While in the studio at Mike’s Music, The Village, Sight, Sound, and Stage, we shot a Mike’s Music Gear Review video of my guitar rig. We went through the signal chain, and I explained how my tone, why I selected the individual pieces that I use, and the end result can be heard in our three latest song recordings– Something’s Going On, I Went Down Easy, and Leaving It All Behind.
During a recent recording session at The Village Sight, Sound and Stage a Division of Mike’s Music, Mike Reeder speaks with Kelly Richey about her 1960’s Stratocaster and how she achieves her distinctive tone.
Guitar Tone
The front end of the effects chain is where the tone is developed– The JHS Prestige Buffer / Booster Pedal, Fulltone Deluxe Wah, Strymon OB.1 – Compressor & Clean Boost, and the Strymon Sunset – Dual Overdrive, provides the secret sauce! I like having a boost with a buffer on the front end to ensure that my signal is full and after two decades, I switched from no compressor and two Ibanez Tube Screamers to the Strymon OB.1, and the Strymon Sunset…! WOW– what a fantastic combo…!
After the boost, I hit the Fulltone Deluxe Wah, and it adds a touch of tone, as it has an active buffer. This wah is the sweetest wah I’ve ever used– it has a killer tone. Then on to the compressor– it’s simple, just one compression knob, one volume, and one boost…! I love it– it’s smooth, it’s quiet, and it’s fat.
Strymon Sunset Spotlight
Before leaving tone central and moving to the volume, octave, delays, and reverb, the last thing for tone is the Strymon Sunset, and this dual overdrive pedal allows you to dial in any sound you want– seriously…! There are two x three-way switches per, channels A and B, that give you access to 6 completely different circuits. You can send your signal from channel A into B or from channel B in to A.
Once you can get your signature sound dialed in, with the extra footswitch, you can store it for all eternity and when you kick it off, you have access to a second version of the pedal to set up however you like. It’s a powerful tool for crafting the perfect sound. It did take me several weeks to find the perfect sweet spot, but I’m really picky about tone and the sustain that it produces. There is a fine line between signal levels, overdrive, and tube amplifiers– one notch past sweet and you have pure mud…!
Here is a photo of my settings for my basic signature sound. You do need the extra footswitch to save the preset and recall it.
Effects Chain
Here is a list of the effects and the order you will find them in the chain.
– JHS Prestige Buffer / Booster Pedal
– Fulltone Deluxe Wah
– Strymon OB.1 – Compressor & Clean Boost
– Strymon Sunset – Dual Overdrive
– Boss FV-30L Foot Volume Pedal
– Eventide H9 – My stereo signal starts here and I have this H9 set up for one Octave Below.
– T.C. Electronics Triple Flashback Delay – You can use all three delays at once and you can run them in series or parallel.
– Eventide H9 – I toggle between Shimmer, Black Hole and Flanger.
– Pigtronix Infinity Looper
– (2) Fender Deluxe Reverb Amps – 65 Reissue
– (2) Princeton Reverb Amps – 65 Reissue and an original 1967 amp
– CNB PDC-410G MSBK Black Locking Aluminum Pedal Case
Check these pedals out, take a look at the video and hit me with any questions you might have.
