Trey 2009 tone

[Happyorange27]

So I listen to streaming Phish daily. Without looking at the date I can tell you 95% of the time when it's a 2009 tune. The Trey tone is very unique. It could be the whammy 2 but I have to think there is more to it. I'll say its more nasal like and very prone too sustaining the second harmonics. Is there a higher mid hump somewhere?  Please tell me why the 2009 recordings are so obviously unique?  From 2010 on its not the same and ill say not so unique.

[Heady Jam Fan]

At first, I didn't like the Worcester MA live double album that someone shared on here, but I have been diggin' it recently. Especially Boogie on, which I thought had way too much bass the first time I listened, and Ocelot is the shit (just hilarious it came from a letter Tom Marshal wrote to Trey when Trey was outta commish - not to mention the first melody / lead is really vocal).

I've been listening solely to live Phish for the past 6 weeks everytime I get in my car (which is nearly 6 hours a week - I have a ton of live phish on my phone, but I think I've gone through all of it at least 2x).

I'll have to check to see if/what 2009 Phish I have and see if it sounds nasal to me. Maybe he went through a cocked-wah phase?

[Happyorange27]

I always come back to the 2009 tone man.  It's just very unique.  The sustain just glows out of his guitar.  Could be the Bruno cab moving all that air?  Anyway, just the soundboard setup of the entire mix has this slightly distant and phasey sound.  Not sure who was running sound then, but I just can nail a 2009 song in about 2 seconds blindly.

[Down_With_Sco]

Gary Brown's been running FOH since 2009. For TAB as well.


I'd like to know more about the 2009 tone as well. I was watching a video of the First Tube from MSG 09 and the Bruno cab was not miced which puzzled me.... wonder if it's just a different EQ setting he was using out of the Mesa.

[Happyorange27]

I have a hunch that the Bruno was being used, but mostly to vibrate tons of air to provide loads of sustain without having to coax it at all.  I mean most of the 2009 tone almost blooms out of zero starting volume.  It's a beautiful thing.  So you still hear the old cab's tone because that is what is mic'd, but Trey gets all that help from the Bruno.  Just a theory.

[Heady Jam Fan]

I only have a couple 2009 albums, but I've listened to them a couple times recently.

I agree with everything Happy said: unique tone; the entire band sounds a bit distant, reminiscent of earlier, lower-quality recordings from the early 90's; Trey's tone might be more midrange focused.

As far as Trey's tone, its hard for me to tell if his amp is a bit dark, or if the recording quality is just a bit darker/different/distant. It could be that he's using the Bruno. He has also switched up mics over the years from AKG414s to SM57s and a Royer 121. Maybe he is using a darker mic than the SM57? When I was tracking in the studio, they tossed an Audix i5 on my amp, which I thought sounded really good - very rich - but I've yet to use it on my own/compare to my SM57 or Audio Technica 4040 (the closest thing I could find in my price range to the AKG 414).

I really like his lead tone - very smooth. I'm not sure if I like the rhythm though - they might be a bit too fat, maybe too much low-midrange. Lately, I've used the GEQ on my Mesa to dial out a little bit of the low-mids and I think it adds some clarity and smoothness to chords (particularly with my hemp speakers that have a fat low midrange).

Whenever I set my amp that dark, fat and smooth, I feel like I lose bite. I end up with a tone that might work for jazz, but isn't aggressive enough for rock. However, Trey didn't seem to be struggling in this regard on these recordings.

[Down_With_Sco]

This Red Rocks 2009 video shows the Languedoc cab being miked and the Bruno cab as well... Trey is obviously using strictly Mesa Mark III's this year so I guess that's it.
[Mesa -> Languedoc & Bruno cabinets] You are right, HappyOrange. The notes bloom with sustain pretty effortlessly with this setup. Kinda of strange EQ focus though, not sure if that's just the Bruno cab's natural voice or what.

Tweezer is at 31:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcACDQv2x9I