Do Not Mess Around with a Grizzly Bear’s Pedal Board

Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear said it best when speaking about his use of effects: “ I am a slave to my effects chain.” The Brooklyn based group features Taylor on bass, backing vocals, and various instruments, Edward Droste on vocals, guitar, omnichord and keyboard, Daniel Rossen on vocals, guitar, banjo and keyboards and Christopher Bear on vocals, drums and, of course, the glockenspiel. Needless to say these guys hit every section of a music store. The folk-rock band creates dreamy atmospheres with tinges of psychedelic and experimental pop that creates a unique listening experience that has left anyone who has seen them live in awe.

Grizzly Bear don’t just use effects pedals; they incorporate them into the soul of their music. This isn’t a case of stomping on a fuzz pedal for some extra boost. The band weaves the effects in such a way that it creates an aura of sonic deliciousness that was definitely not described in any of their effects users manuals.

But what effects does this adventurous group use? That is tricky as their pedal boards are a sea of effects. Thanks to finefornow.com I was able to come across a virtual cornucopia of pedals the bands uses that would make Guitar Center sweat bullets if anyone came in with such a wish list. This can be all found at Fine For Now.

Edward Droste uses and abuses the following:

• Boss dd-6 (digital delay; used with vocals, employing the ‘hold’ feature, allowing him to harmonize with himself; possibly used with other inputs)
• Boss rv-5 (digital reverb; probably used with ‘normal’ vocals, as opposed to vocals with heavy reverb)
• Boss tu-2 (chromatic tuner)
• Electro-Harmonix Big Muff pi (distortion; probably used with keyboard)
• Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail (reverb; used with vocals)
• Electro-Harmonix small stone (classic chassis; analogue phase shifter; used with omnichord, particularly on ready, able)
• MXR carbon copy (analog delay; probably used with omnichord)

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay

• Radial JDI duplex direct box (used with keyboard and omnichord)
• Radial JDI passive direct box (used with vocals)
• Tech 21 sans amp bass driver di (used with keyboard and autoharp)
• Voodoo labs pedal power 2 plus (power supply)

Daniel Rossen does his damage using the following:

• Boss tu-2 (chromatic tuner)
• Boss dd-3 (digital delay)
• Boss dd-5 (digital delay)
• Boss rv-5 (digital reverb; used with vocals)
• Budda Budwah (wah pedal)
• Electro-Harmonix holy grail (reverb)
• Electro-Harmonix pog (polyphonic octave generator)
• Electro-Harmonix tube zipper (envelope filter/distortion)
• Ibanez ad-80 (analog delay)
• Voodoo lab pedal power 2 plus (power supply)

Bass player and multi-instrumentalist Chris Taylor goes off the deep end with:

• Akai Headrush e2 (digital delay; e.g. used to loop clarinet and radio sounds on Colorado)
• Boss ab-2 (2-way selector)
• Boss dd-3 (digital delay)
• Boss oc-3 super octave pedal (polyphonic octave pedal)
• Boss ps-5 (pitch shifter)
• Boss rv-5 (digital reverb)
• Boss sp-303 dr. sample (sampler)
• Boss tu-2 (chromatic tuner)
• Electro-Harmonix classics deluxe memory man (analogue delay)
• Electro-Harmonix hog (polyphonic guitar synthesizer)
• Electro-Harmonix pog (polyphonic octave generator; used with vocals)
• Electro-Harmonix small stone (classic chassis; analogue phase shifter)
• Electro-Harmonix xo #1 echo (digital delay)
• Mackie 1202-vlz3 (mixer)
• Moog bass murf mf-105b (filter)
• Moog mf-101 lowpass filter (filter; used with vocals)
• Mu-Tron phasor II (electro-optical phase control)

Moogerfooger Low Pass Filter

Blog post by E.M.Kaplan

Thom Yorke’s Guitar Sound

More on artists and their gear.

Radiohead have already become one of the most innovative and fascinating groups to emerge since Pink Floyd. With a style all their own, this unique quintet has transcended rock music into something sublime and otherworldly all the while maintaining a knack for hooks and choruses that stick to the brain.

Lead singer/guitarist/pianist and laptop musician Thom Yorke is known for his distinctive voice and imaginative lyrics yet his guitar sound is often overlooked as nothing more than the front man strumming away at some chords while guitarists Johnny Greenwood and Ed O’Brien do the heavy lifting. Yet Yorke provides a third guitar that forms a trinity which helps propel the unique rhythms creating the interlocking atmosphere that is signature Radiohead.

Thom Yorke with Jazzmaster

Yorke has used many guitars throughout the group’s history. The most frequent is the Fender Jazzmaster and Fender Telecasters (generally thin line models) as well as a Rickenbacker 330 and a Gibson SG. For acoustic work, Yorke has used Takamine acoustic/electrics, Silvertone acoustic/electrics and a Taylor Big Baby acoustic. Yorke uses a Vox AC-30 Reissue and a Fender Twin Reverb Reissue for amps. For effect pedals, the singer/guitarist relies on ProCro Turbo RAT distortion pedals, Boss DD-3 Digital Delay pedal and a Marshall Shredmaster distortion pedal to create his sound.

Blog Post By E.M.Kaplan