# Jag Tanna's Setup?



## canuck

Are there any other Jag Tanna fans here? One of my favourite guitarists of all time.

Anyone know anything about his gear? Moreso his Strat with the reverse headstock (pickups... I know it's a H-S-S config but what brand, string gauge etc)? I am trying to find pics of it to nail the colour scheme, but none give a very good view of that guitar. I believe it's a very dark midnight blue, with a tortoise shell pickguard, and black pickup covers.

:rockon:


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## Evilmusician

Jag is a huge talent ,his use of effects is so tasteful ,tone is sick too ,love IME 
anyone know if he's playing with anyone now?:rockon:


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## canuck

I read that he is mostly producing right now, can't remember the name of the bands though as I don't keep up on newer stuff very much. Would LOVE to find out if he is playing with anyone else or forming another band.

Amazing tone, originality, and technical skill. Every track sounds fresh and original from the last, but you can still recognize his style.

His slap guitar technique kicks ass too!


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## geckodog

Jag is awesome, I met him a number of times, we even talked hair care once. He was using Joico Ice to make his hair stand so straight. haha

His floor setup was crazy, watching him play and use his floor board was like he was doing dancing moves, it was great.


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## Evilmusician

did he use pedals or rack effects geckodog?


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## geckodog

From what I remember, there was a Digitech Whammy, 1 or 2 pedals, and a big floor board with about 20 or more footswitches on it that was hooked up to a rack case if that helps. That was a few drunken years ago, if I had a digicam back then it would have been sweet cause I watched this particular concert from right above the stage so I had a full birds eye view of the stage floor.


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## Drazden

I'm just bumping this year-old thread because I've had questions about Jag's setup FOREVER. He's one of my favorite guitarists--amazing feel, innovative technique, and above all, great tone. Here's what I've gleaned from various internet searchings and wanderings over the years.

Guitars:
'70s Strat w/ HSS pickup config (heard varying reports the humbucker is a Duncan JB)
Ernie Ball / Musicman Eddie Van Halen (apparently he had 2, probably appearing on 'Dig')
vintage Danelectro? (on the 'Open Mike' performance for 'Like the Sun.') I'm pretty sure it's a baritone, as playing it on a standard guitar is a little awkward, at least the way I've worked it out. It's on youtube. Check it out.

Amps:
Dig -- Peavey 5150
Scenery -- Naylor something-or-other (never heard of this manufacturer before, but if that's what's on Scenery, damn!)
all afterwards -- Budda Stringmaster

FX: 

I have no idea what effects he used. Any updates / edits to this list are welcome! What sort of modulation / wah pedals did he use, I wonder? Does anyone have pics of his rigs from back in the day? 

This forum needs more Jag Tanna love!


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## theelectic

I remember reading a blurb on him in Guitar Player. I'll see if I can dig up the issue.


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## Peter

Fantastic thread, I too absolutely fell in love with his tone and use of effects. I always thought he played Mustangs... wierd.

Here's the best shot of his strat thing I could find:


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## NB_Terry

Drazden said:


> Amps:
> 
> Scenery -- Naylor something-or-other (never heard of this manufacturer


Joe Naylor now makes the Reverend guitars. 

There was an old GP magazine issue, I'll also try and find the article. 

I wonder if they'd ever reunite with Edwin, or do they hate each other?


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## ezcomes

dunno...good question...probably ego's would get in the way...but then again...who knows...

edwin's new band is supposed to have their cd released soon...i think they are crash karma but i can't remember...the original OLP guitarist is the axe man for the band


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## keto

Naylor amps changed hands in '99 and are still running http://www.naylorengineering.com/aboutus.htm Most of the guys who post about them on TGP are deeply in love.

-another Scenery and Fish deep afficianado


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## Drazden

ezcomes said:


> dunno...good question...probably ego's would get in the way...but then again...who knows...
> 
> edwin's new band is supposed to have their cd released soon...i think they are crash karma but i can't remember...the original OLP guitarist is the axe man for the band


Yeah, I was always under the impression they hated each other pretty passionately; Edwin was, and is, as far as I know still, bartending at the Tattoo Rock Parlor in Toronto. Nice to see him stepping back behind the mic; I'd love to see them.


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## ezcomes

http://www.myspace.com/crashkarma

it was crash karma...here is their myspace

it can also be noted that for the song LOST...Ian Thornley does the guitar solo...


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## Ti-Ron

If you go on his personnal site http://www.dodger.ca/ there's a section with pics and you can see a couple of them of his rig! Maybe you'll be able to answer you question!


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## Peter

Ti-Ron said:


> If you go on his personnal site http://www.dodger.ca/ there's a section with pics and you can see a couple of them of his rig! Maybe you'll be able to answer you question!


http://www.dodger.ca/wordpress/wp-content/gallery/new-site/IMG_0541.JPG

This one?


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## JonF

Amazing band! One of my favourites.


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## JTANNA

Some close guesses on here. If anybody still wants to talk gear, let me know.......

jt


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## Samsquantch

JTANNA said:


> Some close guesses on here. If anybody still wants to talk gear, let me know.......
> 
> jt


Well whaddya know! Hi Jag, what gear are you playing through these days? Playing with any bands we should know about? Cheers


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## JTANNA

hey!

the gear is always changing and the list of all the gear i'm excited about is growing....but my mainstays are my black strat and my Naylor....... as for who i'm 'playing with': I'm actually working on some new IME as we speak. 

jt


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## Samsquantch

That's great news, man! I've never seen IME live, and I always regretted that. You guys were a huge inspiration to me, so I'd love to see you guys live one day. Same line up with Brian as the lead singer? Oh yeah, and those Naylor amps are awesome. I've never seen one for sale up here, unfortunately. I think we need a few Naylor dealers in Canada. Are you using a stock Superdrive?


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## Steve Adams

Is brian still with you guys?

Last time I saw you was at summersault. in st johns where you guys debut'ed brian as lead singer....I love IME! great music, great tones!


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## mrmatt1972

I'm a IME fan too. i used to watch shows in Waterloo where Our Lay Peace would _open _for IME. What I remember most was the sheer volume once IME took the stage! I also remember being blown away by the percussion a few times.


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## JTANNA

hey...

so far, same line up..... we'll see how it goes. if i don't like what I'm writing, into the garbage it goes! pretty pumped about it though..... yep, the naylor was an original superdrive, before they sold the company (handwired i think!) I got during Scenery and Fish. I recorded that with a Naylor 38 and they sent me the Superdrive in the middle of tracking. Although I have to say that there is something about this one that sounds different than other ones i've bumped into. I can't remember for the life of me if i had something done to it! Maybe one day i can talk to them and figure it out but this one is a gem. I've had the same settings on the amp forever.... never changes. I use it on absolutely everything. I wonder what the new ones are like as i would die if something happened to this one..... that being said, i'll play through anything. I pretend to be picky and all, but really just need an amp that doesn't get in the way of being me (for better or worse!)..... i think that's all we really need in any piece of gear!

jt


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## ezcomes

man that's sweet!

Great to hear you guys are jammin! is there going to be any one off shows or anything? will we see IME on the road this year?

have you got any pictures of your rig you can post for all us junkies?

i think most of us can agree with your comment about any ol amp...its how you play, that makes the tone...the amp can only do so much!


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## Steve Adams

Thats awsome. hopefully you get back to the rock again, maybe for salmonfest again! Its great to see real talent playing instead of the hip hop shit!


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## ezcomes

whats the deal with Bruce though...is he still in Florida? will he be playing with you guys?


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## JTANNA

hmmm.... pics of the rig. that's a tough one. my 'rig' is in so many different pieces now! i don't think i even have any from the archives...... if you have any specific questions regarding it though, i'd be happy to answer them of course.....fire away! love talking gear......

not sure about live. i have to write songs first! i think i need to get my head around what i need to say musically before making any grand plans. the only reason IME ever played (or got together in the first place) was that we felt we had something to add to the musical landscape. when the business started demanding that we dumb it down for radio and for the record label, in order to survive, it was time to quit. I also only play guitar when i feel like i have something to say.....even if nobody is listening! lol! the time off has allowed me to fall back in love with it and i don't feel the need to 'dumb it down' for any record label to understand it. i'm done with that.....this is good!


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## Budda

Question for you, Jag, since you mention dumbing things down for labels - do you find that now is a good time to be able to do your own thing independently, without major label backing, and still getting it to the people who want to hear it? I think it's pretty sweet that people can write their music, produce it at home to varying skill levels, and get it to at least 50 people who are going to dig it without the use of a label to help them out.

I only have a couple IME tunes on my computer, always dug the songs I heard! New IME would be a good switch for me musically right now, I love my metal but I need to switch it up.

On a side note, I didn't know Edwin was in Crash Karma - one of my best friends loves them and they're playing London this friday. Jag, if you're playing with anyone in London, let us know!


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## JTANNA

doing things independently is always the way to go. really, a major label is just a bank. if you have the resources (more and more are available to bands everyday it seems) it's best to do it yourself. a major can do about 20% more for you than you can do yourself but will own you and your music outright for a long time. a TON of good bands have disappeared because they were trapped in bad situations with labels or managers....
it's best to do as much as you can on your own and only enter into customized 'partnerships' where you maintain control over your own destiny.


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## Vox71

A little off topic, but, nonetheless, a tip of the hat to Jag. Back in the early 90's I went to see Soundgarden at The Spectrum (now closed) in Toronto. It was the Badmotorfinger tour, and Soundgarden still were relatively a small name. As I remember (I would have to see the ticket stub) there was no opening band announced. The night of the show we were in line to get in, and the word was that there wAs a local band opening up. It turned out to be I Mother Earth. At the time of the show I don't even think IME had released their first album yet. However, I was blown away. I remember being dazzled by Jag's slap & pop technique. It was a fresh sound. IME went over really well that night, and I have been a fan since that moment. They captivated an audience which clearly wasn't their's, and it 
Is one of the better shows I saw during the 90s. Cheers, Jag.


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## JTANNA

holy crap! somebody who was at the spectrum! can you believe that.....

the funniest thing i can tell you about it was that this was before we were signed, and we had our old bass player still in the band. when the gig came up and we said we wanted it, the promoter had to kick off the band that was scheduled. the name of that band: Rocktopus. Bruce's band!! he never let us forget that...................

i'm glad that you liked the show. it's tough playing in front of someone elses crowd... but also a lot of fun in the challenge.

jt


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## jimihendrix

have you ever played a schecter jimi hendrix model...???...i coulda swore i saw one in one of your vids...


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## JTANNA

nope. never played a schecter.... i wonder what vid you are thinking of? if i knew that, i could tell you what I used...... you got me wondering.


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## ezcomes

this would be interesting...i agree that a lot of today's music is incredibly 'dumb' rock...otherwise we wouldn't have about a dozen Nickelback knock-offs kicking around...

with the amount of music out there...who are you listening to now? who are the bands out today that you think aren't getting the response they should be getting?


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## JTANNA

i'm not stating that i think everything out there is 'dumb rock'. there's absolutely nothing wrong with a band like nickelback doing what they do. as long as they do it well and keep writing hit song after hit song, who am I to judge? it's more 'dumb' to me to try and be them when they already do it better than you! it's a wasted effort! same as nirvana, van halen etc. bands come along and set a stage and define a period of music, and then it's like inbreeding, and you know what kind of offspring you beget..... after awhile it's hard to escape one of those kids as there's one on every corner. don't blame the originators! lol!

as far as 'listening to' right now....nothing. i'm indifferent and that's actually sad. i think with music, it's about loving and hating... and indifference is death. it's kind of like listening to elevator music. i find lately i'm digging into the past and rediscovering my heroes and finding new meaning in the same notes i've heard a million times .... i think that's why i'm playing again. inspired. kind of like being a kid and finding the magic. you need that to keep moving forward......


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## bscott

Well - right now you could knock me over with a feather. The REAL - JT - OK, OK - I'm having a rock star moment - and let me have it!! It sure is nice though to get some feedback from the people we know and admire as artists. I am really digging this thread. 

B


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## ezcomes

JTANNA said:


> i'm not stating that i think everything out there is 'dumb rock'.
> 
> i find lately i'm digging into the past and rediscovering my heroes and finding new meaning in the same notes i've heard a million times .... i think that's why i'm playing again. inspired. kind of like being a kid and finding the magic. you need that to keep moving forward......


sorry...i didn't mean to say that you were calling them all dumb rock...that would be my sentiments...any of the bands that i like...don't get much if any airplay simply b/c their music isn't the generic rock of today...

i really like your sentiments about finding the magic...sometimes i lose interest in the guitar and just won't touch it for days/weeks...but then i'll hear a song that brings me back to the magic...and i pick it up again and play...just loving it...

is there any particular reason you fancy strat's?


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## JTANNA

no need to apologize!! i didn't upset me or anything! lol! good point about radio airplay. we were actually taken off of much music because our record company stopped buying enough ads for their other acts.... now does THAT make sense!? it's really easy to notice the bands that are aiming directly at pleasing a radio programmer, and the ones who aren't playing that game.... I choose to root for the latter!

glad to see i'm not the only one that falls in and out of love with the guitar. it's a tough battle! one minute i'm feeling fairly positive that i'm doing something right or getting better, and the next i'm devastated that i'm not getting any better......

strats: in the studio i'll play anything and feel pretty good but there are definitely some things i do that only seem to work on strats. i also have used some pretty hilarious guitars on record as sometimes i'm too lazy to reach over and grab something else. if it's in tune, and in reach...hit record!!!


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## ezcomes

JTANNA said:


> strats: in the studio i'll play anything...if it's in tune, and in reach...hit record!!!


thats awesome!!

i remember one concert i saw a couple few years ago...the guitarists blew me away...it seemed like the guitars were like limbs, or symbiotes attached to them, it didn't seem like playing guitar was anything to them...it was like breathing! i had been playing a couple years, and i know that they play a lot, but watching them...destroyed my confidence...i didn't play for a couple months...and when i finally picked it up...it was to become more proficent with it...to try to become the best guitarist i could get...and i'm still working on it...

you like gear...so how about this...is there any gear that got away...that you wish you had back?


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## JTANNA

you got it! i have a few that make me sweat too! 

gear that got away.... only one thing. it was a 1965 fender super reverb in colorado springs. i played it before soundcheck at a store just around the corner from the gig (using a strat of course!). it was the most inspirational tone i've ever heard. the more you turned it up the better it got. it sounded like the tone that was always in my head..... so... i left and played the gig. as it turned out, we had to leave right after the gig and didn't stay, i didn't know this until late in the day or else i would have bought it right away. so we split to the next town and i was never able to get back to the store. that's it.... gone. almost every other piece of gear i've ever bought i've kept.... just in case.


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## ezcomes

nice!

i've got almost everything i've bought...i had an old Strat copy that i traded for another guitar, an old samick practice amp that i gave to my cousin, an old 12 string acoustic electric takamine from 78...everything else, i've kept...and now that i'm married, my wife won't let me get rid of anything...she thinks that its too important to me to get rid of this stuff...she was very upset that i sold the Tak...i only bought it b/c the guy wanted peanuts for it...i turned around and sold it a year later for much more than i bought it for...and the other reason was, i rarely played it...and felt it needed to be played rather than staying in the closet...now i'd like to keep the stuff not only for me...but for my future kids!

I love the tone you get on all your albums...especially the quicksilver one, and scenery...basically all you used for this are strats and the Naylor?

another question would be..how do you like being on the label side of things now, since you've been a musician and through it all as well?


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## JTANNA

you see.... now THATS s good wife!

for tones on those records... i'm drawing a blank on scenery but i think it was mostly this cheapo danelectro 56U2 that i borrowed, through a naylor. although it might have also been my ernie balls....im confused a bit.... (the danelectro might have been for blue green orange... i'll figure it out eventually!) but for Quick. i used les pauls, teles, strats and a jerry jones baritone through the naylor....... all solos with the strat though.


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## hookedonphonics

Wow this is really cool! Been a fan since a couple of years ago when a friend showed me "Used To Be Alright". Still love that song. Don't know if I missed this earlier in the thread but what kind of effects do you use? Always loved the tone on Scenery.


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## JTANNA

hey!

that's a tough one to answer as I always used different things depending what was lying around.... although this isn't an exclusive list, some of my faves that I always go back to: phase 90, rackmount and budda wahs, old chorus ensembles, whammy pedal (1st gen only), voodoo labs trem/vibe/chorus/sparkle/proctavia etc., and really sore fingers and arthritic knuckles!! it's funny but lately i'm getting really picky about pedals and have started a fresh collection.... it's gonna be good! i'm trying to be as ridiculous as possible with regards to the new setup! lol!

in the studio it's always just straight into the amp unless i really need a certain vibe, then patch it in

jt.......


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## Samsquantch

Hey Jag, who are some of your biggest influences on the guitar? Are you primarily self taught? Cheers


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## JTANNA

hey!

yep self taught....i grew up listening to a lot of 50's music. (no i'm not that old!) my dad is a player and those are the first songs i was able to play. when i had some of that under my belt, he kind of took the training wheels off and i dove straight into rush and van halen. from about 14-18 there was NO other music allowed in my ears.....lol! from there it was all SRV, Jeff Beck and Santana..... I never really learned from people as much as absorbed, if that makes any sense... i always found that sitting and learning somebody elses solos always took the shine off of it for me and i lost the love... it removed the magic. so i just soaked in the vibe and fit THAT into my playing vs. the notes....

jt


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## Samsquantch

Cool! I had Levitate cranked in the car today, and the way you play in that song and others reminds me a lot of Hendrix, just the way he would seamlessly interweave lead and rhythm lines in a song without necessarily needing to play a face melting solo. What bands are you into these days?


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## ezcomes

JTANNA said:


> i always found that sitting and learning somebody elses solos always took the shine off of it for me and i lost the love... it removed the magic. so i just soaked in the vibe and fit THAT into my playing vs. the notes....
> 
> jt


thats awesome! thats the way i feel too...plus if i wanted to go see a band, i'd rather hear their solo than the actual solo...if i wanted to hear the actual solo i'd go see the actual band...



> and a jerry jones baritone through the naylor


this is what you used for Like the Sun right?

is there anyone you'd like to colaborate with that you haven't already?


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## JTANNA

SAMS: unfortunately i haven't been too jazzed with anybody as of late. not in a snobbish way, i just think my heads not into 'other things' while i'm sitll working on my own thing.... does that make sense? I figure I have the rest of my life to 'listen', but only a short window to create.... it's a little selfish but one day i'll figure out how to do both at the same time!

EZ: yep, that's the combo i used on that one. i LOVE the baritone.... give me my JJ and a bit of verb and i'm content for quite awhile.....

i don't have any grand plans for collaboration but i'm always open to the idea. I guess if somebody would call i would have to figure it out rather quickly. So far, collaborations haven't worked. Why get me to play on something when i'm not allowed to be myself!? I suck at hiding it, much to my own detriment. I always wondered why people ask me to come and play 3 chords 'just like this'.........leaves me feeling a bit empty. still open to it 100% though, more people should track me down!! loL!


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## Alex

For me, the 90's were summed up as : My Tom Waits phase, Bowie's Earthling and the Blue Green Orange album.....great rock album.


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## JTANNA

Earthling is probably my fave Bowie record..... go figure!


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## GuitarsCanada

JTANNA said:


> Earthling is probably my fave Bowie record..... go figure!


I seen Bowie do that album live at the Warehouse in TO way back when with Reeves Gabrels on guitar. Fabulous show and ear bleeding volume


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## Alex

It was a great album....not much of a metal head but loved the Faith No More albums around the mid-90's.....These guys were brilliant (and i only use that term for Stevie Wonder and Donald Fagan......) 


A


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## JTANNA

would have loved to have seen that show. reeves is pretty innovative......great production on that as well.


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## GuitarsCanada

JTANNA said:


> would have loved to have seen that show. reeves is pretty innovative......great production on that as well.


Yeah, he did some pretty whacked out shit on that album, and I say that in a good way. He actually had a pretty good band put togther for that album and tour


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## Alex

Gabrels solo album "sacred Squall of Now" is brilliant (did i use that again : - ) )......I cannot for the life find a copy of that album. Great album to check out (if you can find it).


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## ezcomes

in the song No Coma...in part of the song it sounds like you are using a synthesizer...or are you running the guitar thru something?


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## JTANNA

i think it's just backwards guitar all effecty! not sure if we're talking about the same part though....


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## Wilfridddd

Mr. Tanna,

Just wanted to say thanks for taking time to add to the forum and share some thoughts.


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## Samsquantch

Jag, what are your favourite Strat pickups? Cheers


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## ezcomes

JTANNA said:


> i think it's just backwards guitar all effecty! not sure if we're talking about the same part though....


ok...it took me getting back to work to be able to respond...where is the backwards guitar, you've peeked my interest even more!? the part i was originally asking about starts at the 2:26 mark...it sounds synthy...

is it still possible to record backwards guitar parts digitally?

[youtube]VB7ttysYglQ[/youtube]


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## JTANNA

WILF: no problem..... i'd rather hang around on a gear forum than facebook anyday! lol!

SAMS: i'm a bit all over the place with strat pickups lately. i don't really have one pickup i'm loving as it really depends which guitar they are in. I'm even happy with some stock pickups ( texas specials) but I also dig Kinmans for sure and Lindy Frailin pickups. I'm always openn minded to new manufacturers because you just never know... My biggest problem is noise, if it's not manageable at crazy volumes it gets pretty tough. I'm trying to design a new one and have been wrecking a lot of components! Lots of fun but a total pain in the ass..... i'm getting there though.

EZ: definitely guitar. it's just a combination of different distortions layered up. I have this one box that I made with one knob labelled 'paper'. Really nasty up close razor blade distortion... you can also hear it in almost every song on that record. love it. as for backwards guitar it's easier than ever.... i used to do it with tape but in most programs now, there's a flip function that makes it a pretty easy process.....

jt


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## ezcomes

thats sweet...i did not know that...about the flip function...never actually used one of the programs...its a good idea i guess...otherwise we wouldn't have half of Queen's guitar solo's in the first place!

what is your favourite song that you've written?

oh...i watched a show called Private Sessions saturday morning and they were talking with Chicago..so today i was on a Chicago trip...the guitarist they've had for the last couple of years uses a Naylor as well...


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## Solaceguitars

Hi Jag,
I have a question about your black strat. I thought I saw a pic (somewhere online) where your bridge humbucker was installed on an angle. Just wondering if that is true, or a bad photo??

BTW, thanks for comming to the boards and chatting about gear


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## JTANNA

EZ: favorite song i've written? none of them.... i hate them all equally! lol! people say 'songs are like children' and all that jazz, but mine are more like a freeloading cousin........

SOLACE: you are correct, it IS on an angle.... and it shouldn't be! i've had a million pickups in it most of which weren't f-spaced hence the angle. the pickup i had in there for the most time was in fact f-spaced... i'm just lazy! my main backup guitar which has the exact same pickup config, has the proper pickguard and is straight. that reminds me... i have to swap them!


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## Samsquantch

JTANNA said:


> SAMS: i'm a bit all over the place with strat pickups lately. i don't really have one pickup i'm loving as it really depends which guitar they are in. I'm even happy with some stock pickups ( texas specials) but I also dig Kinmans for sure and Lindy Frailin pickups. I'm always openn minded to new manufacturers because you just never know... My biggest problem is noise, if it's not manageable at crazy volumes it gets pretty tough. I'm trying to design a new one and have been wrecking a lot of components! Lots of fun but a total pain in the ass..... i'm getting there though.


Have you tried the Suhr SSC (Silent Single Coil) system or BPSSC (Back Plate Silent Single Coil)? I had the BPSSC installed in a Suhr guitar I had with single coils and it killed the hum without killing the tone. Their pickups are pretty kickass as well. I've never tried Fralins or Kinmans, but I hear they are fantastic.

Oh, tell your bass player I'm sorry. I came up to him around 1997 at The Wall bar at Nip U in North Bay and quite drunkenly asked, "How do you guys...get your...sound?" He was like "We just play well together, I guess." He won't remember that but I do. lol *facepalm*


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## Solaceguitars

JTANNA said:


> EZ: favorite song i've written? none of them.... i hate them all equally! lol! people say 'songs are like children' and all that jazz, but mine are more like a freeloading cousin........
> 
> SOLACE: you are correct, it IS on an angle.... and it shouldn't be! i've had a million pickups in it most of which weren't f-spaced hence the angle. the pickup i had in there for the most time was in fact f-spaced... i'm just lazy! my main backup guitar which has the exact same pickup config, has the proper pickguard and is straight. that reminds me... i have to swap them!



Awsome I was a bit inspired actually by the angled pickup. 
I found some cool balanced tones when using P90's angled the other way, ( A la Hendrix) 
Also; I wound them myself with very low DC resistance to do something simmiler to the Danelectro type tone.

I want to get into Santana's stuff more, and I own his self titled album. What do you consider his "finest work" in your own humble opinion of coarse?


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## Burtonium

Hey Jag,

Thanks for providing some info on your gear you've used. Your playing heavily inspired me to start playing guitar when I was 17 back in 1998. I really like what you've done on your albums. In particular, I really dig the vibe on Blue Green Orange. The thing that gets me on that album is that I can listen to it, and each time I seem to hear something new that I missed the last time. Subtle little bits in the background, etc. Really exciting stuff to listen to. I find it's not too often you can get albums that have that type of freshness listen after listen.

And on that note, back around the time Blue Green Orange came out I remember reading that you were using a relatively cheap Danelectro (compared to bigger name brands) on a lot of that album. My question is, do you remember what you were you using on the tune Gargantua, during the verses? I really dig the tone you got on that tune and I've been wondering how you achieved that. Was it anything tricky, or just something as simple as playing with the tone knob on one of your Strats?


----------



## EchoWD40

Man, I may be starstruck, or a pessimist, but i still have a hard time believing it's actually Jag Tanna posting on here...
If it isn't, then i hate you so much lol.
if it really is, i wanted to thank you for your awesome music over the years. I loved the live stuff off of Earth, Sky and Everything In Between. 
Been a long time fan for years, and who knows, maybe you will become a fan of mine someday haha.

-Tom D


----------



## JTANNA

SAMS: haven't tried those but now i'm curious about them.... i'll look into it for sure. (and that's hilarious about meeting in north bay. and he lied about 'our sound' we just put a flanger on everything. even in interviews....)

SOLACE: that's cool about a 'reverse' angle.... and really cool about winding your own pickups! i'm in the middle of that mess now.... fun, but a nightmare.... as for santana.... I only ever listened to his first 3 records. Santana, Abraxus, Santana3. everything you need is right there, and it's NOT about guitar. It really got me into the idea of 'band solos' or 'band movements' and opened up a lot of doors musically for me. Without over analyzing it, it just feels good! Helped me really be able to sharpen my 'percussive' dialog and understanding. A whole other language!! My dad used to put on abraxus and scare us at breakfast on sundays.

BURT: thanks for the kind words! yeah on BGO i was using some different things. I used this crappy 56U2 danelectro reissue a lot on it. It was just lying around and played kind of neat. that put through my naylor did the trick. I also bought a beautiful 63 tele at the same time and that would be my other workhorse. (again through the naylor) For the verses i think there are two things going on. the 56 is the main body of it and i think i'm going direct, no amp... and getting a bit of dirt from a pedal or something.... there are also a bunch of chimey envelope things as well in the background. there i'm tapping harmonics of all of the chords along with the rhythm. tele on that i think......

TD: cool to be pessimistic, i wasn't sure it was you either! lol! Thanks for digging on the tunes..... can you burn me a copy of that? I don't think i have it!.... seriously..... and i'm always looking to be a fan of somebody so get it out there so we can all get into it.....

whew... now i think i got everyone there. take care!


----------



## Solaceguitars

SOLACE: that's cool about a 'reverse' angle.... and really cool about winding your own pickups! i'm in the middle of that mess now.... fun said:


> Thanks Jag,
> I'll check out Abraxus and Santana 3 indefinately.
> 
> Hey if you are doing some pickup experiments, here is a comparison vid I made with different magnets in a humbucker. (enjoy with headphones)
> YouTube - Humbucker Magnet test.
> I found simple magnet swaps were an easy mod to production pickups, but there were only a few subjective descriptions on magnet types and their tonal properties.
> So I thought I'd make a simple audio comparison to help other tone chasers.
> It was just refreshing to hear other possibilities; other than "AlNiCo 5 in a JB" type tones.
> cheers!


----------



## JTANNA

awesome! i'll have to check that out!


----------



## Burtonium

Hey Jag,

Thanks for the info. I'll have to start experimenting with tap harmonics. A couple of follow-up questions about recording gear: 
1. What type of mic do you like to use when recording your guitar through your amp? 
2. Although you like your Naylor for recording, have you experimented with plugging it into different types of speaker cabinets, and if so, have you found any major differences in sound between different cabinets?
3. Do you have any preferences in mic placement in front of your speaker cabinet(s) to get started recording? (i.e. - Do you have any advice on a particular spot you usually like to start with before slowing moving it around to find what sounds best to you?)

Cheers!


----------



## JTANNA

BURT:

funny about recording. every single time I start recording, it's always "let's try this mic, that mic, the lastest and greatest mic, etc.", knowing full well that i'm going to stick a 57 up tight to the grill, dead center then over a couple of inches. I also like 421 for cleaner/slap and pop sounds.... most of the time i'm just too impatient (and lazy) to change a mic as i record kind of head down doing things on the fly.....tunnel vision! I do like combining 2 mics in different spots and see how it stacks up in the track. (2x57's, 57 and 421, 57 and royer121)

Early on I always went through a billion cabinets to find the 'right one' in the studio.... first album was a 1967/68 fawn 4x12 marshall cab, then i started using my Flagg systems cabs. Live it was always the Flaggs and Budda 4x12's and 2x12's..... there was also a version of a boogie cab with 90's in it that i liked for recording....

but again, it's usually "what cab has a mic on it?.... hit record...." Unless the sound is totally ass i can work with it. I'm sure it can always be better but sometimes i'm too impatient to search when in recording mode.....

jt


----------



## prodigal_son

It's great to see you here Jag. Glad to read there is more IME material on the horizon.


----------



## JTANNA

love talking gear.... as for material on the horizon.....hmmmm. i'll let you know when i stop hating everything i do!


----------



## prodigal_son

Hate on brother. Hate on.


----------



## Peter

Hey Jag, any dirt pedals you remember using on the Scenery stuff or was that just straight into the Naylor?


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## JTANNA

weird, but on that record I had the naylor clean channel on 10 with a blues driver on it! it just worked and gave me some clarity and punch.. when i needed something thicker i would just go back into the dirty channel and track with that.....


----------



## IFATHERU

Jag,

Do you still use the Quadraverb? I picked one up, but could never set it up right so back on ebay it went. From the posts in this thread you really like the Naylor head, but what about the Rivera Knucklehead you played live with? Have you played around with any of the Line6 products?

Steve


----------



## JTANNA

IFATHERU:

I only ever used the Quad live, but never in the effects loop. i was running a separate mixer by tapping a line level signal off of the back of the head, and ran it like a 'studio' effects send /return. It's kind of a crappy unit so this way, my main signal NEVER passed through it, i would just mix the delays and such into my main tone. 

As for the Rivera. It was actually a Bonehead model. I remember ordering it (without trying it of course!) and being so disappointed when i received it, i didn't know what to do! It came with EL34s and the amp just sounded like shit. So I swapped them out for 6L6's and had it re-biased and BAM, instantly usable. how weird is that? I had a guy contact me awhile ago because he bought one after hearing it live at one of our shows (i think) and he was SO disappointed. I felt so bad! So i told him what i did, and what settings i was using live.... it worked thank god and i don't think he threw it in the garbage. I only used it live though, never in the studio.......

I've used the line 6 stuff quite a bit. Really handy tool to have around. I have a vetta head which caught fire at a show which was good up until that moment! lol! Still, cool company......

jt


----------



## IFATHERU

I had a Mesa dual rect 100w that had problems too new tubes helped, but it never ripped my face off. My effects processor (Digitech 2120) was looped & the drive channel I switched on/off with a GCX set-up it always poped a high pitch squeal when I turned the drive channel on. Not something you want when playing live. Now that I don't play live anymore I picked up a Mesa 20/20 Dyna-Watt which for 20watts has plenty of punch and it sound large for such a small amp. 
My current Rig is simple
Korg Rack Tuner
Mesa 20/20
Line 6 PODxt
Two 2x12 Avatar Cabs w/ Vintage 30's (Good bang for the buck)
Floor control (Line6 shortboard)
Cry Baby Wah
Boss DS1 w/ Rect Mod
Guitars
American Std Strat 95 sunbrust
American std strat 98 (made to look like your black guitar reverse head stock) Which I believe you signed at the last concert in Barrie. When I say "I believe" I mean one of your crew took it into your band room after the show and came back out 5-10min later with it signed.
nerdy I know, but it's a sick guitar and you just can't buy one off the shelf unless you have it custom made. I first priced out a custom american strat from fender, but they wanted 3000+. So, I bought two american std strats Left & Right swapped necks added a Tom Anderson pick-up at the bridge, some black knobs/pick-up covers. I traded the other one in when I picked-up the dual rect, but it was way cheaper to go that way instead of the custom strat. There's only one problem with the guitar, the G string when fretted at the first fret the note is sharp which I think is a nut problem. 


steve


----------



## JTANNA

sounds like a cool setup! I love the simple approach first and foremost, and then just add into that as long as it doesn't change anything... less problems as well. I think i remember signing a guitar in barrie! We always felt privileged to sign somebody else's prized possession, and i always made sure the guys weren't too messy if it was a guitar!! my brother was the worst for that.... all over the place! lol! Yes, the custom strats are a bit ridiculous. Most are just standard strat bodies pulled off the line anyhow.... why are they 3000 bucks.... baffled by that. Yep, sounds like a nut problem you have going on there if it's out so low on the neck. Could be something else but i think you're on the right track.... at least it's an easy fix and nothing too serious....


----------



## Sonicmyst

I was such a HUGE Jag Tanna fan that I had a guitar made for me that resembled the beast! ;-)


----------



## IFATHERU

Welcome to Facebook | Facebook

I hope this link works. Glad to see that I wasn't only one


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## IFATHERU

Steve Wilcox | Facebook

My rig.

Jag,
Do you use your budda amps and cabs for studio work? I've always wanted to play through a Budda rig. Before I picked up my Avatar cabs I priced out the 2x12's cabs, but get over the price. What speakers do your Budda cabs have?

steve


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## Sonicmyst

Hahaha! Nice! I'm glad that I'm not the only one either! Wicked setup!


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## Sonicmyst

I think Jag uses his Naylor Super Drive 60 in the studio. As I recall, he has the exact settings he loves marked with tape. Hahaha. I always saw it sitting there as a backup for live shows. 

And I also believe he used Eddie Van Halen's guitars when IME recorded DIG. 

Another little known fact is that Jag played the bass on that album. 

Am I correct, Jag? 

What I always REALLY wanted to know was if you actually use DR strings, 10-52's or just 10's. I helped Adrian clear some stuff off the stage one time and he threw me a pack of strings. 

Man do I miss those days!

-N8


----------



## Solaceguitars

Is there any chance that we could see a Live Dvd of IME in the future???


----------



## ezcomes

i caught an episode of The Rawside of...i didn't realize that you were behind this show!

any plans to do more episodes?


----------



## JTANNA

re: making guitar copies.....you guys are crazy! lol!

IFATHERU: yep, love the budda cabs for sure. still using them exclusively. I still have the head and use it for this and that. I've had it for so long and it's a fantastic utility amp for me, when the bigger louder amps aren't cutting the bluesy stuff, the budda always works! i wish it was about 100 times louder though! The cabs all have different speakers but i tend to lean on heritage30's in my main 4x12. for recording i really like the 30's. when we were playing live my cabs always had 30's on one side, and 75's or 80's on the other. it was the only way to keep some clarity on the slapping stuff at that volume, by having a more efficient speaker handling the 'thump'. (also kept my single coils really 'stratty'!)

SONIC: now THAT's a lot of info! all true. In the studio I had about 5 of Eddie's guitars to pick from and settled on a prototype MusicMan. I know there's a picture of eddie playing the guitar on a magazine and i think it's the only one that had a black bridge. as soon as i saw it, i recognized it and said 'this is the one' and recorded almost all of the guitars with that. awesome. (on a side note, he phoned me in the studio and i almost shit my pants.... seriously.) I also used one of Steve Vai's guitars as well.... that's another story. DR strings yes! love them. they stay in tune beautifully. I was using 10-52 almost all of the time in the later tours as I was having some issues with my hands. I'm always in pain when i play! I was using 12-56 for awhile. the only problem is that we don't tune down so those things HURT playing live. 

SOLACE: i've thought about it. i still have the Barrie show on tape (although i can't remember where i put them!) I would love to take some stuff off of that and do something with it. We had so many cams going, there has to be SOME good footage there. I swear i'll do it... just trying to find the time. I DO have some live audio that i'm going to post though really soon on my facebook page for people to have. It sounded kind of cool so why not?!

EZ: yeah, that's some of the stuff i've been up to since we took a break. I started a film/tv/music marketing company and i've been pretty swamped with that. I created the show, pitched it and a network went for it! Go figure!! I also ended up directing one of the episodes as well.... no different than writing songs really! The network messed things up so bad that i don't think there will be more. Canwest went bankrupt so we got caught in the middle of it. it's like being on a major label and totally at their mercy! I don't have time for screw ups anymore so moving on....I have 2 more docs in development so we'll see where and when they turn up! Building a new facility shortly in toronto soon too ..... exciting stuff....

thanks all

jt


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## IFATHERU

Re: Guitar Copies,,, It's a crazy guitar!

I know it's not the same, but I find when I use the Budda model amp on the PODxt its not loud either. I use the 1967 fender model as my base model amp with almost all my patches unless I need something completely different. I've always liked the clean fender tone. I use to have a 2x12 Blues Devill it was so warm and very clean. 
I thought the cabs only came with the budda Phat12's.
Jag, could you help with the slap & pop technique? I can do it and it sounds great, but I can't get out of only knowing a few pockets where I keep using the same notes. How did you get into it? what examples did you use?, etc..
As for that Barrie show on DVD, I remember your brother posting on the IME website before it went down that it was somewhere in his closet. To relive that show again would be sweet.

Steve


----------



## IFATHERU

Sorry it's the Fender® 1965 Twin Reverb model


----------



## JTANNA

i got all of my cabs 'unloaded'..... that way i can mix at match. my absolute fave cab though are my flagg systems cabs..... they are the same company that made EVH's cabs with the white insides that they used to stack to the ceiling ..... mine are black though. awesome!

the slap/pop thing started from not having a bass player in the early days, when it was just me and my brother. I used to use drumsticks on my low strings to smack things out.... just evolved from there. At first it was more a thumb/one finger technique but has evolved into 'the claw'!! i mean, 'THE CLAW'!!! All fingers, all strings, all the time!! lol!! I haven't used a pick in so long.... been digging playing like that for many years and have been getting into all kinds of different tones that way. Now, if i can only write this way!! 

... as for the tapes, they are officially in 'my closet'.....lol!


----------



## IFATHERU

The thumb, index and middle fingers is all i've been able to master. I was wondering how you went from the pick to "The Claw" and back to the pick, I drop my pick everytime.
Practice practice I guess.
So Gently We Go, do you play the bass notes ( D & A) with the melody during the intro live or is it layered in stuido? Sounds like ten guitars tracks.
steve


----------



## JTANNA

I just keep my thumb playing the D and A while plucking out the rest for the main riff.... the verses have the bass taking over while I'm picking out the chords....


----------



## IFATHERU

Thanks Jag, it's a fun song to play along with. I don't want bother you on how to play your songs, but I have tried to figure the slap part in the live One More Astronaut after the drum solo in this video (3:18). The Claw comes out in the video about 3:25. If you could lead me in the right direction like Low E to high E kinda thing. I might just have the wrong type of E chord.
YouTube - I Mother Earth - One More Astronaut (live - Snow Job '97)
steve


----------



## keto

Such an epic song, looooong one of my favourites. Just watched a couple live versions, really looked like you guys were having fun - I sure hope so!


----------



## Gibson76

*'The Claw'*

Jag you really do have a unique style of playing when it comes to the bass popping thing, very cool! You don't really see any other guitarists out there who use that style with such a fluid technique going from Rhythm playing to lead work. Earth, Sky & Co is one of the best tunes with all your techniques and playing styles jammed into a 7 min tune, it was always amazing to hear it live with the extended intro. The progression with the volume swells always made the hair on the back of my neck stand up

YouTube - I Mother Earth - Earth, Sky & C

Any thoughts of doing an online video explaining some of your techniques and giving fans a chance to get up close to your playing style...maybe say a JTANNA Official You Tube page, going through gear and effects set ups etc...? You've definitely been an inspiration to a lot of young guitarists when it comes to tone, feel and technique...myself included.

What was the thoughts behind the hidden guitar track on QMD? Some cool riffy things going on in there
Cheers


----------



## Solaceguitars

Gibson76 said:


> Jag you really do have a unique style of playing when it comes to the bass popping thing, very cool! You don't really see any other guitarists out there who use that style with such a fluid technique going from Rhythm playing to lead work. Earth, Sky & Co is one of the best tunes with all your techniques and playing styles jammed into a 7 min tune, it was always amazing to hear it live with the extended intro. The progression with the volume swells always made the hair on the back of my neck stand up
> 
> YouTube - I Mother Earth - Earth, Sky & C
> 
> Any thoughts of doing an online video explaining some of your techniques and giving fans a chance to get up close to your playing style...maybe say a JTANNA Official You Tube page, going through gear and effects set ups etc...? You've definitely been an inspiration to a lot of young guitarists when it comes to tone, feel and technique...myself included.
> 
> What was the thoughts behind the hidden guitar track on QMD? Some cool riffy things going on in there
> Cheers


+1 Yeah I also was wondering what the setup for that song was. My guess was an old fender amp with tremolo and the strat?? I love the crickets in the background


----------



## JTANNA

keto said:


> Such an epic song, looooong one of my favourites. Just watched a couple live versions, really looked like you guys were having fun - I sure hope so!


Always had fun, when we didn't, we stopped! lol!


----------



## JTANNA

Gibson76 said:


> Jag you really do have a unique style of playing when it comes to the bass popping thing, very cool! You don't really see any other guitarists out there who use that style with such a fluid technique going from Rhythm playing to lead work. Earth, Sky & Co is one of the best tunes with all your techniques and playing styles jammed into a 7 min tune, it was always amazing to hear it live with the extended intro. The progression with the volume swells always made the hair on the back of my neck stand up
> 
> YouTube - I Mother Earth - Earth, Sky & C
> 
> Any thoughts of doing an online video explaining some of your techniques and giving fans a chance to get up close to your playing style...maybe say a JTANNA Official You Tube page, going through gear and effects set ups etc...? You've definitely been an inspiration to a lot of young guitarists when it comes to tone, feel and technique...myself included.
> 
> What was the thoughts behind the hidden guitar track on QMD? Some cool riffy things going on in there
> Cheers


Earth Sky and C was fun.... i'd love another go at it though! Halfway through the solo I busted a string and just left it in.... i was having a lot of troubles with my hand at that point and couldn't play anymore.... i think it was the last thing i recorded on the record. Not too happy with it, have more fun live. (but not on snowjob! lol! my hands were frozen!!) Yeah, it has a bunch of different techniques in there, a LOT of the slap n' pop for sure.... i just love playing with my fingers and mostly write that way! The intro live always gave room to pretend we were santana for a little bit! lol! any excuse....

As for any kind of vid thing, i'm not sure it's my thing! I'd just bore people as i'm not a 'sit down and shred' kind of player....I always found that the good stuff happens when i'm inspired by the guys in the band. When we jam together I can go on and on and solo forever and find cool things to play, when i'm by myself in the studio laying solos and such, i'm just not that into it.... need to be inspired by something other than watching cartoons on the tv, cuttin' solos.... bad habit. I also prefer the one on one conversations i've been having lately on gear and such... kind of cool as it's something I used to do in every city we played in. Just talking to other players at gigs.... can't beat it.

ahhh... the last track. 'moment of extreme violence'.....(at least i THINK that's what it's called)... just an afterthought really. I was sitting around and we needed a 12th song. I had my baritone direct into 'the board', with a trem on it. no amp. just started playing until it felt 'done'. that's it. my favorite part is the crickets.... it was a bitch miking them up!


----------



## JTANNA

Solaceguitars said:


> +1 Yeah I also was wondering what the setup for that song was. My guess was an old fender amp with tremolo and the strat?? I love the crickets in the background


nope.... just the baritone with a trem pedal straight into the board with some verb added in. By that point in the record i think i had all of my amps packed away! Crickets were indeed branded 'fender' on their little backs......


----------



## Burtonium

Hey Jag. I was going to ask you what kind of picks you use, but reading some of your posts and some of the questions asked of you, you haven't used a pick in a long time. I just wanted to clarify on that. Do you use picks at all? I mean, for that 'slap and pop' technique being discussed, it makes sense as being pick-less. But seeing video of you playing, it looks like often you're holding a pick between your thumb and index finger for a lot of stuff, but from what I gather, that may not be the case. Can you clarify on that? If no pick, are you just holding your thumb and index as though you would be holding one? And if that's the case, what part of you finger(s) strikes the strings?

And as far as the pick thing goes, I was going to ask, because I've been using the cheapo house branded picks from Long & McQuade in whatever thickness I need at the time. Or whatever pick I have available at the time. I've even used one of those plastic clips from the bag for a loaf of bread when I was too lazy to go dig around to find a pick (note: those bread clips don't handle very well). But anyhow, if you don't normally use picks, I suppose the question really doesn't apply.


----------



## Samsquantch

^^^ Try the red and black Dunlop Jazz III's. Great picks. I'll never go back to a full sized pick again. Actually the Dunlop Ultex Jazz III's are great too if you file them down.


----------



## Burtonium

Samsquantch said:


> ^^^ Try the red and black Dunlop Jazz III's. Great picks. I'll never go back to a full sized pick again. Actually the Dunlop Ultex Jazz III's are great too if you file them down.


Yeah, I've heard of a lot of people swearing by them. Generally I've been too cheap to buy any picks more expensive than the cheapo ones. I should go and buy a few to see what they're like, but what kind of difference do you notice with those Dunlop Jazz III's?


----------



## JTANNA

Burtonium said:


> Hey Jag. I was going to ask you what kind of picks you use, but reading some of your posts and some of the questions asked of you, you haven't used a pick in a long time. I just wanted to clarify on that. Do you use picks at all? I mean, for that 'slap and pop' technique being discussed, it makes sense as being pick-less. But seeing video of you playing, it looks like often you're holding a pick between your thumb and index finger for a lot of stuff, but from what I gather, that may not be the case. Can you clarify on that? If no pick, are you just holding your thumb and index as though you would be holding one? And if that's the case, what part of you finger(s) strikes the strings?
> 
> And as far as the pick thing goes, I was going to ask, because I've been using the cheapo house branded picks from Long & McQuade in whatever thickness I need at the time. Or whatever pick I have available at the time. I've even used one of those plastic clips from the bag for a loaf of bread when I was too lazy to go dig around to find a pick (note: those bread clips don't handle very well). But anyhow, if you don't normally use picks, I suppose the question really doesn't apply.


I actually do use picks.... dunlop purple tortex ones with the gator grip ... can't remember the gauge but it's close to a normal heavy. definitely NOT a brick though. I'll use whatever and DO like using quarters for some reason. The bread thing is hilarious, when i was a kid we had a LOT of stale bread around the house..... 

I tend to rely on both pick and fingers together and play a lot with the pick 'inside' my index... when I switch to fingers in the middle of something, i bend my index and pinch the pick within that finger... weird but i never thought about it and as i'm describing it to you and now i'm second guessing myself!! i can never find picks when i need them (like now!) so i always write and play with fingers... i think that's what happened to me... i DO pinch my fingers together so it at least looks like i have a pick (i kept ripping my nails off live so....)

Finger technique is a bit of a free for all for me, i'm not sure i have one!... i'll switch from pick to fingers within the same riff to make some notes rounder etc. I also like to play it like a bass using index and ring fingers.... There are SO many tones available within your fingers and i love feeling the string that way. i don't have a set way to play anything and tried not to play the riffs the same way every night live to keep it interesting for me. Lately i've been writing everything without picks though .... i need to buy some more i think, or look in the washing machine.


----------



## Samsquantch

Burtonium said:


> Yeah, I've heard of a lot of people swearing by them. Generally I've been too cheap to buy any picks more expensive than the cheapo ones. I should go and buy a few to see what they're like, but what kind of difference do you notice with those Dunlop Jazz III's?


Mainly I've noticed they are easier to control, and easier to pick fast with due to the smaller size and that they are really stiff, but not super thick like some of the stiffer Tortex picks are (1.5-2 mm +). The raised lettering on the sides helps to prevent you from dropping them.


----------



## ezcomes

heres another question...a couple times you've said you've had hand problems...arthritis? has it gotten better?


----------



## JTANNA

ezcomes said:


> heres another question...a couple times you've said you've had hand problems...arthritis? has it gotten better?


Yeah, just a few issues from years of abuse. Mostly arthritic/tendonitis stuff.... My left hand used to lock up on me live and i would have to shake it mid song.. kind of funny, i'm sure there's vid of that somewhere!! I used to smash my guitar with my right hand on the bridge live, and on the body doing the slap thing, and messed up some nerves in the middle of my thumb... hurts like hell to slap now! I have to find new hand positions in order to do it.....

other than that, perfect!!

jt


----------



## Solaceguitars

Hmmm, so here's the next question Jag. How long has it taken for you to develop signs of arthritis and tendonitis?
I noticed myself showing signs a year or two ago from playing over the years (I'd pop glucosamine pills when it got bad), but believe it or not... Rock climbing has helped me out by strengthening the hand in different areas! 
Go figure. Now my hands are stronger and playing longer without pain.


----------



## JTANNA

Solaceguitars said:


> Hmmm, so here's the next question Jag. How long has it taken for you to develop signs of arthritis and tendonitis?
> I noticed myself showing signs a year or two ago from playing over the years (I'd pop glucosamine pills when it got bad), but believe it or not... Rock climbing has helped me out by strengthening the hand in different areas!
> Go figure. Now my hands are stronger and playing longer without pain.


man, glad you found a workaround! that's good news. for me it started during the recording of Scenery.... possibly the touring from the first record though started the whole thing off. Then i was just playing too much. Live, you're always jumping around and your hand position is all over the map, and you are trying to play things that you recorded either sitting down, NOT jumping, and more relaxed..... now if i played with my guitar up around my neck and with a foot stool i'd be in better shape! lol!


----------



## ezcomes

JTANNA said:


> now if i played with my guitar up around my neck and with a foot stool i'd be in better shape! lol!


you know...after he had his appendix out (i think it was) Kirk Hammett did a show the next night...sittting on a chair...cool isn't always doing what you think is cool...

i hope your hand is better...its one hell of a tool to break! i know!


----------



## JTANNA

ezcomes said:


> you know...after he had his appendix out (i think it was) Kirk Hammett did a show the next night...sittting on a chair...cool isn't always doing what you think is cool...
> 
> i hope your hand is better...its one hell of a tool to break! i know!


hmmm, well, a stool it is then! is being lazy considered an 'injury'?


----------



## okcomputer

Thanks so much for posting here, Jag. I think this board is full of IME/Jag fans.

I've seen you guys play a few times here in NS. The most memorable was at Acadia University, in September 99. It was Frosh Week, and it must have been 30+ degrees outside, and about 40 inside, pure humidity. The crowd was so into it. At one point, I was fairly close to the front, and everyone started jumping up and down. I actually passed out momentarily in mid-air from the heat, humidity, and beer. I was held up by the crowd around me because it was so packed. I came to, went outside for a minute, drank a tonne of water, and then made my way back into the crowd.

Can't wait to hear new stuff, and congrats on your company. I haven't seen the Rawside Of... though. Any idea on how to see the episodes somehow?


----------



## ezcomes

okcomputer said:


> I haven't seen the Rawside Of... though. Any idea on how to see the episodes somehow?


IFC shows them pretty regularly...thats where i catch them


----------



## JTANNA

okcomputer said:


> Thanks so much for posting here, Jag. I think this board is full of IME/Jag fans.
> 
> I've seen you guys play a few times here in NS. The most memorable was at Acadia University, in September 99. It was Frosh Week, and it must have been 30+ degrees outside, and about 40 inside, pure humidity. The crowd was so into it. At one point, I was fairly close to the front, and everyone started jumping up and down. I actually passed out momentarily in mid-air from the heat, humidity, and beer. I was held up by the crowd around me because it was so packed. I came to, went outside for a minute, drank a tonne of water, and then made my way back into the crowd.
> 
> Can't wait to hear new stuff, and congrats on your company. I haven't seen the Rawside Of... though. Any idea on how to see the episodes somehow?


man, Acadia!! I remember some pretty crazy shows out east! well, glad you made it back into the venue! not sure if i apologize or give you some devil horns or something..... if you think it was hot in the crowd, imagine under the lights! we've had a couple shows where one of us has 'gone down'.... especially one in nashville where chris' entire body cramped up from dehydration.... hilarious! (don't tell him i said that....)

Rawside is in reruns on IFC, friday or sunday (can't remember) at 8PM......

they are also on iTunes, and i'm actually hoping somebody just takes them and posts them somewhere so people can see them.... (hint!!)


----------



## Squid

Jag,

I remember before the release of The Quicksilver Meat Dream that you guys had an albums worth of material that you subsequently scrapped. How come? ...and do you ever plan for it to see the light of day?


----------



## JTANNA

Squid said:


> Jag,
> 
> I remember before the release of The Quicksilver Meat Dream that you guys had an albums worth of material that you subsequently scrapped. How come? ...and do you ever plan for it to see the light of day?


yeah pretty much..... i just felt that there were too many 'outside forces' at work and our writing was suffering. We had a lot of music written and at one point i remember hating everything. we just didn't have the jump or sense of adventure that we have always thrived in. we basically told everyone to **** off, locked the door and hit 'delete'.... the record company wasn't thrilled as you can imagine! as i remember it, the vibe changed right away in rehearsals and it felt totally liberating to once again NOT listen to any body but ourselves....then QMD just kind of popped out. it came together really fast. Easiest record to write and record in my opinion. No rules.... as far as i know, those 'deleted' songs do not exist anywhere as we never 'make tapes' for people to comment on (we never listened anyhow! lol!) i remember how to play some of them, but those demos are long gone. bunch of shit really......lol! well, maybe they weren't that awful as i still like the riffs, i just hated the 'collection' as a whole.....


----------



## Solaceguitars

So, what do you find the most efficient way to write riffs?
Do you prefer to record on your computer with a drum track, or jam it out live in rehearsal? 
Lately I have found more use out of my looper pedal for writing, but I have trouble when it comes to recording the material. 
What do you find an easy interface to keep things moving, and not kill your buzz when you want to archive it?
Everything goes wrong it seems when you decide to push REC.


----------



## JTANNA

Solaceguitars said:


> So, what do you find the most efficient way to write riffs?
> Do you prefer to record on your computer with a drum track, or jam it out live in rehearsal?
> Lately I have found more use out of my looper pedal for writing, but I have trouble when it comes to recording the material.
> What do you find an easy interface to keep things moving, and not kill your buzz when you want to archive it?
> Everything goes wrong it seems when you decide to push REC.


I don't have any set way to write riffs.... but i've found that i write most music when i don't have a guitar with me. It's mostly just music in my head that i'm chasing.... that's the game. I almost always start with drums.... if i can 'hear' that, i'm good and the rest will follow. (drums are a huge passion for me...) I tend to keep the music in my head as long as i can and don't actually record any of it until it's a full song. rehearsal is key so i can have the fellas loop a section until the next section pops up.... i always write on the fly i guess. If nothing pops up after a few attempts, i'll ditch that idea and move on. 

My favorite way of documenting (during rehearsal) is this ancient ghetto blaster with awesome mics built into it. the guys HATED it but i loved it! I'm definitely going to refurbish this thing for future use.... it's a little tired and needs some love. Once the song is written, i'll start to whip it into shape using a pro tools HD3 system....

the archiving kills everything for me. as long as it's in my head, every part is negotiable. Once it's in the box, it feels a bit more committed and harder to ditch.... and yes, the REC button is a buzzkill......

jt


----------



## IFATHERU

Jag,

Would there every be a Raw side of I Mother Earth?


----------



## JTANNA

IFATHERU said:


> Jag,
> 
> Would there every be a Raw side of I Mother Earth?


ha! i thought about that when we were making the series and realized that it would have been tough to get everyone at the same time.....we went the more 'indie' vibe way instead and focused on the 'issues' that are in front of all bands... not quite as romantic as the general public thinks.... we would have rocked it though, as we actually have things to say!! and have actually gone through a TON of business issues that i think people could learn from....(not personal issues, just dealing with the dicks in the business!)

who knows though..... i'm on to some cool things in the doc world that might be worth thinking about, and hopefully will see the light of day.....


----------



## Burtonium

Hey Jag,

That's pretty cool about that old ghetto blaster for recording jams. My friend and I have been recording our own jams like that starting about 8 years ago. Just a little ghetto blaster that had one built-in mic. It didn't sound too good quality-wise. I have a handful of tapes of us doing what we called "improvised mayhem". Some really cool stuff, and some not so much. Usually when we got stuck we'd break into our best renditions of some tunes we knew, the majority of which were usually some of your IME tunes, or some Sloan. But mostly improvised stuff. I'd do the same thing with my Dad playing drums, but when he and I got stuck, we'd break into some Zeppelin, Stones or Rush. I may have tried to sneak in some attempts at some IME once or twice to see how he'd groove to it without knowing it. The cool thing was learning how to mix it properly. That is, how close to keep it to my guitar amp so the drums didn't overpower it, or vice versa. It took a few iterations, but eventually I found a sweet spot between the drums and my amp. But I digress.

Since then I've picked up a Tascam MkIII 4-track recorder and an SM57 and a few other cheaper mics. And I've drastically improved the quality of the sound. I run my tascam like a mixer into the line-in on my computer soundcard with a stereo RCA left-right cable that goes down to a single jack into my line-in and use a computer-based recording software (Audacity). It does the trick.

But that said, I was wondering if you have any insight into ways to get the most out of the sound when recording through a little cassette 4-track recorder? In particular, post-processing of drums. I know this is a guitar forum, but given your experience in the studio, I was wondering if you have any tips for green basement musicians like myself. For example, after drums are recorded, are there any typical post-processing effects that you would recommend to try adding to them to make them sound a bit more polished? I know that the best sound is to record them good. But, I've heard clips on the web of raw drum tracks, and they don't seem to sound that much different from my recorded drums. So I was wondering if I'm missing a simple effect to try to add? Or is it just that I'm mostly limited by my equipment? Audacity has some neat effects that can be added to some audio, but I'm not sure if there are any typical effects to try that would add any polish to my recording. Do you have any suggestions?

Cheers!


----------



## Burtonium

P.S. - Although my questions was directed at Jag, if anyone else has some tips or advice about post recording effects, feel free to chime in.


----------



## okcomputer

Some typical effects for drums are compression, gates, reverb, and of course EQ. I find I put the most work into the bass drum - compression and eq to give it oomph.

The reason that drums sound great in the mix though is because there is proper separation. You get mush when instruments are competing for the same frequencies, so EQ'ing and panning and compressing will help remove that overlap and give each instrument its place in the mix. That way everything will pop when it should, and sit in the mix when it should.


----------



## Burtonium

@okcomputer: Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to just take more time playing around with my mixer. I do dabble in the panning. I get a pretty cool stereo effect on my kit with the mic setup I have and my panning left and right.

If Jag is still poking around here, a question for you: How did you get Geddy Lee to play on Good for Sule? As I understand, Alex Lifeson played on Like a Girl because he was recording his solo disc in the same studio as you were recording Scenery and Fish. But with Geddy, did someone you were working with know him personally, or did you run into him and ask him yourself?


----------



## JTANNA

oddly enough, i AM still around..... good timing! 

yeah the whole Rush thing was pretty cool..... well, awesome actually. At the time we were doing Scenery, Ed was about to do/or already did some singing on Alex's solo record. We weren't in the same studio or anything (we didn't record SandF in a studio, it was done in a basement!) I had Like a Girl almost completely recorded except for guitars... being as the chorus of that song is directly inspired from Alex (Hemispheres, fave record) we thought 'wouldn't hurt to ask?' Alex was such a great guy and it was one of the best days I've ever had as a musician. (he's playing the big chorus chords and the funny/cool ambient noises during the breakdown) the day was a total blur and i'm sure i made an ass out of myself ( i'm a wee bit uncomfortable/awkward around people sometimes) but it's not everyday you're sitting in front of your idol talking/recording guitars! He joined us onstage for that song as well.... awesome.

Having Geddy play was another far out and awesome experience. I was working with Paul Northfield on Blue Green Orange, who had worked with Rush from Permanent Waves to Signals... and he obviously knows them quite well. I had just written Good for Sule and it was a little vague as to direction in the bass department. SO, again it was: 'wouldn't hurt to ask would it?' I think Paul was seeing Geddy for dinner or something so he asked. I really expected a no but was surprised/crapped my pants when Paul said he was in! I sent the song over so he could mess around and a couple days later Paul and myself went over to his house to hear his ideas. what am i supposed to say at that point!? All of the takes were great but one of his ideas was right on the money and that's what is on the record..... i consider myself really blessed to be a part of the story and how it all worked out!

jt



Burtonium said:


> @okcomputer: Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to just take more time playing around with my mixer. I do dabble in the panning. I get a pretty cool stereo effect on my kit with the mic setup I have and my panning left and right.
> 
> If Jag is still poking around here, a question for you: How did you get Geddy Lee to play on Good for Sule? As I understand, Alex Lifeson played on Like a Girl because he was recording his solo disc in the same studio as you were recording Scenery and Fish. But with Geddy, did someone you were working with know him personally, or did you run into him and ask him yourself?


----------



## Burtonium

Hey Jag,

That's awesome. I was wondering which parts Alex Lifeson was playing on, as everything just fits so well. Nothing sticks out of place in that tune, so I've wondered about the parts. Makes sense, as the chorus chords have that classic Rush open sound to them. Was he running through your Naylor, or did he bring his own rig? And Hemispheres is a solid album (I'm working on learning how to play La Villa Strangiato).

And as for Good for Sule, I thought that Paul Northfield worked with you on Scenery and Fish only and that it was all David Bottrill who was working with you on BGO. That makes sense for being able to get Geddy play on it. Again, with that tune, it doesn't have that tone that I associate with Geddy's playing, and as such it blends really nicely. As far as tone, I mean that growl that Geddy has on a lot of his bass playing. Again, like Alex Lifeson on SnF, the work blends seamlessly into the tune. So there were multiple takes he tried? Do you still have those kicking around, or did you just get to take with you the one that you used on the record? And you got to go down to Geddy's house to have a listen to the takes? Yikes!!! That's great.

Again that's fantastic, being able to have some of your musical heroes play on your albums has gotta be a great experience. That's gotta be something else.

Now, the next logical question is, was there any consideration for even attempting to try and contact Neil for guesting on tQMD?

Also, on a side note, upon reading here that you used a Blues Driver pedal on SnF, I finally checked out one of those. One of my coworkers has one and has also recommended it. I picked one up used the other day and man is that pedal versatile. Full gain, or low gain, it has a great overdrive to it. It seems to keep the mids and highs, without over colouring the tone of whichever guitar I'm using. It seems to be the missing sound I've been looking for in my rig. Have you been toying with any specific pedals as of late?


----------



## ezcomes

thats pretty crazy that you asked and he just said yes! that would be insane to think about...but i would guess that they love playing so much that they'd probably play with anyone...

i wonder if i could convince anyone to jam in my basement??...its got a couch and cable!!


----------



## Guest

Jag, as I was watching Rush totally light it up at Bluesfest last night I was thinking about your post and...man...I gotta say: good on you for asking. I wouldn't have been able to speak in front of any of them.


----------



## JTANNA

Yeah, i wrote the chorus as a bit of a tribute.... he brought one of his PRS's down and then he just plugged into the naylor and we started tracking.... good going on La Villa, it's my absolute fave rush tune and the first one I attempted as a kid! stupid me, no tabs for it back then! i eventually nailed it though!! lol!... lost a lot of sleep on it!

Bottrill mixed blue green orange but throughout the recording, Paul was around. I'm almost positive geddy just DI'd the bass and trust me, before the mix, it sounded immediately identifiable as pure Geddy. Hair on my arms stood up the whole time.... as for the 'takes': they weren't takes as in 'is this one played better than that', they were more just 'directions' and he was asking more along the lines of preferences. the takes themselves were all perfect, i just selected the one that i liked the best for the song. Yes there was definitely talk about having Neil on it in some fashion but we chickened out!! lol!

Yeah the blues driver (especially the Keeley one) is a cool pedal. I didn't use any gain on it, just as a line booster with a bit of grit through the clean channel cranked..... kept my broader voicing on chords intact eg:main riff in like a girl. tight and punchy...... kept the slapping stuff tight as well. My fave booster now is the voodoo labs sparkle drive... love it. i'm onto some Wampler pedals for distortion and an awesome delay pedal from empress... great canadian company. But overall, i'm just guitar to amp unless it's an actual 'effect' vs. distortion.

Jt



Burtonium said:


> Hey Jag,
> 
> That's awesome. I was wondering which parts Alex Lifeson was playing on, as everything just fits so well. Nothing sticks out of place in that tune, so I've wondered about the parts. Makes sense, as the chorus chords have that classic Rush open sound to them. Was he running through your Naylor, or did he bring his own rig? And Hemispheres is a solid album (I'm working on learning how to play La Villa Strangiato).
> 
> And as for Good for Sule, I thought that Paul Northfield worked with you on Scenery and Fish only and that it was all David Bottrill who was working with you on BGO. That makes sense for being able to get Geddy play on it. Again, with that tune, it doesn't have that tone that I associate with Geddy's playing, and as such it blends really nicely. As far as tone, I mean that growl that Geddy has on a lot of his bass playing. Again, like Alex Lifeson on SnF, the work blends seamlessly into the tune. So there were multiple takes he tried? Do you still have those kicking around, or did you just get to take with you the one that you used on the record? And you got to go down to Geddy's house to have a listen to the takes? Yikes!!! That's great.
> 
> Again that's fantastic, being able to have some of your musical heroes play on your albums has gotta be a great experience. That's gotta be something else.
> 
> Now, the next logical question is, was there any consideration for even attempting to try and contact Neil for guesting on tQMD?
> 
> Also, on a side note, upon reading here that you used a Blues Driver pedal on SnF, I finally checked out one of those. One of my coworkers has one and has also recommended it. I picked one up used the other day and man is that pedal versatile. Full gain, or low gain, it has a great overdrive to it. It seems to keep the mids and highs, without over colouring the tone of whichever guitar I'm using. It seems to be the missing sound I've been looking for in my rig. Have you been toying with any specific pedals as of late?


----------



## JTANNA

well, nothing bad can ever happen just from asking.... i'm just glad i didn't have to personally do it, i'd crap my pants i think and blow the deal!! lol!



ezcomes said:


> thats pretty crazy that you asked and he just said yes! that would be insane to think about...but i would guess that they love playing so much that they'd probably play with anyone...
> 
> i wonder if i could convince anyone to jam in my basement??...its got a couch and cable!!


----------



## JTANNA

Neither could I!! lol! but you know something, even though they are who they are, they are still just guys who play music. Once I put myself in the moment and forgot the idolizing thing, you get down to business and just have a great time hanging out with great people and play some music.... plenty of time to curl up in a fetal position once they leave!! loL!



iaresee said:


> Jag, as I was watching Rush totally light it up at Bluesfest last night I was thinking about your post and...man...I gotta say: good on you for asking. I wouldn't have been able to speak in front of any of them.


----------



## WillyB

Hey Jag!!

Great to see you on here. 

Ive been a HUGE IME fan since Scenery & Fish (was a bit young when Dig first came out, but Dug it as soon as I heard it), and have seen you guys play live 7 times. Great experience. Always loved Earth Sky & C. Live. 

Im not a big tech guy, but hopefully that doesn't exclude me from this thread. LOL. 

TQMD was a masterpiece ... such a great album. One of my all time faves for sure.

I also really enjoyed Clarknova on your tour. I saw them open for you twice. I bought both their albums and love the solo that you do on their 2nd. 
Its too bad those guys aren't still around. 

Ive been eagerly awaiting a new IME album for some time. My copy of TQMD is getting worn out my friend. LOL. 

Any News?

Take Care!!


----------



## JTANNA

Thanks for reaching out and saying hi! ( and NO you're not excluded because you're not a 'tech guy'! lol! think of it more as more of a musical philosophy discussion that touches on tech!!)

I'm glad you 'dug' the albums... it was a blast to say the least making those for people.

Yeah the Clarknova guys were a lot of fun.... i was producing it and i ended up playing on it way too much because of this ridiculous deadline that they were on. I remember while it was being mixed we still needed 2 or 3 more songs and Kulba the singer was really under pressure but in the end we pulled through and he made a good record.... good times.

yeah i've been waiting for some new IME too but i'm a wee bit constipated at the moment. a TON of riffs but i need some focus... as usual! I'm about to do a big equipment purge and on the hunt for some new tones... that usually helps kickstart some things...

thanks for coming on the forum and sharing some thoughts... stay in touch.

Jt


WillyB said:


> Hey Jag!!
> 
> Great to see you on here.
> 
> Ive been a HUGE IME fan since Scenery & Fish (was a bit young when Dig first came out, but Dug it as soon as I heard it), and have seen you guys play live 7 times. Great experience. Always loved Earth Sky & C. Live.
> 
> Im not a big tech guy, but hopefully that doesn't exclude me from this thread. LOL.
> 
> TQMD was a masterpiece ... such a great album. One of my all time faves for sure.
> 
> I also really enjoyed Clarknova on your tour. I saw them open for you twice. I bought both their albums and love the solo that you do on their 2nd.
> Its too bad those guys aren't still around.
> 
> Ive been eagerly awaiting a new IME album for some time. My copy of TQMD is getting worn out my friend. LOL.
> 
> Any News?
> 
> Take Care!!


----------



## WillyB

^^^^^^

Jag, 

Right on!! Ya, those Clarknova albums were really good!

I play some acoustic stuff, but would like to plug in and get a little more dirty. LOL. 

Hopefully the equipment hunt gets ya going!! Good Luck!!

Ever think of re-recording some of the older tunes with Brian on Vocals?? No offense to Ed, but Brian can wail!! Stuff like ... Earth Sky & C., And the experience would be tight. We could call the album "Remastered" LOL. 

(=

P.S. 

Thanks for the warm welcome to this site


----------



## Burtonium

JTANNA said:


> Yeah the blues driver (especially the Keeley one) is a cool pedal. I didn't use any gain on it, just as a line booster with a bit of grit through the clean channel cranked..... kept my broader voicing on chords intact eg:main riff in like a girl. tight and punchy...... kept the slapping stuff tight as well. My fave booster now is the voodoo labs sparkle drive... love it. i'm onto some Wampler pedals for distortion and an awesome delay pedal from empress... great canadian company. But overall, i'm just guitar to amp unless it's an actual 'effect' vs. distortion.
> 
> Jt


Hey Jag, 

I've heard about the Keeley modded pedals. I checked out some video clips on youtube with some guys comparing the Keeley to the stock model. But with those videos, I'm hard pressed to be able to hear much of a difference. Maybe it's a sound quality thing on the video itself and the camcorder mic doesn't do it justice. I dunno. What kind of difference have you noticed with the Keeley mod?

As for my pedals, I've been playing around with some Danelectro pedals, their discontinued Wasabi line. I picked up three different ones of them cheap last November ($50 each at Mother's Music here in the 'Peg, regular price around $100). I got the Wasabi Overdrive, Distortion and Rock-a-bye. The overdrive pedal provides an overdrive sound and the distortion pedal gives a real kind of harsh metal distortion sound. Both of them have the same layout, with a knob for 5 different forms of preset EQ selections, and that's in addition to the tone knob. In addition, there's they typical gain knob and then a "wet/dry" signal knob, which lets you choose how much of the effect you want to apply to your sound. It might take a while to get a tone you like, but they're pretty neat. Plus the overdrive and distortion pedals have a separate stomp switch (besides the effect on/off switch) for line boosting. Kind of like Nigel in Spinal Tap. You know when he explains that everyone else is at 10 and you need a little more, so you crank it up to eleven. These pedals pretty much give you that option.  There's a few other settings on them (a switch on the back for whether you're using single coil or humbucker). Each little bit can shape the tone and it can be fun just playing around to find a sweet spot that you like.

The Wasabi Rock-a-bye is a slap-back echo type pedal with more of a delay component to it and also an overdrive built in (if you want to use it). A pretty handy pedal for me to pull out some half-assed imitations of Edge's playing when I try and play I Will Follow (despite me actually trying using my whole ass to play).

Geez, I sound like a salesman. Anyhow, if you're hunting for some new gear to try and you stumble across a few of these different pedals, they might be worth a shot. Especially if you can find 'em cheap, because I gather some places are trying to clear them out. Again, I got them because they were cheap and they enhanced the sound on my little Peavey Studio 112 amp.


----------



## Musicmeister

Hey Jag, 

You're one of my main influences in terms of phrasing, and I've always admired the energy you guys put out in your music. As I am a songwriter now, I wanted to ask you some questions. 

1. Which song(s) was the most difficult to complete (in terms of arranging and writing, not recording), and why? 

2. Was that great slap guitar passage in Production the element that kick started the song? If not, how did it enter into the song? I've read about cases such as Light My Fire, where the famous organ intro and outro were added after the verse, chorus, and solo sections were devised. I'm always looking for elements like that, some kind of additions that can take, say, a song with a good riff or melody and make it that much more memorable.

3. Were the long interludes in Shortcut To Moncton, Pisser, and No One hard to get down on record? I remember reading somewhere that No One (when played live before the release of Dig) was longer than the studio version, so I'm curious how you guys went about arranging those interludes for the album. 

4. In Lost My America, an acoustic guitar appears at the end. Was there originally more acoustic guitar in the song, or was this a textural touch added later on? It appears pretty suddenly, and contrasts nicely to the heavier section preceding. 

5. Does the guitar solo in The Universe In You contain a conscious reference to Rush's "The Fountain of Lamneth"? A few people have mentioned this, so I was wondering. Also, I read once that the song was never played live. If you guys ever come back, would you consider playing it? I'm pretty sure that the amazing guitar solo alone could annihilate an entire city. 

As you can probably tell, Jag, I'm a curious man.


----------



## JTANNA

1. whew.... that's a tough one! I don't really have any stand outs as to 'difficulty in completing'... they all have their challenges. My biggest problem has always been 'can i live with this'..... the answer: no. how 'bout them apples? Some of the songs came together so fast and some just took longer. No rhyme or reason to it either which is weird. When I was writing, and it became too much of a struggle, i would just scrap the song. Obviously something is wrong when your instincts can't make an idea work, so it's time to let it go. I like to write 'on the fly' so we would actually go into the studio with whole sections of songs missing and i would have to just hope that something would pop up. I don't think there was one album where I wasn't still writing and recording as the songs were being mixed..... talk about pressure! I always kept another studio set up to keep plugging in new ideas as the song progressed throughout the day in the mix... frustrated everybody of course, that will never change. My own parts were never set in stone until I was actually recording them.

2. The slap thing came from when my brother and I didn't have a bass player so i used to play grooves in different ways for him to latch onto. Production was just one of those things we used to jam on.... i think that Production was my first foray into my slap n' pop technique.... there was another one called "down on gravity" where the entire song was all slap and pop that we never recorded but was jammed on at the same time. It's good to basically 'do whatever' until somebody in the room gets motivated and a song or idea can progress..... it can also come with a different tone or effect, tempo shifts... taking yer shirt off....uh.....

3. Recording wasn't really an issue or challenge as much as just making sure that parts work together and it isn't some sort of sonic mess. we just keep our fingers crossed!! actually shortcut was one of those songs that didn't have anything written until we cut it (in the middle)... we would just describe the varying intensity levels and how long to stay with each one. So when chris was cutting drums, he's just looking at me making stuff up at one intensity level, then i would count him into the next 'feeling' and so on until the 'middle section' had enough pieces for me to work with. by the time i'm ready to cut guitar on it, there's a really solid feel for the section. I had no idea if it would work, but you have to trust that it will.... from there I just keep building and building until it feels like we 'meant to do it'...lol! (no pro tools either! analog baby!) And yes, No One (which at the time was called Deadman's Caravan, was about 20 minutes long! Live we always just kind of nodded to each other during songs as to when we were 'finished'!

4. I think the acoustic on the end was put on there because it just showed up from ordering it! I believe it was a '92 Anniversary Edition Ovation that i bought for live and it was kind of delicious looking so why not? 

5. I've never heard that comparison before but hey, why not? I wear my influences proudly on my sleeve (which at the time MAY have been one of those billowy JM pirate shirts... who knows?) Alex is a huge influence on me admittedly so (mostly in using different chord voicings and my willingness to strrrretch it out)... along with eddie, jeff beck, srv and all the Kings. Now i have to listen to again and see where... cool! Would have loved to have played it live... there was a definite reason why we didn't which I won't say, but I was always DYING to go for it live as i think i missed the boat during the recording. I'll take a mulligan on that one.....

All the best

Jt




Musicmeister said:


> Hey Jag,
> 
> You're one of my main influences in terms of phrasing, and I've always admired the energy you guys put out in your music. As I am a songwriter now, I wanted to ask you some questions.
> 
> 1. Which song(s) was the most difficult to complete (in terms of arranging and writing, not recording), and why?
> 
> 2. Was that great slap guitar passage in Production the element that kick started the song? If not, how did it enter into the song? I've read about cases such as Light My Fire, where the famous organ intro and outro were added after the verse, chorus, and solo sections were devised. I'm always looking for elements like that, some kind of additions that can take, say, a song with a good riff or melody and make it that much more memorable.
> 
> 3. Were the long interludes in Shortcut To Moncton, Pisser, and No One hard to get down on record? I remember reading somewhere that No One (when played live before the release of Dig) was longer than the studio version, so I'm curious how you guys went about arranging those interludes for the album.
> 
> 4. In Lost My America, an acoustic guitar appears at the end. Was there originally more acoustic guitar in the song, or was this a textural touch added later on? It appears pretty suddenly, and contrasts nicely to the heavier section preceding.
> 
> 5. Does the guitar solo in The Universe In You contain a conscious reference to Rush's "The Fountain of Lamneth"? A few people have mentioned this, so I was wondering. Also, I read once that the song was never played live. If you guys ever come back, would you consider playing it? I'm pretty sure that the amazing guitar solo alone could annihilate an entire city.
> 
> As you can probably tell, Jag, I'm a curious man.


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## ezcomes

turns out Papa Roach's Jerry Horton uses Naylors too

Jerry Horton of Papa Roach



> Moving onto the subject of gear, what did you use for the recording of this new album?
> 
> The main amps that were used were a Marshall JCM 2000, a Dual Super Lead and a head made by a company called Naylor. We also used a Bad Cat amp and for some extra metal sounds, we threw in a Peavey 5150. Guitars wise, it went from a couple of Epiphone Les Pauls, to a couple of my Schecter guitars, to a Gibson ES-335. David [Bendeth] had an old Strat and an old 1950’s Telecaster which I borrowed and which was really nasty but sounded great. For a lot of the overdubs we used an arsenal of modified Telecasters and these obscure guitars that had quirky sounds and which belonged to one of the guys that worked with David.


Papa Roach: 'We're Constantly Changing, Evolving And Growing' | Interviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com


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## Mvincent

Jag if you still frequent this spot Id enjoy gear talk.. im a gear nut myself but before that i have a question. who wrote or had the idea for the piano at the end of autumn on drugs??? also the solo at 1:43 in all awake thats double tracked and harmoizer??? im just looking to in the ballpark of that type of tone. the lead at 3:23 in the same song is probably one of my top solos of all time...its up there with the comfotably numb solo in my books


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## Regolith

Hi Jag, I'm a huge fan and kind of embarrassed about asking this, but how exactly do you pronounce "Jagori?"

Also, I was wondering how you went about doing the tapping interlude in Juicy live? Especially in the second half of the interlude there are two layers of guitars.


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## Seanie D

Jag,

Hoping you still visit here...big fan from way back when I was at UWO -Call the Office was such a great venue for so many great Canadian bands...and you guys always killed it there...

Anyways, now my son is a huge fan and is preparing to go to school for production and sound engineering...he's dying to know your set up/settings for the power chords in So Gently...

He'd also die if you shared a good Mike Portnoy story - we've seen the youtube video where he comes on stage...

Thanks man...and COME BACK TO THE STAGE!!!!


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## Regolith

lol it was me who posted that video on youtube after scouring the internet to find it. Portnoy is an interesting character. And the guitar duel between Jag and Petrucci during Rain will Fall was quite good. It was interesting to see the two completely different guitar styles together.


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## Danny

HUGE fan Tanna! 

It took me a while, but i read all 147 threads posted here searching for info on what gear you used on DIG, but i didn't really see anything conclusive. I'm dying to know how you got that *smooth overdrive tone* in your solos!!!! Especially in "Lost My America"(lead guitar), the end solo in "Undone", and in the solo for "The Universe In You". So far i think you might of said you used a 1967/68 Fawn 4x 12 Marshal cab or a Boogie cab with 90's in it for that album. Someone said you used a Pevey 5150. is this true? Its gotta be some kind of Tube Overdrive from an amp. i can't see you getting that amazing tone from any effects pedal. if so what amp and tubes did you use? Anything you can remember to steer me in the right direction would be extremely appreciated!!


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## GuitarsCanada

Where did the Jagster go... get it cranked up


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## puckhead

GuitarsCanada said:


> Where did the Jagster go... get it cranked up


hopefully he and the boys are very busy in studio ! :rockon2:

One of my most memorable concert experiences was seeing IME at the Commodore Ballroom a lot of years ago.
all of the band members picked up something percussive, and just had this monster groove going on. It was one of the coolest things I had ever seen live. had a very, very Santana-ish feel.


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## Solaceguitars

Thought I'd poke this fire before it dies! What have you been up to Jag? I think by now all of our rigs have changed enough to start the conversation over again...


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## WillyB

Jag, 

Whats Happening?? Long time since youve visited here. 

To keep things intersting in my head, Im thinking you guys are busy in the studio right now. 

Prove me right


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## death cube dre

Probably busy relearning old licks.


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## ezcomes

ah yea!!!!


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## WillyB

death cube dre said:


> Probably busy relearning old licks.



Did I miss something??


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## WillyB

Someone throw me a bone here!!

I Need an IME update

News of a possible new album would make me wet my pants I think. 

=)


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## WillyB

Go to ...

www.imotherearth.ca


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## ezcomes

frickin sweet!!!


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## WillyB

What do you think the countdown is for? 

New Album?

New Tour? 

countdown ends Jan 24th ... happens to be a Tuesday. 

Tuesday is new release day for music. hmmmm

haha


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## ezcomes

hahaha...well...if brian's facebook is any indication...they are getting back together!


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## WillyB

haha, yes I agree, I think that is pretty obvious tho. But there must be something else cooking. 

This clock countdown must have some other news to it. 

Im hoping for an announcment of new music/album to follow very shortly. 

I dunno if I can wait another year for them to finish in the studio. LOL


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## georgemg

Looking foward to seeing them perform again. They were one of the few Canadian bands I really got in to.


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## WillyB

Ive got tickets to the March 23rd show in TO

Very pumped. 

Now I just need some new music to go along with this.


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## JTANNA

Hey gang! Been a long time! I missed so many good questions.... Been kind of busy lately as you can imagine!


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## GuitarsCanada

Welcome back, Jag. Yes. we have been keeping tabs on you. Hope the project is going along OK. Keep us posted now and again when time permits


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## ezcomes

GuitarsCanada said:


> Welcome back, Jag. Yes. we have been keeping tabs on you. Hope the project is going along OK. Keep us posted now and again when time permits


i second this!!


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## Leif H

Third it... 

I was at the first show (this past Thursday) It was freakin' awesome! Jag you played like a M' effer... still in awe.


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## Hamstrung

Resurrecting an old thread here with what appears to be reunion news. Looks like Edwin is back on board...

http://imotherearth.ca/openmouth/what-ime-wedwin/


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## TheYanChamp

Bump.

Jag, you still around?

You're wayyyy up there on my list of guitar hero's and it has shaped my playing, much like you've mentioned a decade ago on this thread, not so much to steal licks and techniques, but to steal the feel and expression of the playing.

Any updates my dude?


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## fretzel

I heard a tune by Opeth the other day and I had to look up if it was him playing in it. Couldn't tell you what tune though.


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