush. Is that the Analog Man?
For my slow chorus it’s an Analog Man clone chorus, yeah.
That’s a very lush sounding, warm chorus. It kicks in on the
TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002
low end a little
bit and creates a
very warm, cho-
rus sound. I real-
ly like it. The
other kind of cho-
rus that I use
would be some-
thing trying to
simulate Leslie
sounds, and I’m
using a Voodoo Labs Analog Chorus. I’m not totally sold on
that, because one of the things that also got stolen from me
was a Hughes and Kettner Tube Rotosphere. From what I’ve
found, that’s the best thing, for my ears anyway, for sounding
like a Leslie. I also love the Electro-Harmonix Electric
Mistress, but it’s just noisy as hell and I can’t use it.
TQR: What about your MXR Micro-Amp?
It’s just a gain thing – it adds a little dirt. I mainly use it as a
volume device when I want to just kick it in instead of using
the volume knob on my guitar. And I can also kick that in if I
want to get really nuts with the Tube Screamer or the Boss
Compressor-Sustainer, or the Boss Distortion, which I really
like, by the way.
TQR: Which? The Boss Distortion?
Both of them – the blue Compressor-Sustainer or the orange
Boss Distortion. I turn the tone all the way off, turn the drive
all the way up, and then mess with the level according to
whatever I need. You get that instant kind of Clapton “Strange
Brew” kind of tone. I really like that pedal a lot. I also have a
Boss delay I like quite a bit. My old pedal boards had all
these old stompboxes and they were all stolen, so I had to
start my research from scratch. I’m happy with everything I
have on the boards right now, with the exception of the Leslie
simulation.
TQR: Are you using the footswitchable boost on your
KJL amp? Kenny told me the amp footswitches to
max midrange boost.
No, I don’t use it. I set the amp one way and leave it there.
The Gibson has channel switching, too, and it has a great
sounding overdrive. I don’t use that either. I just get it from
outboard stomp boxes.
TQR: Are you pretty pleased overall with the EQ on the
KJL? From what Kenny described, he’s really
worked hard on that section.
Yeah, the independent tone controls… I’ve played through all
-continued-
17
 interview
kinds of amps since my stuff got stolen, and I won’t even go
into the names. A lot of them sounded pretty much the same.
I noticed on a lot of them, for my ears, the bass control
wouldn’t be usable past 3 or 4. After you turned it up past
that it just turned into this low end mushy, thick, yucky stuff.
You can use his tone controls pretty much throughout the full
spectrum, from ‘Off’ to ‘On’. We’re working on something
that might have a bigger power section.
For people who would want to have more amp distortion in
the preamp section, this amp doesn’t really do that. Even if
you turn the preamp knob all the way up, it won’t get dirty
like some of the other custom amps I’ve played.
TQR: You’re using the KJL Club Owner cab with the 12
and the 10?
That’s right, with Celestion vintage 30’s – one 12, and one
10. Those speakers are what I’ve had the most luck with, and
I like the overall tone from bottom to top.
TQR: Besides the sheer trouble of getting up here to play
a gig in Anchorage, what are the challenges of
using rented backline amps, tonally? You sounded
great, but it’s got to be a bitch not having your own
gear.
That is another big reason why I put so much time and effort
into getting the pedalboards right. If you get a Twin Reverb
from a backline company... I don’t necessarily like those
amps, but the Twin is a workhorse, and you can get them
anywhere. Everybody has them. If you can get one that even
sounds halfway decent, then you can shape the sound with
your pedals. Doing fly gigs, that’s really the only way to do
it, unless you’re some superstar who can demand a certain
amp. For a band that travels sometimes without our crew and
our gear, it’s nice to have your pedal boards and a nice fly
case so that you can still sound like yourself no matter what
amp you play through. It would have to be a pretty shitty amp
for Camile and I not to get a halfway decent sound out of it.
TQR: You sounded great in Anchorage. Of course, being
Anchorage, I wasn’t sure what you were going to
get (they both played vintage blackface ‘65 Fender
Twins). I considered bringing my Bassman into
town just in case (laughing).
When I’m using one amp, I try to get an amp that has at least
an OK sounding reverb, because I do like reverb.
TQR: I chain up my Bassman with a Peavey Valverb, and
it does really well. It’s a rackmount tube reverb,
and it’s got master volume, so you can hit your amp
18 TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002
harder with it if you want.
Oh, my brother Tommy had one of those! It’s tube, you say?
So it’s like an old rackmount Fender Reverb. I’m writing this
down, because I’ve been looking for a good outboard reverb
and I haven’t been able to find one.
TQR: You can usually find them on eBay, although not in
large numbers. They usually sell in the $300’s…
They’re wonderful, and footswitchable, too.
Matched with a Bassman, it’s a great setup.
Well, that’s good to know, because when I play my blonde
Bassman at home, I’ve been using this little Alesis Microverb
just because I couldn’t find anything that worked well. I had
an outboard Fender reverb, but I didn’t really like it.
TQR: What’s the future hold for you and The
Radiators?
Well, our
motto is “Too
stupid to
stop!” We’re
just going to
keep doing
what we do.
We love play-
ing together.
We’ve never
gotten to the
level of a big
superstar, but
we’ve been awfully lucky to be able to do what we love and
make a good living at it. Whenever I get bummed out or tired
of all the airports and hotels and stuff, I just kind of remem-
ber what a regular job feels like. My worst day at work still
beats the best day at a regular job… My wife put it into per-
spective when I was bitching and moaning about something
and she was just looking at me, shaking her head, saying
something to the effect of “Shut up – if I had a job where
after I was through working, people stood up and applauded,
I would be happy as could be.” She has a point, there.
TQR: Is the quest for inspiring guitar tone ever over?
No, and I think people should be aware of the fact that with
very little effort, they can improve the way they sound. Even
the smallest things can make a difference. Just because a cord
works, doesn’t mean that it’s the best thing you should be
using. I am curious about the solid copper wire that Steve
Kimock is using… I’ve been thinking about getting a hold of
him about those…TQ
http://www.radiators.org/
 effects

techniques again), and the

Victoria Reverberato is the
shit, but it isn’t cheap either.
Enter the Electro-Harmonix
Holy Grail digital reverb
E very so often (not often enough), someone creates a tool
that inspires us with its extraordinary ability to do what
it was intended to do so well that it seems destined to become
unit. Buy one now.

We first spotted the Holy

an archetype among inferior pretenders. These small yet sig-
Grail tucked inside Peter
nificant discoveries are the bounty that awaits all who bravely
Stroud’s effects rack.
embark on the Quest for Tone (that would be you). As we
Anytime you can find a
continue to doggedly dog the tone, take comfort in knowing
monster player who has
that we will only bring home the good stuff. Bring it on
been doubly blessed with
home…
dog ears and he happens to play in a band that affords him
the luxury of using anything made by man, it pays to pay
Yeah, Jimmy... Bring it on home. The last time we saw Led
attention. We did. The Holy Grail packs some big time,
Zep was in 1969 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum
believable spring reverb tone in a small and inexpensive
(‘Hoosier’ for a cavernous brick barn with a dirt floor).
package. We’ve been running the Holy Grail with our 1970
Jimmy Page had an Echoplex and a violin bow with him on
Park 75 50W head, and does it ever sound great! The springy
that unforgettable 3 hour gigjam, but the reverb was supplied
bounce is righteous, and the noise is tolerable. Yes, the Holy
by dual Marshall Super Leads and 24 celestial Celestions in
Grail is a little noisy. You won’t care. Features are simple –
the house. For two hours plus five encores, Page’s dual quar-
three settings on a small slider switch – ‘Spring,’ ‘Hall,’ (gen-
tets of red hot Mullard EL34’s unleashed a withering barrage
uine Fairgrounds bounce), and a wobbly weebly ‘Flerb.’ Like
of high-decibel Celtic code-talk upon our wilting innocence.
cheap tequila, the ‘Flerb’ sound is available, and the intended
The band might as well have been playing Madison Square
effect is intense, but we’re not sure it’s all that good for you.
Garden instead of Naptown’s horse palace that night (thank
No matter. The Grail has one big knob to control the depth of
you, boys). The crushing midrange snarl from Page’s Les
your reverb vibe, and that’s it. Power is supplied by a 9
Paul relentlessly smashed against the Coliseum’s glazed brick
volt/500 mA jack (power supply included), and you get a nice
walls, screaming highs blew north in a wailing, reverberating
little wooden box, all for the paltry sum of $99. The earliest
vortex of luuuuuuuuvvvvvv, whilst the lows thundered down
units made were not true bypass, but they are now. The Holy
upon the horseshit and dirt floor of the Fairgrounds with such
Grail is conveniently available from Analog Man, and since
hideous force that our hearts felt as if they would be stopped
digital effects aren’t usually his thing (there is no Digital
by the gut wrenching smack of Bonzo’s kick drum and John
Man), we asked him why he’s chosen to walk on the wild
Paul Jones’ bass pounding in our chests. Now, that was some
side by carrying the Holy Grail:
ass-kickin’ reverb.

TQR: Given your deep experience with practically every

Until now, you’ve had few good options if you wished to add
cool production pedal known to man, what prompt-
the ambiance of reverb to your sound. You could buy an old
ed you to start selling the Holy Grail?
Fender reverb box, buy
a new Fender reverb
We always try to offer any quality pedal that fills a void, and
box, or throw down big
the Holy Grail certainly does that. There is really no way to
money for a Victoria
build an analog reverb without using a traditional reverb tank
Reverberato. Or maybe
(a few have tried this in pedals with poor results to date), so
you have an old TC
as far as pedals are concerned, digital reverb has no real com-
Electronics reverb
petition. EH basically found a good chip (digital delay that
stashed away... Most of
can do all the processing with very little additional circuitry).
the the Asian digiverbs
It’s the Crystal Semiconductor reverb chip (CS4811), and it
have fairly well sucked,
isn’t very expensive. They built it up with just a few features
the old Fenders are
and it seems to do the job OK, except for a bit of noise at
dreamy enough, but
higher settings. If they have the (usually blue) switch with 9
expensive, the new
lugs and wires are used in all 3 rows, it’s true bypass. The
Fenders are not the
earlier models used a black switch with 6 lugs. TQ
same as the old ones
(modern manufacturing
www.Analogman.com

TONEQUEST REPORT V3. N12. October 2002

19
 www.tonequest.com

coming in the
Future Issues ToneQuest
Report TM

Editor/Publisher David Wilson

Associate Publisher Liz Medley
Graphic Design Rick Johnson
INTERVIEWS: Jim Weider
Joe Glaser
Coco Montoya EDITORIAL BOARD

Stephen Bruton Analogman John Harrison

A Brown Soun
Doug Roccaforte
Roccaforte Amplifiers
Tom Anderson
Tom Anderson GuitarWorks Johnny Hiland Paul Rivera
FEATURE ARTICLES: The Gibson Custom Shop Mark Baier
Victoria Amplifiers
Gregg Hopkins
Vintage Amp Restoration
Rivera Amplifiers

Roger Sadowsky
The Blackstone Overdrive Jeff Bakos Phil Jones
Sadowsky Guitars Ltd.

Blackbox Effects Bakos AmpWorks Gruhn Guitars Tommy Shannon

Double Trouble
Joe Barden K&M Analog Designs
Joe Barden Pickups Todd Sharp
Chris Kinman Nashville Amp Service
AMPLIFIERS: Savage Dick Boak
CF Martin & Co.
Kinman AVn Pickups
Tim Shaw
Bogner Don Butler
Mark Karan
Bob Weir & Ratdog
Fender Musical Instruments Corp.

Maven Peal Zeeta The Toneman

Ernest King
Chris Siegmund
Siegmund Guitars and Amplifiers
Steve Carr Gibson Custom Shop
Carr Amplifiers John Sprung
Mike Kropotkin American Guitar Center
PICKUPS: TV Jones Mitch Colby
KORG/Marshall/VOX USA
KCA NOS Tubes
Peter Stroud
Duncan – Seth Lovers Ben Cole
Winn Krozak
Paul Reed Smith Guitars
The Sheryl Crow Band

Randy Volin
Tom Holmes Revisited GHS Strings
Sonny Landreth Rockindaddy’s Guitars
Larry Fishman
More From Lollar Land Fishman Transducers Albert Lee Donnie Wade
Jackson Guitars
Buzz Feiten Andy Marshall
THD Electronics Laurence Wexer
GUITARS: ‘58 Reissue Les Paul Bill Finnegan
Klon Centaur René Martinez
Laurence Wexer Limited
Fine Fretted Instruments

Baker Ritchie Fliegler

The Guitar Whiz
Lord Valve
Fender Musical Instruments Corp. Greg Martin NBS Electronics
Warrior Lindy Fralin
The Kentucky Headhunters
Buddy Whittington
TQR’s 2002 Acoustic Picks Billy F. Gibbons
Terry McInturff
Terry McInturff Guitars
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

ZZ Top Don Young

James Pennebaker National Reso-phonic Guitars
Joe Glaser Nashville, TN
Glaser Instruments Zachary Vex
Scott Petersen Z Vex Effects
Harmonic Design Pickups

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