John Abercrombie's use of Phaser?

[agentCooper]

Hey guys! Quick question: is John Abercrombie using a phaser here ?

(good example at the 4:07 mark).


There is a subtle modulating texture, it sounds really great in this context and genre! I'm thinking this might be a subtle phaser with a slow sweep. Does anyone know what pedal he might be using (maybe a mxr 90, im just really curious because I'm a big fan of Abercrombie's music)?

edit: another example on this tune, used in a more intense way!

[Sam Sherry]

Yep, that's a phaser. The dominant phaser pedal in the mid-70s was the MXR series so it's statistically likely that's what he was using.

Timeless was one of the first records I bought as a kid in the 70s and it shapes me to this day.

It's a prime example of how a great player works the gear rather than vice-versa. There were zillions of players using a 60s/70s LP Deluxe with mini-humbuckers into an MXR Phase 90. None of them sounded like John Abercrombie!

[neatomic]

yes john abercrombie used an mxr phase 90...and a dearmond volume pedal

interesting thing about that recording is that abercrombie signed wth ecm records to record a traditional organ trio lp...but got jan hammer and jack dejohnette...so the traditional went out the window...ecm was his label from that lp till his recent passing!!! decades!

cheers

[P.J.]

J.A. used phaser a lot on Timeless and it is all over Tony William's Believe It with Allan Holdsworth.

[Doctor Jeff]

That was one of those effects that used the right way could really color a piece, used the wrong way could ruin it. Lots of undertalented people thought this would improve their sound, but it didn’t.

Abercrombie was not one of those people. Like Sco, he played the effects, not the other way around. He had a distinctive sound, yet always in the service of the music.

I had that album on cassette and listened to it a lot in the 70’s/80’s. Still revelatory. And pretty much anything by ECM in that timeframe was genius. I had a friend who bought just about every ECM recording that came out that he could get his hands on. Still has them and posts about them on FB all the time LOL...

The engineering of the albums was wonderful. Generally “open” recordings with a great deal of soundspace. As such, they really shone through good headphones or a really, really good stereo. My HK receiver with Infinity speakers did it justice, but just barely. Much better on the Sennheiser headphones.

[mr. beaumont]

I love when I see a post early in the day that reminds me to listen to something I love later tonight.