Allen Hinds. Tone comes from: 45% hands, 30% guitar, and 5% pedals. The most important part is obviously the player. INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW Allen Hinds Tone comes from: 45% hands, 30%

The most important part is obviously the player.

undeniable, silky and smooth tone regardless of the

Most heavyweight players are picky about the neck of

But in this case, we went deep and asked him how

1 INTERVIEW Allen Hinds Tone comes from: 45% hands, 30% guitar, and 5% pedals. The most important part is obviously the player. Translated to English No matter what, he will create an undeniable, silky and smooth tone regardless of the guitar he plays. Most heavyweight players are picky about the neck of the guitar more than any gear in the chain. But in this case, we went deep and asked him how important pedals are to him. SHINKO MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT / THE EFFECTOR BOOK

Silky and smooth: those are the adjectives that you ll think of after you listen to Allen s music. His phrasing, tone, and touch are also: silky and smooth.

2 Silky and smooth: those are the adjectives that you ll think of after you listen to Allen s music. His phrasing, tone, and touch are also: silky and smooth. His music is considered Jazz Fusion but it is beyond that and cannot be categorized as one style. How is he creating such sound? We will dig in deep asking about his gear and mysterious playing style to understand him. -Hello, nice to meet you! Today we re interviewing you about your gear, sound making and secrets behind your sound. Allen Hinds (AH): OK, well let s start with the guitars. My number one is a 1952 Esquire. I use this 80% of the time during this tour. And the other guitar that I equally love is the Xotic XSC-2. It has a true vintage sound but very versatile, which I really like. It s got a roasted maple neck, hand picked alder for the body, hand wound pickups etc It s beautiful -What amp did you use on this tour? AH: It depends on the venue, but I like to use Fender amps. Twins and Deluxes are great, but I also like the Hot Rod DeVille. I usually use two amps as a Dry/Wet setting. My favorite combinations are either two Deluxes or DeVille and a Deluxe. It depends on the venue for me to choose which one I want for Wet/Dry. For example Motion Blue Yokohama had a Deluxe and a Twin, so I used the Deluxe as the Dry and the Twin as the wet. My ideal ratio will be 60% dry and 40% wet, but that all depends on the PA and the FOH. -I See AH: I m not running two amps in stereo, just strictly wet and dry. And I separate the delay and reverb. I never combine those two. I cut the amp reverb completely off. -How s the setting on your amp? AH: EQ wise I set everything at noon and maybe the treble at around 10 o clock. I never set the amp to crunch and use the AC Booster-Comp by Xotic. I don t turn up the gain too much on that either. -What s your favorite recording amp? AH: I like to use Red Plate Amps from Phoenix, AZ. Their BlackLine model is my favorite. It has both clean and lead channel. And the lead channel has two gain channels. It s very Dumble-like. -Are you using the amp distortion for the recording? AH: I use both amp and pedals, but I use the amp distortion most of the time. When I want a heavier tone I use the AC Booster or Soul Driven. What I like about those pedals is that no matter what amp or guitar I use it still retains the pedal sound. I still get new pedals sent to me on a weekly basis from all over the world, but they all have their favorite guitar/amp combination and don t like certain combinations. Those pedals are very

hard for me to use. -Please tell us about your pedals that you are using for this tour. What is the signal chain?

Next is the Budda Bud-Wah, then the Xotic AC Booster-Comp, RC Booster SH, EXH Super Pulsar, Jacques MeisterSinger, Neunaber Inspire Tri-Chorus Plus, then to the input of the amp. -Delay and Reverb?

This is not on my board and it is on top of the amp. I split the signal from there and send one to the Digitech Supernatural Ambient Verb and Boss DD-500 and send that to the wet amp.

3 hard for me to use. -Please tell us about your pedals that you are using for this tour. What is the signal chain? AH: First thing in the signal chain is the Shin-Ei Screaming Sister 8ctave Boost (Upper octave boost fuzz). This is a reissue model made in Austin, TX. Next is the Budda Bud-Wah, then the Xotic AC Booster-Comp, RC Booster SH, EXH Super Pulsar, Jacques MeisterSinger, Neunaber Inspire Tri-Chorus Plus, then to the input of the amp. -Delay and Reverb? AH: That s from here. I run the amp dry and in the FX Loop I use the Boss FV-30. From the speaker out of the amp I run the line box made by LA Sound Design. This is not on my board and it is on top of the amp. I split the signal from there and send one to the Digitech Supernatural Ambient Verb and Boss DD-500 and send that to the wet amp. -That sounds very complex. How do you set your Reverb and Delay? AH: I usually have a preset that I always use for the delay. The repeat on the delay is around two times and set the tempo via tap tempo. When I play rhythmic stuff I turn it off. I use it more of a reverb effect more than actual delay effect. Little different from how Lukather or The Edge uses delay. There are so many different ways to use the DD-500 but I barely touch the surface of it. I really like the reverb because it has so many different modulation effects in it which I use all the time. -Why did you choose those pedals? AH: Well the most important thing is that the sound shouldn t change depending on the amount of distortion. I don t want the guitar to sound great in my house then terrible on stage. I want something that is consistent anywhere in the world with any amp combination. For reverb and delay I use to run both amps in stereo and used pedals that had stereo outs. But around 6 months ago I started using this setup, and that s when I started to change different ambient pedals. The two chorus pedals have a distinct Analog and Digital tone so I needed two. Last time I toured with Randy Crawford they needed an 80 s sound, so I needed these. -But you don t really use chorus for your music or your playing AH: For my music I use it as a Leslie effect, or combine it with a volume pedal to get more of a synth effect. I just split between those two depending on what I feel like that night. -So you use it depending on the song selection

AH: Yeah. But I never use it during my guitar solos. I usually just run the AC Booster, RC Booster and reverb.

Will you please explain your picking technique? AH: I should ve washed my hands before this interview if I ve known you were going to ask me that (laughs).

First off I hold my pick with my thumb, index and middle finger. And I don t Strike the string, I Brush it with the side of the pick. -WHAT!

But I couldn t change it -Wait, so hold on, so which part of the pick are you actually using to hit the string?

4 AH: Yeah. But I never use it during my guitar solos. I usually just run the AC Booster, RC Booster and reverb. -You really have a simple set up when you take a solo, so that means the secret to your tone is from your hands. Your picking technique is very unique and also uses both pick and fingers. Will you please explain your picking technique? AH: I should ve washed my hands before this interview if I ve known you were going to ask me that (laughs). I hold it like this and play it like this (holds pick and use the straw on the table as a string and strikes it as if he s picking it) -What!?!?!? AH: Yeah. First off I hold my pick with my thumb, index and middle finger. And I don t Strike the string, I Brush it with the side of the pick. -WHAT!?!?!? AH: When I was a student at Berklee, all my teachers told me that my picking technique was wrong and not to play like that. But I couldn t change it -Wait, so hold on, so which part of the pick are you actually using to hit the string? AH: Here -(In awe, speechless) You are not using the sharp part or the butt part of the pick, but you re using the side of the pick and scraping the strings. I ve met and interviewed many guitarists but I ve never met anyone that plays like that in my life AH: Yeah well, music is art, and it s a creative way to express our selves. The way everyone used to express themselves wasn t the way I wanted to, so I had to come up with something different. Since then I ve become the teaching side but I ve never once told my students to pick like me. I always tell them to find their own way. There is no reason to play exactly the same way everyone does. -I agree. What re the pros and cons to your picking technique?

AH: The way I play it you ll hear a brushed noise, almost like a swoosh whenever I play. So all my attack is pretty soft because of that.

The rest I just do everything with my left hand [note: The rest means his articulation, nuances etc].

Also I pick a lot with just my fingers because Jeff Beck, Duane Allman and Joe Pass heavily influenced me on that. If I play with my fingers I can do some cool Jazz harmonies.

When I have to play single note funk stuff I use the pick, and maybe I use the pointy part of the pick for that. But I always am careful on how heavy I pick the strings.

5 AH: The way I play it you ll hear a brushed noise, almost like a swoosh whenever I play. So all my attack is pretty soft because of that. The cons are that I can t play anything super fast with alternate picking. So for example any Chick Corea tunes can be difficult. -I see AH: I also hardly ever down pick. I usually pick only upwards. The rest I just do everything with my left hand [note: The rest means his articulation, nuances etc]. I upstroke, hammer on with my left hand, pick up again, and pull of with my left hand or something like that. My touch is very light so I never dropped a pick. Also I pick a lot with just my fingers because Jeff Beck, Duane Allman and Joe Pass heavily influenced me on that. If I play with my fingers I can do some cool Jazz harmonies. By the way when I play with just my fingers I tuck my pick between my index and middle finger. -How about when you play some funk stuff? AH: I still play with my fingers. When I have to play single note funk stuff I use the pick, and maybe I use the pointy part of the pick for that. But I always am careful on how heavy I pick the strings. -What string and picks do you use? AH: I ve been using the Jum Dunlop Jazz III since The black one. The black one feels like it gets more of a darker tone. I ve been curious about the Blue Chip picks lately. But it s like $45 a piece! I want to try it someday, but probably isn t for me. For strings I use my Signature Curt Mangan Strings from Colorado. The gauges are Actually the low E is between 46 and 47, but I can t tell the difference. Matt Scofield uses this brand also. -How about cables? AH: Cables I ve used George L s, Mogami, etc. I m friends with Scott Henderson and I hang out with him all the time so we used to test out cables for a while. But at some point I started to not care too much about it. One day I listened to Joni Mitchell s album and was blown away by how beautiful the guitar tone was. The guitarist was Stuart Smith, and later on I read an interview of him and it blew me away. He was using a Strat, Vibrolux, Twin, and just one BOSS pedal to get all that beautiful tone. In the end it s all in your hands. Since then I started to think minimal. All you need is a good guitar and a good amp. Oh by the way, do you want me to show you how to pick out a good guitar?

-Absolutely AH: First off you plug the guitar into an amp, turn all the volume and tone knob up, and just play just the bridge pickup only. Then you look for any stiffness or dullness in the tone.

6 -Absolutely AH: First off you plug the guitar into an amp, turn all the volume and tone knob up, and just play just the bridge pickup only. Then you look for any stiffness or dullness in the tone. If you can find a guitar that plays good and sound pleasant to your ears, that s a good one. Also, guitar s neck is 60% of the tone. Also pickups, which is 30% and the body, which is actually 10%. So if you have a great neck and if you change the body you ll still get a good sound. Like my Esquire. I bought the neck first and tried about five bodies, which all of them sounded good. Also, the weight of the body is crucial for the tone, you know why? -Why? AH: Because what I think is that heavier bodies have a certain peak, so it is suitable for something like Metal that requires articulation for rhythm guitar. On the other hand lightweight bodies aren t really suitable for rhythmic playing but suitable for [Allan] Holdsworth style of playing. Also lighter body compliments the neck more I think. -Interesting. So how many % will the Player, guitar, amp and pedal be responsible for? AH: Player 45%, Guitar 30%, amp 20% and 5% pedals. The most important part is the player of course. -Thank you very much!!! [Picking Style. The secret to his smooth phrasing] Allen holds deep into his pick so it s hard to see his pick during his live shows or any videos. So we asked him to show us how he holds his pick and it was mind blowing. He holds his pick with his thumb, index and middle finger and does not strike it on either the pointy part or the butt end of the pick but the side of the pick, and instead of striking the strings he brushes the string. He primarily uses upstrokes. Everything he does is very unique. If you look at any instructional book, any of these techniques will not be shown there. Also he alternates between pick and fingers. If he wants to fingerpick he tucks his pick between his index and middle finger. By the way, he has never dropped a pick before. [Pedal Board] Very complex, routine like guitar sound system On this tour he uses the AC-Comp and the RC Booster for any crunch tone, but the gain setting is fairly low. He uses his friend Scott s signature model, but this tour he is not using his own signature Soul Driven this time. He likes those pedals because it does exactly what the pedal should do regardless of the amp or guitar. He doesn t use pedals that requires specific guitar or amp in order to get a good tone.

[Pedal Board] One of many distinct sounds Allen has is the luscious ambient sound. On this interview we learned that he uses two amps as a dry/ wet and a complex pedal chain to get this sound.

And from that amp s speaker out goes to a line box, which splits the signal to the amp, and the other goes to the pedalboard that plugs into the delay and reverb which goes to the second amp.

We re not sure how much that will affect the tone, but he is not simply running two amps in stereo, which makes it hard to imitate.

7 [Pedal Board] One of many distinct sounds Allen has is the luscious ambient sound. On this interview we learned that he uses two amps as a dry/ wet and a complex pedal chain to get this sound. Fuzz, wah, two types of distortion, two chorus pedals goes into the first amp. And from that amp s speaker out goes to a line box, which splits the signal to the amp, and the other goes to the pedalboard that plugs into the delay and reverb which goes to the second amp. This amp is strictly for the wet signal. The key is that the first amp s power amp is going through the line out. We re not sure how much that will affect the tone, but he is not simply running two amps in stereo, which makes it hard to imitate. Both reverb on the amps are turned off so all the ambient sounds are coming from the pedal. The way he uses the ambient pedals are very simple. The BOSS DD-500 is such a versatile pedal, but I only use one sound from it. What a waste (laughs). The volume pedal is running through the first amp s FX Loop. So all the distortion comes from the Xotic pedals running into the first amp s preamp and controls the volume by controlling the gain stage. Looks very simple, but it is actually very complex and thought out. Allen seems to like the upper octave fuzz and he always have it on his pedal board. This tour he uses the Japan made Shin-ei octave fuzz. I only step on this when I m drunk after few shots of tequila (jokingly). Indeed it s a one trick pony and not a sound that can be used for everything. The top middle picture is the Line box that is sitting on top of the amp. This splits the signal of the amp. Picture in the upper right is the line box hiding under the reverb. This takes the signal from the first amp. [Guitar] Allen s Trusty Xotic Guitar For that past few years Allen has been using and trusting the Xotic XSC-2. Hand made in California and painted with thin nitro finish body that is distressed for the broken in feel. Allen s model is a Lake Placid Blue over Sunburst. He also has a beautiful roasted flamed maple neck on his guitar. He really likes the stock pickups on it, which is a handwound Raw Vintage Pickups. The center pickup is a dummy pickup (no magnet) to take out the magnetic pull on the strings. Normally it isn t an issue but for a player with really like touch like him requires small attention like that. SHINKO MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT / THE EFFECTOR BOOK

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