Spin Doctor Guitarist's Amp(s) & pedals?
Skipp
Hola gang,
Was a casual fan of the Spin Coctors until last night when I had a longer
moment to pop in and play, one of their live CD's (and really listen to
the guitar work).
Not only is the guitarist a real smoker, but he's got some real killer
tone going. I'd be interested to know if any of you have an idea of what
he's using for amps & pedals/effects..?
He seems to be able to play some pretty sweet "up the neck chords" which
don't get lost in in the his preamp/overdrive. Thats hard to do real
well and is a classic problem for a lot of people.
Any information you can provide would be cool. Man, he's also a smoking
fast player to boot.
cheers
skipp
Don Evans
"Skipp" <sk...@pilotNOSPAMPLEASE.ucdavis.edu> wrote in message
news:a1n87f$qmn$2...@woodrow.ucdavis.edu...
Rich???????????
Odin
be able to give you the details.
"Skipp" <sk...@pilotNOSPAMPLEASE.ucdavis.edu> wrote in message
news:a1n87f$qmn$2...@woodrow.ucdavis.edu...
>
Terry H. Parker
can't remember the guitar(s).
Parker
"Skipp" <sk...@pilotNOSPAMPLEASE.ucdavis.edu> wrote in message
news:a1n87f$qmn$2...@woodrow.ucdavis.edu...
>
dr.wow
PMG
Yeah, Eric Schenkman has mountains of talent. He's very impressive,
and a fluid player. Personally I HATE the Spin Doctors and their
songs, that's in part because of that annoying singer.
But Eric Schenkman is a monster on guitar and the member of that band
who had the most talent. The rest of that band was just basically
collage kids playing in a band, but Eric was a master at his craft. I
certainly hope he gets something going soon, other than playing with
the Spin Doctors again.
See the link posted by drwow. Also, I think Rich probably still has a
couple of Eric's Marshalls for sale
http://www.timeelect.com/Salegear.htm
Pete
drwow
PMG wrote:
I do believe the Marshalls have been un-modded BTW ....
dw
Miles O'Neal
|
|Was a casual fan of the Spin Coctors until last night when I had a longer
|moment to pop in and play, one of their live CD's (and really listen to
|the guitar work).
|
|Not only is the guitarist a real smoker, but he's got some real killer
|tone going. I'd be interested to know if any of you have an idea of what
|he's using for amps & pedals/effects..?
If Rich K hasn't chimed in yet, he'll know.
he did a ton of work for them, from amps to
running sound, has been selling gear they're
getting rid of.
Steve2000indeja
>|
>|Was a casual fan of the Spin Coctors until last night when I had a longer
>|moment to pop in and play, one of their live CD's (and really listen to
>|the guitar work).
>|
>|Not only is the guitarist a real smoker, but he's got some real killer
>|tone going. I'd be interested to know if any of you have an idea of what
>|he's using for amps & pedals/effects..?
>
I thought Eric was the first to leave the SDs, fairly soon after their big hit
album and after about 5 years and 3000 one nighters all over the US. Gotta be a
strain on any band.
His leaving would have had a big impact on em, as they were a guitar based trio
with singer.
In anycase their followup album did poorly and they seemed to start the
'hottest band in the US-for the next 6 months' type of career which many 90s
pop rock bands went thru. Gin Blossoms, the heavily hyped Third Eye Blind
(their leader is way connected to the LA power players, but the second album
was a relative stiff).
Matchbox 20 dodged the sophomore bullet, aided by Rob Thomas co-writing and
singing on one of the biggest singles from one of the biggest albums of the
last 5 years- unfortunately it belonged to Santana.
Last I heard of the Spin Doctors was a couple of years ago. The band had lost
it's major label deal and was "glad" to be free of the big machine with all the
promo/airplay power (they all seem to say that when they are dropped by a
major..hmmm).
It was a kinda "whatever happened to this huge band' which peaked only 3-4
years earlier type articles. The music business is even more scary
thesedays-and it's always been very scary.
The Doctors were back to playing clubs with whatever original members were
left. The singer was still there. Then all of a sudden he got serious vocal
problems-paralysis of the vocal cords or some damn thing and-last I heard- the
band was on permanent vacation. Way bad luck.
Far as I know, Eric was long gone by then.
Steve
Rich Koerner
Skipp wrote:
>
> Hola gang,
>
> Was a casual fan of the Spin Coctors until last night when I had a longer
> moment to pop in and play, one of their live CD's (and really listen to
> the guitar work).
>
> Not only is the guitarist a real smoker, but he's got some real killer
> tone going. I'd be interested to know if any of you have an idea of what
> he's using for amps & pedals/effects..?
http://timeelect.com/test/EricGear-5.jpg
Here is a picture of the Green Zenn pedal, along with Eric's main
guitar, and double neck that I had built for him.
He also used two other pedals I had built for him. The original Zenn
pedal, and the Black Box.
In this picture,.. http://timeelect.com/Upgrd-1a.htm
Except for the Les Paul, I had built the other guitars, and the double
neck in this picture.
The two top Marshalls in the right side road case, are the Main
Marshalls he used for the shows. The lower one was a backup, should
there be a failure. All three were modified exactly the same. The
reason for the blacked out Marshall logos, is that the amps were so
heavily modified, there was no chance a stock version would yield the
same tones.
The two lower amps in the left side road case, are the Blue and Silver
Hourglass amplifiers I had custom built to blend up against the
Marshalls. His sound you had heard on the tours were the result of this
blending. The designed speaker cabinets had a lot to do with the end
result. There were a mixture of speakers used to get the right blended
tones.
> He seems to be able to play some pretty sweet "up the neck chords" which
> don't get lost in in the his preamp/overdrive. Thats hard to do real
> well and is a classic problem for a lot of people.
Most of the was because of the materials that I used in the guitar,
along with the pickups used.
> Any information you can provide would be cool. Man, he's also a smoking
> fast player to boot.
Yes, Eric is very talented with a style all his own. It was Eric, who
was the driving force in that band, there is no question. I had wished
the band could get past their personal and musical differences. But
they didn't. If it ain't broke, keep doing it some more.
In Eric's own words,....
Go Figure!!!!!!!!
Regards,
Rich Koerner,
Time Electronics.
http://www.timeelect.com
Specialists in Live Sound FOH Engineering,
Music & Studio Production,
Vintage Instruments, and Tube Amplifiers
Rich Koerner
Yes, they were.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let me see,......
A 100K there, a .03 uf there,.....
Yup, the memory still works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
<smile>
Rich Koerner
Steve2000indeja wrote:
>
> >Skipp <sk...@pilotNOSPAMPLEASE.ucdavis.edu> wrote:
> >|
> >|Was a casual fan of the Spin Coctors until last night when I had a longer
> >|moment to pop in and play, one of their live CD's (and really listen to
> >|the guitar work).
> >|
> >|Not only is the guitarist a real smoker, but he's got some real killer
> >|tone going. I'd be interested to know if any of you have an idea of what
> >|he's using for amps & pedals/effects..?
> >
>
> I thought Eric was the first to leave the SDs, fairly soon after their big hit
> album and after about 5 years and 3000 one nighters all over the US. Gotta be a
> strain on any band.
I really hate to count the gig's they did on the van tour days. I think
that band was on the road 11 months of the year, and off one.
They even kept up that pace for about 5-6 years. That may have been
reason for some of their problems.
>
> His leaving would have had a big impact on em, as they were a guitar based trio
> with singer.
>
> In anycase their followup album did poorly and they seemed to start the
> 'hottest band in the US-for the next 6 months' type of career which many 90s
> pop rock bands went thru. Gin Blossoms, the heavily hyped Third Eye Blind
> (their leader is way connected to the LA power players, but the second album
> was a relative stiff).
> Matchbox 20 dodged the sophomore bullet, aided by Rob Thomas co-writing and
> singing on one of the biggest singles from one of the biggest albums of the
> last 5 years- unfortunately it belonged to Santana.
>
> Last I heard of the Spin Doctors was a couple of years ago. The band had lost
> it's major label deal and was "glad" to be free of the big machine with all the
> promo/airplay power (they all seem to say that when they are dropped by a
> major..hmmm).
Those words would have never seen the light of day, had the other
members of the band followed Eric's musical leadership.
> It was a kinda "whatever happened to this huge band' which peaked only 3-4
> years earlier type articles. The music business is even more scary
> thesedays-and it's always been very scary.
Agreed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> The Doctors were back to playing clubs with whatever original members were
> left. The singer was still there. Then all of a sudden he got serious vocal
> problems-paralysis of the vocal cords or some damn thing and-last I heard- the
> band was on permanent vacation. Way bad luck.
>
> Far as I know, Eric was long gone by then.
Yes, he was.
However, he had done a number of projects. You can find them on the
internet. A Google search will get you there.
drwow
........ makes weedin' through the nonsense, and putz trolls, well worth it,
You never disappoint !
thanks !
dw
Scott Colborn
Seconded ! I'd like to hear some more about the "Green Zenn" pedals,
Rich - a fuzzface-type pedal? Still in production? Cost? Do I need one?
(grin....)
Walk in Beauty, Peace. Scott
drwow wrote in message <3C41AF4B...@mac.com>...
danco...@home.com
wrote:
Rich, I used to see the Spin Doctors at Nightingale's when they were
playing through itty bitty amps. Say, what ever happened to Joey
Miserable and the Worms? Eric and Joey were a couple of the better
guitarists playing at that little hole in the wall.
Dan
Rich Koerner
Gee, I didn't know Joey and the worms.
But I'll tell you one thing, I think the playing was so much better
then. It was Eric who pulled me out of retirement from the sound board,
and had me mix them at Madison Square Garden. What a trip!!!!
The last band I had mixed, was John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra
while they were promoting the Inner Mounting Flame record here in New
Jersey. I'll always be grateful to Eric for pulling me out of the shop.
Hey, it set up a sequence of events that headed me to mixing at
Woodstock 99 with Bernie Worrell.
This music business sure is a strange world. You never know where
things can lead you to.
Stay at it long enough, and good things can happen.
Good Luck Dan, in the world of music.
Skipp
What luck and good timing that brought you out of the wood work to answer
my spin doctors amp question. I did see where you do have the marshalls
for sale on your web page and I am interested. A couple of quick
questions if you would take a moment to answer them without revealing too
much of a trade secret.
The changes you do/did to the amp (mods) do what to the voicing? I don't
need or expect you to give out the exact circuit details, just an idea of
what the mod(s) do to the voicing of the amplifier and in what basic
section of the amplifer you place them. Or the intended goal of the
mods/changes.
An example might be the preamp section, power amp section or some type of
"master volume change" as commonly described. Not the details just the
basic low down.
Also, since I asked about the original tone... is it possible to get that
or a similar mod/change put in. The tone and voicing of that/those
amplifiers are worth chasing down. If you post your reply here or take
the NOSPAMPLEASE out of the Email header to reply direct.
Also, the $2 question... why is Eric selling the amps off..?
thanks
skipp
sk...@pilotNOSPAMPLEASE.ucdavis.edu
http://sonic.ucdavis.edu
Rich Koerner
Skipp wrote:
>
> Hi Rich,
>
> What luck and good timing that brought you out of the wood work to answer
> my spin doctors amp question. I did see where you do have the marshalls
> for sale on your web page and I am interested. A couple of quick
> questions if you would take a moment to answer them without revealing too
> much of a trade secret.
Even if you EVH's or Jimi's Marshall, you still would not sound like
them, for many reasons.
Mostly, the fact that you don't have THEIR sound in your head before you
played it.
The difference is them saying to themselves, when the dials hit their
MARKS, "That's It",...
Compared to Your, "I think, That's it".
> The changes you do/did to the amp (mods) do what to the voicing? I don't
> need or expect you to give out the exact circuit details, just an idea of
> what the mod(s) do to the voicing of the amplifier
Eric learned from hanging out in the shop, and checking out the sounds
that I was getting from my gear, that his basic setup he was running was
lacking in dynamic range. My notes were harmonic rich, and his were
mostly fundamental sounding notes.
That, is mostly a players touch and pickup thing.
So, that is what started us on the guitars we made for him.
Next, it was learning what amp settings bring it out the most.
That, started us down the road of the mods.
You must remember, that this all starts in the guitar, NOT the
amplifier.
The harmonic richness, I'm talking about.
It also takes a bit of ear training to recognize it, as most of today's
tones are mostly fundamental signals from the hot output pickups, that
start the filtering out process of the harmonics.
> and in what basic
> section of the amplifer you place them. Or the intended goal of the
> mods/changes.
The mods done to the amp had the basic goal of bring out the harmonic
richness through an EQ system that filtered nothing, except what was
intended. Stack changes along with the feedback loop was where some of
it was done. The guitar's EQ was also changed to its share of the job
too.
At this point, care had to be taken to insure that the use of his pedals
were also factored into the mix, as to also bring out the richness, not
kill it as most everyone does.
> An example might be the preamp section, power amp section or some type of
> "master volume change" as commonly described. Not the details just the
> basic low down.
The EQ was addressed all through the amplifier, it was not just in one
section. You have to understand, that the Marshall is just one BIG Mid
Range Filter!!!!!
That concept, had to go out the window right away!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, Eric had a master volume, but he mostly had it up all the way on
the tours.
> Also, since I asked about the original tone... is it possible to get that
> or a similar mod/change put in.
Similar, Yes!!!! Even if you had the exact same thing, you still need
the guitar, and its on board electronics too. Not to mention, Eric's
touch.
> The tone and voicing of that/those
> amplifiers are worth chasing down.
Well, to be totally Honest with you, any JMP made between 1970 and 1972
with 500+ volts B+, will do it, with the changes. GE-6550A's were the
tubes used in all the tour and club Marshalls.
You also have to know that the Marshalls were used with bridged inputs,
and that,.... Was blended with the Hourglass amps too. Remember, it
was a blended thing. One amp dominated over the other at one volume
setting on his guitar, and when the volume control was rotated, the
roles of the amps would reverse.
That, took a bit of engineering to make happen in a profound way!!!!!
Wit this type of system flexibility, in the beginning days, Eric had to
keep writing down the settings, as there were so many combinations that
gave some really great sounds. Remember, it was a blended system that
gave the end results.
> Also, the $2 question... why is Eric selling the amps off..?
He had so many to begin with, that after leaving the SD's, they started
sitting around getting dust. Trust me, Eric has enough amps left to
cover most any playing situation, and then some. He still has the seven
cabinet tour rig, if he needed it tomorrow.
danco...@home.com
wrote:
>
>Gee, I didn't know Joey and the worms.
His other alias was Simon Barre Sinister
>
>But I'll tell you one thing, I think the playing was so much better
>then. It was Eric who pulled me out of retirement from the sound board,
>and had me mix them at Madison Square Garden. What a trip!!!!
>
Good Lord! What a venue for a comeback!
>The last band I had mixed, was John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra
>while they were promoting the Inner Mounting Flame record here in New
>Jersey. I'll always be grateful to Eric for pulling me out of the shop.
>
>Hey, it set up a sequence of events that headed me to mixing at
>Woodstock 99 with Bernie Worrell.
>
>This music business sure is a strange world. You never know where
>things can lead you to.
>
>Stay at it long enough, and good things can happen.
>
>Good Luck Dan, in the world of music.
>
>
Thanks, Rich.
Dan
PMG
wrote:
>
>
So is he just sitting there in permanent retirement now, or is he
going to get off his butt and start a new music project, or what? Not
that it's any of my business, but hey, doing nothing's no good.
He's got the chops (might be rusty) and a lot of respect in the
industry, you say he's got the gear...
How about it Eric? Get a fuckin' band for crying out loud.
Pete
Rich Koerner
> On Tue, 15 Jan 2002 02:29:43 GMT, Rich Koerner <ric...@home.com>
> wrote:
>
>
> >
> >Gee, I didn't know Joey and the worms.
>
> His other alias was Simon Barre Sinister
> >
> >But I'll tell you one thing, I think the playing was so much better
> >then. It was Eric who pulled me out of retirement from the sound board,
> >and had me mix them at Madison Square Garden. What a trip!!!!
> >
>
> Good Lord! What a venue for a comeback!
http://timeelect.com/Book12.htm
I forgot I had this on the site.
Regards,
Rich Koerner,
Time Electronics
Skipp
I enjoyed the spin doctors info... I typed in a big follow up to your tone
and harmonics information (much of it I agree with), but things got all
long and windy so I just trashed it. Maybe in another thread as time
allows.
I liked the tone he had in the live recording I played (It sounds like an
earlier club venue before they hit it big) and he playing grabs my
attention big time. It's a style I very much appreciate and wish I could
do as well.
cheers