Rivers Cuomo's equipment: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Thewholesetup.jpg|thumb|300px|Here's the whole set up, circa 1990.]] | [[Image:Thewholesetup.jpg|thumb|300px|Here's the whole set up, circa 1990.]] | ||
'''Rivers Cuomo's Equipment''' has gone through many changes over the years, this page exists to list in detail the equipment that's been used in the past and present. Much of this article is derived from the old Weezer Equipment History Page on Weezer.com and was originally written by [[Karl Koch]]. | '''Rivers Cuomo's Equipment''' has gone through many changes over the years, this page exists to list in detail the equipment that's been used in the past and present. Much of this article is derived from the old Weezer Equipment History Page on Weezer.com and was originally written by [[Karl Koch]]. Reports of Rivers Cuomo's equipment have varied over the years, due to conflicting and specious information, Cuomo not being very gear obsessed himself, and his tendency to play custom Warmoth Stratocasters live, while favoring Gibson guitars in studio. | ||
==Equipment history== | ==Equipment history== | ||
===Pre-1992=== | ===Pre-1992=== | ||
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[[Image:Oldmesaboogie.jpg|left|thumb|200px|The ol Mesa Boogie, have you seen this amp? ...possibly the only existing photo of its backside.]] | [[Image:Oldmesaboogie.jpg|left|thumb|200px|The ol Mesa Boogie, have you seen this amp? ...possibly the only existing photo of its backside.]] | ||
In the original Weezer Equipment history, Karl Koch noted the following: | |||
" | "While on Weezer's Northern California "tour" in August '92, Rivers bought a curious Mesa Boogie amplifier (pictured inside the 'blue' album cover on the left side) at the Berkeley, California Guitar Center. I have never ever seen an amp exactly like this one since. It was an early issue Mesa Boogie, from approximately 1977 or 1978, and its face plate said "Mesa Engineering", which predates the addition of "Boogie" to Mesa-Boogie's name. It was a 60-watt head which apparently didn't even have a model number (I remember looking for one several times). It sounded incredible, and its real bonus was still sounding rich and thick even at low volume, making it ideal for recording demos late at night in the Garage. Sadly, while on tour in '96 (by this time as a back up amp), the Boogie suffered a near fatal blow from an unknown source during shipping. At some point during the tour, the amp was fired up to check it, and it sounded terrible. It was supposed to have been taken in for repairs, but apparently was lost somewhere, either at Weezer's storage facility in LA or later, when Rivers was living in Boston. No one seems to remember where they saw it last, and it is gone. Several fans have written in with info on this amp, but most identify it from the reissues. I have checked the reissues but none are exactly the same. However, several people wrote in with the explanation that this was the 60 watt version of the Mark 1 head. The reason that the amp had no name on it is that it was not named until Mesa-Boogie issued their next amp, the Mark 2. A reissue version of the Mark 1 is available right now from Mesa Boogie in a 100 watt head or combo form with a switch to reduce the power to 60 watts, and it is that edition that some people were confusing the "vintage" amp with." | ||
Reportedly, Rivers's Mk. 1 head had pull out knobs for various effects, notably a "bright" switch. These were thought by Karl to be modded, but it is worth nothing that, early on, Mesa was a small boutique, and the Mk. 1 could be optioned out in several specific ways. It is possible that these sought after pull-out knobs, which are not present on Mesa's Mk. 1 reissues, were a build to order option. It is also possible that these were added late in the run of the Mesa Mk. 1, as it was sold from 1971 to late 1978, making it possible that these knobs and effects were added late in the Mk. 1's life, especially as Carlos Santana and guitarists from The Rolling Stones began to favor the early Mesas. In addition, when Jake Sinclair sourced a Mesa Mk. 1 for [[The White Album]], it also had these pull-out knobs. | |||
Curiously, there is a "copy" amp somewhere out there, the "Mitchell Pro-100". It was manufactured by someone who worked at Mesa early on, and sounds near identical to the Mesa Mk. 1. | |||
Unfortunately, the first variation of the Mesa Mk. 2 came with a change: the pre-amp gain came after the amplifier's tone control, resulting in a more "focused" sound. This replaced some of the rolled off, frothy sound that the Mk. 1 on The Blue Album has, with a brighter, more typical high-gain amp sound. It stings more to consider that the Mk. 1 was discontinued upon the Mk. 2's release; they were not sold concurrently. | |||
===1993 - Signed=== | ===1993 - Signed=== | ||
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===2002 - Demos/Early Album 5 Work=== | ===2002 - Demos/Early Album 5 Work=== | ||
Overall similar to the "Midget" and "Extended Midget" tours, with some modifications made to cut down the overall size of the equipment load. | Overall similar to the "Midget" and "Extended Midget" tours, with some modifications made to cut down the overall size of the equipment load. | ||
===2003 - SIR and Swinghouse Rehearsal Studios (Pre-Make Believe)=== | ===2003 - SIR and Swinghouse Rehearsal Studios (Pre-Make Believe)=== | ||
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Although it is not made clear in the photograph pictured at left (Rivers had two red SG guitars with one being tuned to E flat while the other was tuned to E) it's possible that this is the E flat guitar before placement of the sticker with the Thai word Farang, meaning "a white foreigner." | Although it is not made clear in the photograph pictured at left (Rivers had two red SG guitars with one being tuned to E flat while the other was tuned to E) it's possible that this is the E flat guitar before placement of the sticker with the Thai word Farang, meaning "a white foreigner." | ||
=== | ===2010-2014 - Memories Shows, Weezer Cruise, EWBAITE Touring=== | ||
When Weezer returned to its classic formation after the Raditude and early Hurley eras, where Rivers would sing, with Pat and Brian on guitar and an additional hiree touring, Rivers was seen on stage with a Diezel VH4 boutique amplifier, run through a Marshall cabinet. Very expensive but highly sought after, it's a high end amp often associated with metal or otherwise very heavy sounds (James Hetfield of Metallica used one), which scans considering the Mesa amplifiers that Rivers used. The VH4 was modified to say "Weezer" instead of "Diezel", as some of the band's Marshall amps had been in the past. | |||
For the Memories shows, Rivers used the Gibson SG seen in the past, presumably because both The Blue Album and Pinkerton were recorded largely with Gibson guitars. His Surf Green and Daphne Blue Warmoth Stratocasters were used on the EWBAITE tour, the Surf Green guitar being the main one by this point. | |||
===2015-present - The White Album, Weezer + Panic At The Disco Tour, Pacific Daydream, The Black Album=== | |||
Curiously, part way through the Everything Will Be Alright In The End promotion cycle, Rivers's amplifier and cabinet disappeared from the stage. As he noted in an interview with MusicRadar: | |||
“I just profiled the setup I was using before. It was the Diezel VH4 - I did all my main crunchy rhythm sounds, plus my crazy sustain lead. There’s also an ultra clean for Say It Ain’t So or Island In The Sun, plus a slightly crunchy tone for Troublemaker. I got everything I need and then over time I started adding things into my lead channel, like an octave lower or a crazy chorus or a little flange. I built all these different sounds, it was really a lot of fun. And all I use beyond that is my Boss tuner!” | |||
For The White Album, producer Jake Sinclair noted on All Things Weezer that | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||