John Hendow

My existing live performance setup is very good. I use a combination of great instruments, boutique pedals, a central multi-effect unit and a fabulous tube amp. I’ve been very satisfied with the tone and versatility of my rig, but it has some factors that make it challenging:

• No presets for my boutique pedals. The only device in my system with any notion of “remembering” an effect setting is my Line6 M9. It does a great job of being the central nervous system of my pedalboard. Nothing else of my board has a preset mechanism, so making significant changes on the fly is limited.
• No computer-based editor for anything. I would love to have an editor / librarian system for my effects and preset management. Back when I had the Line6 Pod Pro, I used its GUI software on my laptop to manage presets. I sure miss that!
• Size and weight. My system is just about as small as I can make it, given my current requirements.

I have been considering the possibility of going to a fully modeled system, based around a central effect / amp modeling unit such as the Line6 Pod Pro HD X or the Fractal Audio Axe FXII. This would feed into a full-range flat response amplified speaker that would replace my tube amp. This type of setup would certainly address the issues I’ve outlined above, and it also gives me a single highly flexible system for guitar, bass and Warr guitar.

The challenge in this type of setup is selecting the appropriate modeler and foot controller, then completely recreating all of my tones. I have used Line6 equipment for over a decade and their newest lineup of gear is impressive; I’d say they have the front runner position based on my historic level of satisfaction with the company and their products. I have read a lot of testimonials from Axe FXII users and I’m impressed by what I’ve heard, but at 4x the price I’m uncertain of the value proposition. The next step in my investigation will involve some A/B testing. Stay tuned for details…

In just a little under a month, The Dudley Manlove Quartet will take the stage at the Triple Door in Seattle for a fun night of music. I’ve been going back to listen to some of our songs to make adjustments to my guitar arrangements, especially where I’m covering two simultaneous parts. It’s an interesting process of deconstruction to take multiple parts and attempt to coalesce them into something that a single guitarist could perform.

In Jumbalassy, I experimented with covering multiple guitar parts by using a digital delay. In reggae songs there are usually a few separate distinctive parts:

• The “skank”, a partially muted chord occurring on 2 and 4 in the measure
• A rhythmic line providing interplay

These occur at the same time so there wasn’t a practical means of simultaneously recreating that effect as a lone guitarist. My solution involved a hall of mirrors: I’d tap the tempo into the delay using quarter-notes and set the delay for a whole note so it would take a full measure and repeat it once, remaining locked to the tempo of the song. Then it was just a matter of switching between the parts each measure… I’d play the skank one measure, then let the delay repeat it while I played the rhythmic picking part, then switch back the the skank while the other part repeated. It actually worked pretty well as long as the song didn’t have very complex chord changes. 

In DMQ I can’t get away with that kind of approach because the songs have complex arrangements and the guitar parts have significantly different timbres. It means my approach to layering the sounds has to be more of a compromise between the two parts, and sometimes requires a little technical trickery… one of my Stratocasters has a factory-installed Roland hexaphonic synth pickup system. I use it to drive a guitar synthesizer but one of the sneaky side-benefits of that system is that I can map different sounds to specific strings or zones on the fretboard. Again, it requires a careful arrangement of the parts to ensure I’m triggering the appropriate sounds.

The most challenging approach to this is in playing Warr Guitar, where my hands are independently performing on their own sides of the fretboard. It’s much harder for me to play this way. It might be due the fact that I never played piano with much facility, and I believe that type of hand independence would translate nicely to Warr Guitar. It takes me a bit of time to work out my parts on this instrument, but it’s very rewarding and fun. I’ve been considering using this instrument in the Dudley Manlove Quartet when we perform Depeche Mode songs; since I can independently route the signal paths for the two sides of the  instrument I could double the bass line and trigger a synth line at the same time.

In an upcoming post I’ll detail some of the songs that will involve a split-brain approach and discuss my approach to performing them.

Warr Guitar - Front

Last night we had the first Preons practice in quite a while. We intentionally took a little break last fall, though it wound up being a longer break than we anticipated due to work, vacations, Swine Flu, and the holidays. But we’re a hard bunch to keep down, and last night we reconvened for a full-band rehearsal. We played through the material from the most recent CD, along with the songs that we’re planning to record for the upcoming release. Generally it felt pretty good. There were definitely some moments where we had to search our mental files to recall our parts to songs, but I was satisfied that we got through everything we attempted.

I only brought my 5 string bass last night since there would be so much to remember as it was. Just a few songs into the evening I found myself wishing I had my fretless and Warr guitar. It’s pretty standard for me… I definitely love to play all those instruments. I’ve been putting some effort into Warr guitar lately and look forward to expanding my use of the sonic range, along with improving my general technique.

The band has the potential to really rise to something special and I think this will be a good year for us. We’ve been talking about a slightly different approach to composition and performance, and there may be some opportunities for us to introduce new instruments or technology into what we do. Brad and I chatted over dinner before rehearsal, and we’re both considering how we might spice up the band’s sound. I’m planning to transition more of my bass parts to fretless bass and Warr Guitar. The band has an interesting dynamic and I appreciate having so much freedom in what I do with them. Look for us in your local saloons. The Preons will be getting twisty.

Last night the Preons held our weekly practice session and I found myself fumbling to execute my Warr Guitar parts. I think the core issue was that it had been about two weeks since I last did any actual playing on that instrument, and it was frustrating to see how quickly the muscle memory was lost. My facility on Warr Guitar (such as it was) resulted from a few months of consistent practice, and it didn’t take long to get rusty. We replayed some of the more problematic areas and it seemed to go better on the second repetition, but throughout the night I felt fairly clumsy on my parts and will need to spend time this evening working on them. Other than that, I’m rather satisfied with my experience with the instrument. It’s opening up my playing to include greater complexity in counterpoint, and I like the added range of notes on the treble side. It’s also interesting to develop some effect patches specifically for this instrument, just to leverage the percussive aspect of the note attack. We’ll be playing tomorrow night at the Mix in Georgetown, and I look forward to our set.

Our gig in Ballard was pretty interesting. The venue Live Girls Theater showcases dramatic works by women, and is consistently reviewed as a great art resource in the Seattle area. Our performance was part of the evening’s presentation. Although we had a regular set of songs ready to go, we started playing sort of a quiet ambient soundscape as the audience began to be seated. This went on for perhaps twenty minutes before we began the set in earnest. I thought it was a fun way to begin the night’s music and allowed the audience and the band to acclimate themselves to each other.

The set included the first public performance of “drug song”, which almost always is the last song of the night at practice. For this performance it continued tradition by being the last song of the set. It has a very open landscape of d minor (Brad and I have been hinting at d dorian, and we may go in this direction) with a lot of room for a big trumpet solo. This is a song where I’m very tempted to play a guitar solo; a few months back I happened to have my guitar with me at reahearsal, and toward the end of the song I swapped out my bass and took a ride on the strat. I may need to start bringing my guitar along for this.

The only song of the night where I played Warr Guitar was “the dalles”. I wanted to use it later in the set as well, but switching back and forth repeatedly is bothersome when our set time is short. So it spent most of the set happily sitting on its stand being admired by the audience seated right next to it. Josh introduced the instrument by saying “we didn’t think John had enough strings on his bass so we made him get this Warr Guitar…”. Nice.

This show also represented our second public performance of “brave new world”, which resulted in a minor train wreck toward the middle. Josh and Brad seemed uncertain of the form at one point, and I tried to power through it by driving the root of the chord structure. After the song Josh acknowledged our gaffe to the audience. The Preons are totally transparent to our listeners, which is important. Mistakes are part of the music.

All in all, a good one. Lots of fun was had and we enjoyed the play as well.

Last night during 1 Uppers rehearsal my trusty Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp started behaving strangely. It was randomly switching channels, the reverb was cutting in / out, and it was making profoundly unmusical sounds. I tried to switch out the cables, the guitar, and so on. Eventually I unhooked the footswitch and unplugged the guitar, and STILL it was doing all that crazy stuff. For the balance of rehearsal I was horribly distracted by how thin and crummy my amp sounded.
This morning I spent some time looking around on the usenet forums and deduced that either (1) my amp is haunted or (2) I’ve developed a cold solder joint at the +/-16V power resistors that control the op-amp switching. I’ve watched “Ghost Hunters” on the Sci Fi channel and since there weren’t any disembodied voices during the EVP session, I’m guessing it’s the resistors. Apparently this is a very common issue with this amp model and there are numerous postings to this effect. Fortunately it’s a pretty minor repair and I hope to have my amp back in time for Sunday’s gig with the 1 Uppers.

So, back to last night. As I was driving home from rehearsal I started making a mental list of my music gear, noting which items are need of repair. The list of fixes is bigger than I realized and it seems some gear maintenance is in order. Welcome to the world of a working musician! So here is my list, in order of severity:

Bring Out Your Dead

• Behringer 300XLA : This amp actually caught on fire while I was playing with The Preons. We all noticed it was increasingly stinky and it began to smoke. I made no attempt to save it – in fact, I turned up and let it die a truly rock-and-roll death. It’s probably unfixable at this point. But it was worth it.

It’s Just A Flesh Wound

• Fender Hot Rod Deluxe : Bad power resistors in the +/- 16V supply. Headed to the shop this week.
• White Strat #1 : Needs a new five-way switch, new output jack, new screws and springs to stabilize the middle pickup. I think I have most of those parts at home, and should be able to fix this easily. This guitar also really needs a setup. Once I’ve gotten my parts installed I might drop it off with a tech.
• White Strat #2 : Needs new bridge saddles. I’ll need to order these.
• Warr Guitar : Needs all potentiometers and switches replaced. They’re all the original components and are becoming intermittent. I definitely don’t have these parts on hand. I’ll need to order them. Or I might just drop it off with a tech.
• Ashdown 410T Bass Cabinet : Needs a new 1/4″ input jack. The Neutrik jack still works fine. I haven’t bothered fixing it yet, but as long as I’m making solder fumes I might as well.
• Telecaster : Needs a new output jack and the bridge hex screws ground down. Pretty minor. The new pickups, jack cup, bridge/saddles and 4 way switch are TOTALLY AWESOME! Thanks Kris!
• Fretless Bass #2 : My fender P-bass needs new pickups and a new wiring harness. Feh. This might be one that I have a shop do. Although I’m pretty handy and might take it on.

Looks like I’ll need to do some work on this gear sometime. With the ongoing projects at home I don’t know how I’ll find the time. Perhaps I’ll call up my musician buddies and host a solderfest in the garage…

For our gig at the Mix, I was the first musician to arrive. And the first to leave. There were three bands on the bill that night, with The Preons scheduled to go onstage at 9:00. We had agreed to be there for a 7:00 load in, and I was in the front door of the club with my gear at exactly 7:00, only to discover that I was alone. I chatted with the house sound engineer and described our setup and input list. Then I loaded my rig onto the stage, set up the Warr Guitar and bass, and got all tuned up. Then I drank a beer. And another. About thirty minutes later a few members of the next band drifted in. Then more members of my band, and people from the last band. We eventually were all ready and managed to start right on time. 

When our set was over, I tore down as quickly as possible to get out of the way. One of the challenges with having two instruments is the extra cords, stands, and cases. I really need to find ways to make setup / teardown faster. Once I was off stage I had a few minutes to visit with my friends David, Debby, Bill, Kim,. Shane, Wally, Bill (yes, another Bill), Dorothy and Dave. Then I loaded up my gear and we headed out to our next engagement of the evening, which meant I was out the door with all my gear before the second band had made a peep. My apologies to the other bands for this seemingly rude behavior; we had made arrangements to meet elsewhere for the remainder of the evening.

Last Friday night was the on-stage debut for my Warr Guitar. At rehearsals I have been refactoring my bass parts for “Cobra Kai”, “The Technologists”, “The Dalles”, and a few others. By grouping those songs together at the top of the set, it allowed me to start out on Warr Guitar and then switch to bass for “Sunrise”, “Charlie Munden”, “48 Express” and  “Listing”. Overall it’s pretty satisfying to have some facility on my new instrument and I’m becoming more comfortable with playing it with the band. Very few people actually know what the instrument is, so I wound up doing some explaining after our set. This is fine with me. When I played Chapman Stick I was a perpetual ambassador, demonstrating how it worked, how it was tuned, and why it’s such a great geeky fun. A few people seem to have some familiarity with the Chapman Stick courtesy of Tony Levin, but a Warr Guitar is more obscure. The occasional King Crimson fan knows this instrument, but that’s pretty much only high-profile gig you’re likely to encounter one (at least until The Preons seize their rightful place as global pop icons of the new millennium). The band played a great set. I thought our overall sound was very smooth and balanced, particularly impressive since none of the instrument amps were in the house PA. We did our own mix directly from the stage by simply balancing our relative volumes. We also kept the gaps between songs pretty short, which preserves the set momentum and helps keep the musicians “in the zone”. We’re also working on presenting the band in a more linear setup with Josh and Janie in the middle, while Brad and I act as bookends. I like putting the drummer closer to the front of the stage where people can appreciate the instrument more closely. Janie’s playing is a big part of the band’s kinetic energy and  it’s unusual to hear a female drummer who plays with her level of intensity. It’s also nice to have the drummer recognized as part of the “front line” rather than being toward the back of the stage.
During our set, the club projected “Baraka” onto the wall behind us, which was an interesting touch. I’m sure people wondered whether we usually played our set while video of the Balinese Monkey Chant was being projected onto us.

I’m looking forward to next weekend’s gig. We’re playing in Ballard at the “Live Girls Theater”, and the stage is somewhat unusual. It will present another opportunity for us to experiment with our setup. It’s my understanding that there is a projection screen available and we might attempt to put it to use during our set. Since we’ve already used “Baraka” perhaps we need to branch out into another choice…

Last night was the second full rehearsal where I played Warr guitar. It feels a little more natural to me and I’m getting better at re-voicing my bass parts on the fly. I’m still on the fence about using it at the upcoming gig on 2/27, but I have a few weeks to make a final determination. I will definitely take my 5 string bass to this gig as a backup. There are some songs where I really like the percussive attack of the Warr, but on others I prefer the more round and warm sound of my bass. This might be a function of effects programming and so on. I’ll do some programming this weekend to see if I can tighten up the tones.

Last night’s Preons practice was something of an avant-garde extravaganza. It was the debut of the Warr Guitar, the MIDI trigger pedals, the digitech Whammy pedal, and the Boss Slicer. I busied myself all night trying to consistently find the right strings and frets on the Warr Guitar, switching back to bass for a bit. Bass feels much more natural and effortless to me but I’m sure I’ll get there with the Warr as well. Brad and Josh had a twitterfest with the Slicer and they each took a few laps with the Whammy pedal. We accomplished the mission of expanding our sonic palette and I’m sure some of this sonic mayhem will find a place in our live set.

My immediate thoughts on the Warr is that I need to spend time dialing in some effects tuned to its enormous sonic range. All of my current effect patches are either set up for guitar or bass, but not both simultaneously. Clearly I need something specialized for this instrument and I’ll make time this weekend to do some programming. The Preons are proving to be an excellent laboratory for sound and music. I’m really enjoying the creativity of the band.