get more tone than larger amps.
I’ve got everything from old
Danelectros to Magnatones to a
nice blackface Fender Princeton.
I don’t use much in the way
of effects, just a Rat distortion
and Boss compression and
digital delay pedals. I’ve also
got an old Maestro Mini-Phase,
which I used as an envelope
filter on “The Funky Beat in
Siamese” from the new record.
I should mention that I played
a Danelectro baritone guitar on
that song, which was fun but
tricky—you have to use a whole
different approach than if you
were just playing guitar or bass.
How would you describe that
approach?
On the baritone, it’s best to
come up with lines and patterns
that fall in the middle of the
instrument’s range. If you play
in the bottom of the range, you’ll
get in the way of the bass guitar,
and if you play high on the
neck, you might as well be play-
ing a guitar. It’s as if you’re in an
orchestra playing a cello, whose
range overlaps with the standup
bass and the violin.
Speaking of how things blend
together on tracks, how did
you get into recording and
engineering—and do you have
a benchmark for that work?
It all started when I heard the
snare drum on the Stones’
“Satisfaction.” The sound was
so compelling and tribal, and
I became curious about how
sounds were made. Later, when I
was with the Voidoids, I sort of
had Nick Lowe as a mentor. He
has a way of bringing unexpected things out of musicians. Nick
had us do this pop stuff that if
FEATURE > IVAN JULIAN
Ivan Julian’s
Gearbox
Guitars
1962 Fender Stratocaster
with 1973 neck, assorted
vintage Teiscos, Danelectro
electric baritone,
Hanson Cigno, Gibson
Hummingbird
Amps
1970s Fender Twin
Reverb, 1960s Fender
Princeton, Peavey Bandit,
assorted Danelectros
and Magnatones
Effects
Pro Co Rat, Boss
CS- 3 Compression
Sustainer, Boss DD- 3
Digital Delay
Strings, Picks,
and Accessories
D’Addario XLs (.010,
.011, and .012 sets),
D’Addario Phosphor
Bronze (.012s for 6-
and 12-string guitars),
Fender medium picks,
Kyser capos
Double-stacked humbucking magnetic coil pickup has vintage roadhouse sound
Heavy-duty passive
soundhole design
is battery-free
Adjustable pole
pieces for perfect
string balance
Integrated TA4 mini-XLR
connector to 1/4” for
easy install or removal
Available at
all Fishman
dealers
