I was just getting started writing my review of Shadow Alley by Said The Ripper. I'd already looked over their Facebook page and spun the album a few times. The sights and sounds had me spinning, so I asked for some information about what was used to create what I was hearing. Here's my question.

I'm getting started. I have a couple questions about gear because, well, you know how much everyone at sg101 loves vintage and unusual gear. You allude on Facebook to using the Vox teardrop and Mosrite double-neck on some songs on Shadow Alley. Would you mind revealing what was used on which songs to create the sounds I'm hearing? And amps and pedals? Everyone loves vintage amps and pedals! Just for fun, who is Nadroj Wolrat? Last, any idea when the other two releases will be ready?

Boy, did I get an answer. I couldn't bring myself to cut it up and stick the pieces into the review. So with Jordan's permission, here is what he sent me. I edited it for spelling, punctuation, and removed some personal notes. It is, otherwise, intact.

Hi Noel,

You’re talking my language. Jordan from Said The Ripper here, and I’ve got so much more for you than you’d ever want to know about the recordings.

You ask about the Vox and Mosrite guitars, amps and pedals, but let’s not forget the drummers in our midst. They lust for vintage goodies too.

In our case this would be a pristine, red sparkle, 1966, Ludwig kit that I bought from a drum collecting vice-cop out of St Louis many years back. This kit seethes seduction. Whether played by Denny Seiwell on the tracks “Shadow Alley”, “Live And Let Die”, and “James Bond Theme”, or by amazing LA session cat Curt Bisquera on the rest.

Denny’s tracks had him mic’d with a single Neumann KM56 tube mic out in front of the kit running into a Telefunken V72a tube mic pre directly to tape. For Curt we had mics all around the kit but the majority of the sound is from an AKG C12 overhead, again through the V72 but this time directly to Pro Tools. For all songs plenty of spring reverb was added when mixing.

I played bass on a ’68 Fender Precision, strung 15 years ago with flatwounds, through an early ‘60s Ampeg SB12 (Student Bass 12”). Some tracks have a chunk of foam stuffed up under the strings at the bridge. The bass amp on “Agent of Soul” was a ’71 Fender Twin Reverb in place of the Ampeg. Kip Winger, of all people, showed up one day at my studio and wanted to jam on some Beatle songs, he turned me on to the Twin as a bass amp. Sounded great!
Bass mic’d with a ‘70s Beyer M88 into a little Altec 1567A tube mixer. LA2A for some compression before hitting tape.

Jason Rounsavall played The Vox Continental organ on “Agent of Soul” and that’s me struggling on the rest. I have two of those Vox beasts, one Italian plastic keyed and one Californian wooden keyed. Those went through the Ampeg SB12, the Twin, or a Leslie 16. There are a few moments of Farfisa Combo Compact thrown about like the 1st organ break/slide in “Live and Let Die”. Bit of Mellotron spice too especially on the bridge of the title track “Shadow Alley”.

So on to guitar!
Bernard and I would randomly switched back and forth on guitar duties and at any point any guitar track could be one or the other of us for even a bar here or there

Clean guitars:
’58 Gretch Silver Jet as heard on “Scalper Jack” through a ’62 Binson Echorec (Jordan) and “Agent of Soul” (Bernard). Ancient flat wounds on this gem.

’62 Fender Jaguar always through the Twin. The most potent sounding surf guitar I’ve ever had the pleasure to wield. All over this record, but easy to spot when played by Bernard on “Live and Let Die”. Our friend Marlon Hoffman, who now owns the guitar, says he had it confirmed directly from Ike Turner himself that this girl, soaked in mojo, spent decades on the road with Ike as his tour bus mistress.

Mosrite Joe Maphis model double-neck. You can hear the 12-string neck on the counterpoint lines of “Scalper Jack”. The 6-string makes its STR debut on our upcoming, summer 2015, Hot-Rod themed release. Nothing says FUN like the chance to change strings on this Siamese twin.

’71 maple-neck Fender Telecaster. Not my fave, like a ‘66 or older rosewood neck, but still a really great guitar. A lot of the improvised guitar licks are this chick as I tend to write on this one and will end up keeping little bits from the early writing sessions.

Danolectro Baritone. I forget the date but she’s a black beauty from the early years of the Dano resurrection. Bernard plays this on “Shadow Alley” and “James Bond Theme”, with and without Mosrite Fuzzrite.

’67 Vox Starstream IV (teardrop). Along with the Tele, heard throughout “Said The Ripper Theme”. Impossible to believe, but all the built-in wacky electronics still work, I didn’t get a chance to show them off here…stay tuned! The Starstream has a fantastic clean, biting sound. Used to have another of these…Why did I sell it? .

Fuzz guitars:
Primarily a ’54 Goldtop P90 Les Paul, the Tele mentioned above, the Dano Baritone or the Fender Jaguar through a Mosrite Fuzzrite, original grey Vox Tonebender, or the Satisfaction fuzz, the AA battery-loving Maestro Fuzztone. Once that fuzz goes on, it’s hard to remember what got used where. Would never find a place for the Goldtop sound in this style without the fuzz, but with it…what a match. Germanium fuzzes love this thing….and such a dream to play.

The Pedals:
Mosrite FUZZrite is our STR fave. THE biker fuzz. Lots of presence without too much sustain. Most of the fuzz you hear on the record comes from this shiny wedge of steel.

Vox Tonebender…Used it just a bit. Usually layered with a FUZZrite track. Someone added an A/B switch to it that my tech mercifully removed. Seeing the empty hole in the case makes me sad. My Tonebender was molested by an unknown lead guitarist…crying now.

The Maestro Fuzztone is so hip it’s unimaginable that anyone got tired of hearing this day in and day out. On the other hand it has done such damage to me personally that I can’t remember what tracks we used it on. I do know that, ironically, it’s the majority of fuzz on my solo LP Jordan Tarlow TONEBENDER.

Guitar amps:
A lot of the guitars were recorded through the ’71 Fender Twin.
This battered Twin has a habit of loosing its spectacular reverb and requires a good kick to get it going again. Had it been a blackface I’m not sure I could have kept up the abuse but that silver panel just screams go ahead, it’s cool, kick the shit out of me, I’m a worthless child of CBS acidheads from the late ‘60s.

The other amp of choice was the solid state Vox Buckingham.
Talk about abuse, I’ve had this since my Outta Place days back in high school. What a supreme and delicate beauty. Despised by cranky amp techs far and wide for her nest of leaky capacitors, brittle wire looms and cold solder joints. Brilliant with the Dano Baritone/Echoplex EP-1 combo on the “James Bond Theme”.

Plenty of ’62 Vox AC30 and ’66 Jennings JV40 on STR Shadow Alley too.
The AC30 bought for cheap on the Sunset strip as Hair Metal reigned in 1985. The Jennings a serious European find. Back in the early Fuzztone days we were renting brand new AC30s from a music store in Germany for a winter tour. After having 2 of them fail the store offered up a Peavey. I had noticed this weird, filthy, Vox-looking knockoff, with organ drawbars instead of knobs, sitting in their storeroom and decided to take a chance on that over the frightful Peavey. Right decision. The Jennings I later learned was built by Vox’s founder the year after he sold the Vox company back in ‘65. I bought the amp at the end of the tour. Never sounded as good on our US 110volts as it did in Europe running on 220 though I do still love it…Punchy, dirty or silky.

Amps mic’d with a combination of Shure SM57 on the grill or Royer 121 ribbon a foot back, Neumann U67 or KM56 for room. Mic pres are the V72a or if you hear it breaking up, the Altec 1567A. LA2A next in line or straight to tape with no compression. Echoplex EP-1, EP-2 and EP-3 used as well at times.

What else…
Some Malibu High schoolers on horns (“Scalper Jack” and “Shadow Alley”) and a vocal (Agent of Soul)…through a‘40s Shure SM55.

You ask about the mysterious Nadroj Wolrat. He was my once, even LOwer-FI…never in tune with the times, alter ego. A long forgotten record producer/engineer of legend born from the bowls of the early ‘80s NY garage-punk revival scene. Having worked with the Vipers, The Fuzztones, The Outta Place, The Morlocks, The Pandoras, The Tryfles and many others of that era, he has been resurrected here through the magic germanium transistors of the Fairchild Model 658 Reverbatron Reverberation System…The king of all Hammond style spring reverbs.

Next STR release coming Feb 1st. You’ll feel the sands of Almeria under foot as you press down the pedal and hear those horses roar.

See what I mean? I just had to leave all that intact. It's all so fantastic. My review of Shadow Alley is here.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Last edited: Dec 08, 2014 20:12:00

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.