The Official Band Gear List

[Lukas]

alright, here i case number .01 - Carl newman

http://www.thenewpornographers.com/photo/img/oya2/pornographers1711.jpg

I see an Ibanez tube screamer, but I am not sure of the other two? Of course he has his mod 630 or u2 in hand.

[tinobeat]

the Boss pedal next to the Tube Screamer could well just be a TU-2 tuning pedal...

the only other white Boss pedal I know of is their delay pedals. Somehow I don't seem to hear that as much in the NP.

the one furthest from the camera, no idea. could be a custom jobby...

[Thor]

I reckon it's a Boss Equalizer (http://www.bossus.com/index.asp?pg=1&tmp=19). If it were a delay you'd be able to vaguely see the blue knobs.

[Lukas]

I am thinking it is a super dooper 2 in 1 zvex pedal, though I don't really see the need to have a tube screamer then.

[tinobeat]

its not that uncommon to have more than one distortion pedal in the chain. Especially if one is a Tube Screamer (replicating the tube overdrive sound of an overloaded amp) and one is a transistor-based fuzz pedal (like a Fuzz Face or a Tone Bender). The tube overdrive tends to be more for either smooth bluesy warmth or for big messy feedbacky stuff. Fuzz distortion it generally harsher, and has different (and IMO, more useful) application.

lookin at the Zvex 2in1 combo pedal, that probably isn't one at Carl's feet. The pedal in the photo has one button and 3 knobs. The 2in1 pedal has 2 buttons (one for each effect) and it ooks a lot smaller than the pedal Carl has. Also, I would guess has doesn't need something that ballsy for the NP.

if it didn't have too many knobs, I'd say its about the size of one of these:
http://www.stevesmusiccenter.com/MXRM134.html

Thor, I think like with the Boss Delay, if what he had was a Boss Equalizer, you'd see all the little white faders. The TU-2 is just black with LEDs above the pedal part. OK, I think I've been gear nerdin enough... heh heh.

[Lukas]

Alright here is a goody, Dead Meadow and specifically- “at her open door."

At the end I definitely hear some reverse delay, but I am not sure of the rest. That weird droned out guitar sound is rad. What do you guys/gals think?

[tinobeat]

the melodic guitar throughout has a bit of tremolo, and is being played with a slide... sounds nice...

the end, I'm not sure there's any reverse delay. There's the cool stereo pan effect, with a little bit of phasing on it. Someone had fun sitting at the board twiddling the L to R pan knob though.. could be taken as a reverse delay, but I think the combo of the slide, phase and pan makes the swelling sound happen...

[Lukas]

ya you were right about the panning, I have never used a slide before because i heard they are terrible for your fretboard. Is this true?

[tinobeat]

there's no reason a properly-used slide would be bad for your fretboard. a light touch is all you need.

if you're really gonna go dig in, I recommend heavier strings and higher action, that way you can push harder without hitting the fretboard. I recommend heavier strings anyway, you'll get a much better sound that way, and it'll make your fingers stronger. I use 12s, which is pretty damn heavy, (nowhere near Tom Verlaine's 15s, but he's off the map in terms of heavy-ass strings), but I think 11s are tops.

but yeah, there's a long tradition of slide players with healthy fretboards. just don't, you know, beat your guitar with the slide...

[the Pawnbroker]

Originally posted by tinobeat
there's no reason a properly-used slide would be bad for your fretboard. a light touch is all you need.

but yeah, there's a long tradition of slide players with healthy fretboards. just don't, you know, beat your guitar with the slide...

Slightly related, there is a great story in the liner notes to one of The Creation reissues about Eddie Phillips' first attempts at using a "bow" effect on the guitar neck. Apparently, before using a violin bow, he used a hacksaw with a guitar string replacing the saw blade. During a live show, he was really "bowing" away when he noticed a guy in the front row laughing at him. He looked down to see that the edge of the hack saw had sawed partially through the guitar neck.

Don't try this at home.