Peter Stroud's Rig Detailed

[gtrfinder]

There is a cool online resource of gear related info on this site.
Peter Stroud has a monthly spot and has detailed his latest rig for Sheryl Crow. It is contained in 2 parts

Here
http://magazine.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2007/Jun/Rig_Show_Tell.aspx

and Here
http://magazine.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2007/Jul/Rig_Show_Tell_Part_2.aspx

It is a pretty cool read and has alot of interesting information.

[gtrfinder]

Anyone notice his use of Boss Noise Gates?

[Taller]

Anyone notice his use of Boss Noise Gates?

Yeah. He mentions them in the article.

[todd richman]

Awesome read and a super player. He emailed me about a year ago from this forum and gave details of this very rig. He hasn't changed much since.

[starfish]

Wait, what's that dangling from his finger in the first photo? Could it be a gently used "one square?" ;)

[Zillie]

Well, i hope that the part 3 will be about pedals

[screamingduck]

Peter Stroud is a great player and also a killer dude. He used to work at Atlanta Discount Music way back when and was always easy going and helpful to everyone. I really enjoyed his playing on the Sheryl Crow live DVD.
I'm not the biggest SC fan but his playing (and also the bass/guitarist/backing vocal dude Tim ???) make that DVD well worth checking out.
It's always good to see one of the "good" guys do so well. He deserves everything he has worked so hard for.

[bandofthieves™]

Peter Stroud is a great player and also a killer dude. He used to work at Atlanta Discount Music way back when and was always easy going and helpful to everyone. I really enjoyed his playing on the Sheryl Crow live DVD.
I'm not the biggest SC fan but his playing (and also the bass/guitarist/backing vocal dude Tim ???) make that DVD well worth checking out.
It's always good to see one of the "good" guys do so well. He deserves everything he has worked so hard for.
What was the band Peter played in before SC? Maybe going back to the 90's..We had both Owned a pair of 69 Marshall heads we got from Michael Guthrie(MGB,Arnold Bean).I can't for the live of me remember the Band name.We played a few shows together.:confused:

[tlpruitt]

I believe Peter Stroud played with Pete Droge before joining SC. He also toured with Don Henley a bit.

-Tim

[GAT]

Nice pic of him on Fat Sound's website today.

[chewynodoubt]

this is a great article!!

[Funky Monkey]

Hmmm...so an old 6 watt Supro with 8" speaker and e609 in front sounds as big as the 65 stuff? Not good PR, Mr. Stroud. :D

[lifeinsong]

I was very fortunate to do some gigs with Peter while he was playing with Pete Droge, he's an awesome guy and a phenominal player/musician. Great to see all the success he's had!

[screamingduck]

Before Pete Droge and Don Henley, Peter was in a couple of semi-famous
Atlanta bands, mainly Caesar Speaks and Shebang. Plus one more but I can't seem to bring it to my formerly drug addled mind:jo

[MLG8675]

What was the band Peter played in before SC? Maybe going back to the 90's..We had both Owned a pair of 69 Marshall heads we got from Michael Guthrie(MGB,Arnold Bean).I can't for the live of me remember the Band name.We played a few shows together.:confused:

Dreams So Real ?

[welcometoashley]

i'm not a big SC fan either but i happened to see her play on Austin City Limits and checked it out solely to hear Peter's tone and playing - awesome tone and very tasteful playing...

[rastaman]

Dreams So Real ?



You are correct sir!:AOK

I bought my first Marshall from Peter back in the day at Discount when they were on Clairmont Rd.

[Realfi]

Well, i hope that the part 3 will be about pedals

+1

A bit more pedal detail would certainly interest me.

I'd also like to know HOW he's implementing his amps and amp channels.

[forgivenman]

Believe it or not he's my cousin. His dad married my aunt. Here's a funny story . When I was 16 he was playing for Pete Droge who I hadn't heard of at the time. He came home to see his dad (we all live in Graham NC- but Peter moved to Atlanta) and actually called me one morning to jam but for some reason I couldn't make it. I can't remember why but it seemed like a good reason at the time. Anywho, about a month later Droge played on Letterman and a few months later Peter joined SC which really blew me away.

Fast forward a few years and he was playing for Don Henley. When he came to Charlotte he got us all back stage passes and even let me come on stage with him before the show to show me his rig. I couldn't believe how cool he was to me.

The night before the show we had a party for him and I had just gotten my Strat set up and wanted him to play it. I pulled it out of my trunk and played what I thought would be some pretty impressive riffs and asked him to play it and give me some feedback on my guitar. He played some of the coolest licks I've ever heard and suggested some changes I might want to make (I specifically remember him mentioning that I may want to set the tremolo to the floating position).

All this to say, you're right, he's a great guy and a considerate one at that.

[guitarcec]

+1

A bit more pedal detail would certainly interest me.

I'd also like to know HOW he's implementing his amps and amp channels.

it's already on there :dude

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2007/Aug/Too_Many_Pedals.aspx

[gtrfinder]

I think Realfi's question is in regard to his live pedals.
His studio setup looks different than what he runs live.

[Catoogie]

True bypass is not always a great thing, especially when you have a bunch of pedals. Even one true bypass pedal can degrade your tone dramatically, as the signal gets padded by the physical connections. You need a buffer circuit in the chain to keep your signal intact.

Hmmm, flies in the face of what so many tone guys here have been saying.

[pgissi]

Hmmm, flies in the face of what so many tone guys here have been saying.


What I and many are really saying is buffering last seems to not color the pedals character as much as buffer first. I recently moved my TU-2 to dead last and am loving the difference from having it in first position. Many OD pedals are designed to work with the unique coupling of its input to the pups via the tie down resistor and couplng cap and/or internal buffer at the pedals input. A buffer before the OD's alters this relationship, especially if the pedal has internal buffering like the Tube Screamer

But its not so cut and dry, is dependent on your specific setup

For me a buffer 1st adds this top end zing to the tone and seems to mask all my OD pedals true character slightly makes them all sound the same to put it simply. Positively it seems to compliment a modern high gain speed picking tone though.

But on a large stage with a 30 foot cord before your pups even see the pedalboard (like peters current rig) using a high quality line driver buffer is the key since your total signal chain can end up being 50, 70, 80 foot long by the time it hits the amp or any other processing you may be using in this scaled up environment!

Fact is on large stages, your typically playing higher wattage amps turned up so the negatives of using buffers are minimized, the amps are operating in their upper ranges pushing the speakers harder, smoothing the tone and in large spaces, you tend to not be in the direct line of fire where your really hearing what you would in a night club setting.

Not using buffering with a long signal chain and IMO anything exceeding 25 to 30 feet total is going to degrade your tone, top end will roll off and with that some gain. Even a signal chain under 30 feet can experience this due to a pedal thats engaged and is a tone sucker by its nature or one that is not true bypass when it is not active.

Buffering is more than yes or no, its when and where and how much, each situation is different and shoudl be approached that way.

1) size of venue your playing
2) total signal chain length needed for a certain stage
3) types of pedals used and total patch cords and lengths
4) length of your primary lead (from guitar to pedalboard)

If your gonna be on a big stage and only need a 10 foot cord to your pedalboard (and the total pedal chain is a few additional feet) but will use a long cord back to the amp (meaning your not gonna need to reach your amp which is unusual), then a buffer last in your signal chain will do since it will couple that long cord to your amp, will minimize the losses there.

If not and your using a 30 foot cord from the guitar to pedalboard in addition to a long cord to your amp, then you need a "line driver" buffering pedal first, maybe even and additional buffer in last pedal position.

Read about Peters "new" rig by Bradshaw of CAE it differs over than the one described in the link since his pedals now live in a rack, I forget where I saw it buts its a thread here.

In the pic he likes the TU-2 first since he uses long cords from the guitar so he can move around


True bypass is not always a great thing, especially when you have a bunch of pedals. Even one ¡°true bypass¡± pedal can degrade your tone dramatically, as the signal gets padded by the physical connections.


I have to disagree with this, as long as your using good quality lead and patch cords and your pedals have good quality jacks the resistance presented by these raw connections is miniscule and the point above about true bypass pedal degradation may be valid if your using some crazy amount of pedals with all of the patch cords which just lengthens the total chain length, add it up.

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazin...ny_Pedals.aspx (http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2007/Aug/Too_Many_Pedals.aspx)
If your using 16 pedals like shown in this picture and between each there is an 8" patch cord thats 128 inches of patch cord which is and additional 10 feet in the pedal chain in addition to the 20, 25 or 30 foot lead from the guitar.

Your at the limit for sending a hi impedance unbalanced signal without hum and noise which is 25 to 30 feet, with the longest lead of 30 feet your at 40 feet total, you need buffering.

But if not and you use a 10 foot lead to the pedalboard and use 10 pedals with 8" patch cords thats 6feet additional for a total of 16feet to the last pedal, from there add the cord to the amp and to be safe add a buffer last if your total chain is over the 25 or 30 feet

This is what makes buffering such a popular topic, its really someting that needs to be considered with all the variables case by case.

Buffering 1st versus last is a noticeable difference, your pedals will act like themselves moreso...and once again unless you are using a long lead, lots of pedals and patches

[Catoogie]

Pete Cornish doesn't believe in the "True Bypass" hype either.

Peter Stroud has his Boss tuner at the front of his chain.

[pgissi]

Pete Cornish doesn't believe in the "True Bypass" hype either.
Peter Stroud has his Boss tuner at the front of his chain.


First, here is Peter Strouds new Rig, his total signal chain is 80 feet plus and his pedals are housed near in a rack drawer. Notice how the 1st Buffer is inserted at a 30 foot break in the signal (uses a 30 feet guitar lead)

If he went beyond 30 feet before inserting a buffer, the buffer would not be as beneficial-
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2007/Jul/Rig_Show_Tell_Part_2.aspx



As far As Cornish depends on what true bypass hype you mean-

1) that true bypass doesn't deliver any tonal improvements

2) that too many true bypass pedals can degrade your tone


I would be surprised if cornish did not believe TB does not deliver tonal improvements since his "line driver buffer" is designed to minimize the tone suck of long cords/signal chains in addition to any non true bypass pedals which are even in your tone chain when bypassed, passing your signal thru their buffers etc.

Remember you need a buffer as your 1st pedal if your using a long guitar lead, IMO and for me over 20 feet. 25 to 30 feet is the max length of a hi imp unbalanced signal before degradation is noticeable and Peter inserts the buffer at 30 feet, thats the limit and for me its 20 feet.


Point 2 is more complex and its what is not said that is confusing-

Too many True Bypass pedals do not contribute to tonal losses but since this does not address-

-total length of signal chain from pups thru pedalboard and to amp
-quality of patch cables and jacks etc connecting these TB pedals

It confuses the topic and the hype I dont believe is that the in and output jacking on True Bypass pedals contribute any losses that can be described beyond negligible in any way and the only departure there is when considering the total length of the True Bypass Pedal Chain added to the guitar lead cable and the cable to the amp

I stopped using my TS9 OD mostly because it was not true bypass 1st, degraded my tone when not active and secondly was thin sounding.

All my OD's now are TB and when they are bypassed do not buffer or tone suck. In addition, other non TB pedals are either manually bypassed (until I get a looper) or are not used.

For the stages I play on and total signal chain length I have, the Buffer in the TU-2 dead last works the best-

-I can really hear what my OD's sound like
-I still get the benefits of buffering

The TU-2 1st, yeah works great as a buffer but applies some generic tone treatment that works against most OD's and other pedals too by coloration of the signal, a departure of what the pedal thinks its getting right from your pups

[teXum]

What I and many are really saying is buffering last seems to not color the pedals character as much as buffer first. I recently moved my TU-2 to dead last and am loving the difference from having it in first position. Many OD pedals are designed to work with the unique coupling of its input to the pups via the tie down resistor and couplng cap and/or internal buffer at the pedals input. A buffer before the OD's alters this relationship, especially if the pedal has internal buffering like the Tube Screamer

But its not so cut and dry, is dependent on your specific setup

For me a buffer 1st adds this top end zing to the tone and seems to mask all my OD pedals true character slightly makes them all sound the same to put it simply. Positively it seems to compliment a modern high gain speed picking tone though.

But on a large stage with a 30 foot cord before your pups even see the pedalboard (like peters current rig) using a high quality line driver buffer is the key since your total signal chain can end up being 50, 70, 80 foot long by the time it hits the amp or any other processing you may be using in this scaled up environment!

Fact is on large stages, your typically playing higher wattage amps turned up so the negatives of using buffers are minimized, the amps are operating in their upper ranges pushing the speakers harder, smoothing the tone and in large spaces, you tend to not be in the direct line of fire where your really hearing what you would in a night club setting.

Not using buffering with a long signal chain and IMO anything exceeding 25 to 30 feet total is going to degrade your tone, top end will roll off and with that some gain. Even a signal chain under 30 feet can experience this due to a pedal thats engaged and is a tone sucker by its nature or one that is not true bypass when it is not active.

Buffering is more than yes or no, its when and where and how much, each situation is different and shoudl be approached that way.

1) size of venue your playing
2) total signal chain length needed for a certain stage
3) types of pedals used and total patch cords and lengths
4) length of your primary lead (from guitar to pedalboard)

If your gonna be on a big stage and only need a 10 foot cord to your pedalboard (and the total pedal chain is a few additional feet) but will use a long cord back to the amp (meaning your not gonna need to reach your amp which is unusual), then a buffer last in your signal chain will do since it will couple that long cord to your amp, will minimize the losses there.

If not and your using a 30 foot cord from the guitar to pedalboard in addition to a long cord to your amp, then you need a "line driver" buffering pedal first, maybe even and additional buffer in last pedal position.

Read about Peters "new" rig by Bradshaw of CAE it differs over than the one described in the link since his pedals now live in a rack, I forget where I saw it buts its a thread here.

In the pic he likes the TU-2 first since he uses long cords from the guitar so he can move around



I have to disagree with this, as long as your using good quality lead and patch cords and your pedals have good quality jacks the resistance presented by these raw connections is miniscule and the point above about true bypass pedal degradation may be valid if your using some crazy amount of pedals with all of the patch cords which just lengthens the total chain length, add it up.

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazin...ny_Pedals.aspx (http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2007/Aug/Too_Many_Pedals.aspx)
If your using 16 pedals like shown in this picture and between each there is an 8" patch cord thats 128 inches of patch cord which is and additional 10 feet in the pedal chain in addition to the 20, 25 or 30 foot lead from the guitar.

Your at the limit for sending a hi impedance unbalanced signal without hum and noise which is 25 to 30 feet, with the longest lead of 30 feet your at 40 feet total, you need buffering.

But if not and you use a 10 foot lead to the pedalboard and use 10 pedals with 8" patch cords thats 6feet additional for a total of 16feet to the last pedal, from there add the cord to the amp and to be safe add a buffer last if your total chain is over the 25 or 30 feet

This is what makes buffering such a popular topic, its really someting that needs to be considered with all the variables case by case.

Buffering 1st versus last is a noticeable difference, your pedals will act like themselves moreso...and once again unless you are using a long lead, lots of pedals and patches

Thanks for a great post, pretty much sums up the important factors in the TB debate, IMHO. Personally, I find the point of putting buffers last in chain, and keeping the total lenght of cables below 25-30 feet between guitar and amp, or between the guitar and a good buffer, especially important.

First of all, having the Tu-2 first in the chain certainly had a negative effect on some of my ODs, and actually made my fuzzes unusable. Secondly, to say that TB is not important, is something I totally disagree with. For a long time I had a non TB pedal in my chain, but believed they were all TB. Therefore I couldn't believe why my guitar sounded so much better when connected directly to my amp. I switched all cables to high end cables, same thing, loss of volume and high end. Then I did what I should have done a long time ago, I removed one pedal at a time, and of course I realized one of the pedals was not TB, and robbed a lot of tone. My bad!!

Now, this is not to say that buffered pedals cannot make your chain sound better, I believe they do (the good ones), especially when put last in the chain. Currently have a total of 36 feet with cable, 21 of these are before the buffer (Durham Sex Drive), and I have to claim that the tone loss with this setup is pretty neglible, again, IMHO.

[kokohi5]

Peter Stroud may be the most underated guitarist out there (or at least one of the most). I've loved his playing since I saw him with Pete Droge.
Being a big Black Crowes fan, I was hoping he'd be Marc Ford's replacement, but I'm sure Sheryl Crow is a much more stable gig. Plus she's a lot more attractive than Chris Robinson.:)

[todd richman]

http://www.premierguitar.com/magazine/Issue/2009/Jan/Tour_Rig_Geekin_2008.aspx

[Jack_TheGuitarMan]

Im a good friend of Peter Stroud's son

[jnepo1]

You bring up an old thread just for name dropping?

:facepalm:facepalm:facepalm:facepalm

[Theodore Rose]

:roll

[Canon]

has anyone ever tried the variac to power the whole rig? I guess the isolated ground is the reason for it being effective....

[StratoTele]

Ok, I know this forum is about effects, but since we're talking about Peter Stroud I thought I could bring up his custom signuature guitar from Elliott Guitars. I live about 15 mins from where Andy builds these guitars and when I took my strat to be set up one day he let me play one of the Peter Stroud Signature guitars. Let me just say best sounding and playing guitar I've ever played. Highly recommended. Here's the link.

http://elliottguitarsnc.com/customguitars/peterstroudsignature/