The following 'Gear' info is taken from:
Guitar
Magazine
March 1998
Article
written by Michael Leonard
Martin McGarrick's Gear
My amps are mainly the same as Andy's, but we also hired in these small 20-watt Hiwatts
which are just great. My main guitar is a Gibson Flying V, a '70s one. When we first
started rehearsing I was using a old '70s Yamaha SG2000 - a good punk rock guitar - but
the sound wasn't quite right, too much like a cheap Les Paul. Then someone suggested I try
a Flying V and, for a joke, I did....and it sounded fantastic. That's the combination for
most of the rhythm guitar and I played the cello through the Marshalls, too....and we had
loads of pedals. Small Stones, Electro-Harmonix, but the one I use all the time is a Boss
Hyper-Fuzz. It 'transistorises' everything but sounds just amazing. Clean up the amp and
use that and the Flying V and it gives a fantastically dirty grungy tone.
'I haven't gone for the Jimmy Page-style cello bow and Flying V combination yet....but I'm
working on a double-neck electric cello, of course....'
Andy Cairns' Gear
My amps were just Marshall JMP100s. Pedals-wise, I've always used Boss - I bought them all
when I was 17 and they're still going, so I can't really fault them - and we added the
Colorsound pedals for a bit more bite. The thing about the Colorsounds is they're basic.
On the beginning of Tightrope Walker I started playing the riff and picked up this
American radio station through the pedal. Left if on, though. They're great; they only
make one sound - kkkkkkkhhhhh! - but it's a great kkkkkkhhhhhhh!
'For live work and the bulk of studio work I use my black Gibson SG, just straight off the
factory line. It's very power chord-y - good for stuff like Screamager, Nowhere - but I've
also got this cherry '63 through more. And Chris Sheldon also lent me this beautiful
early- '70s Fender Tele Deluxe - so solid, not that thin, almost transistor-y sound I find
you get from a lot of Teles. There's also a Jaguar on a few tracks.
'What I really want, though, is a good Les Paul. In my head, when I hear a Les Paul I hear
Appetite For Destruction, Generation Terrorists or Never Mind The Bollocks, but whenever I
play them they sound like Soup Dragons b-sides, this tinny, non-descript indie fizz. I'm
one of these people who's probably played every type of Les Paul ever made and they all
sound shite. And James from the Manics, who's a mate of mine, is one of these lucky
bastards; he told me 'I just walked into the shop and there it was!' I was, like, 'no you
didn't, you spent hours in shops searching for that, you specky little twerp!' I've had no
luck with them,' Cairns sobs, 'and I don't know why!'
Michael McKeegan's Gear
Chris Sheldon recommended I hired in this Music Man Stingray - then we wangled that the
hire cost came off the price, so in the end I bought it for 500 quid which is a bargain.
It's the best bass I've ever played. I got a new Mesa/Boogie head and a Mesa/Boogie cab as
well, 2x15's whereas I usually use an 8x10' - I needed something to really give a bit
bottom end 'cos on some tracks I tuned down to D or even C. I used a Boss Bass Overdrive
too, but some of the more fuzzy bass is Mr Coloursound and his wonderful pedals again.
Then I used the pitch-shift on a Digitech Whammy pedal for some of the higher notes...oh,
and I attacked the bass with the leg of Martin's cello. It's a very useful thing to have
around.'
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