Mike McCready in Mad Season

[Greaser]

Not sure if this is the right area to post this question, but...

Does anyone know what gear Mike used to record this album?

I heard he used a telecaster with a bigsby, but I'm not sure.

Anyone know what amp he's using, tweed bassman possibly?

If you haven't heard Mad Season Above, go check it out. Great vocals from Layne Staley

Thanks!

[skillet]

I love that album, still listen to songs off of it regularly. To my ears, it sounds like he's using his Strat (recent thread over in the Guitar section dedicated to his '59 Strat); has that Strat quack on a lot of the songs. He might've used a Tele on some songs, though, I don't discount the idea, but most of them that I can recall sounded like a Strat to me.

[semi-hollowbody]

river of deceit is an awesome haunting song...man Layne Staley had some serious smack issues...live he used a strat and a boss phaser on this tune

[jcmark611]

I'd say that, much like his time with PJ, he used a little bit of everything. Marshall, Fenders, Matchlesses, SGs, Les Pauls, Strats, Teles, so on and so forth. I've even seen clips of him using a double neck SG during a Mad Season set.

[dmagalhaes]

river of deceit is an awesome haunting song...man Layne Staley had some serious smack issues...live he used a strat and a boss phaser on this tune

So serious that it cost him his life.

[Greaser]

Thanks for all of the replies. All make sense to me, I just thought I remembered reading somewhere once upon a time that he recorded the whole album with a tele w/bigsby, and an amp in a really short period of time.

wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong.

[skillet]

From what I've read, they recorded all the music fairly fast, it took only 7 days, then Layne had to do some extra vocal stuff and all told it was 10 days to record the album.

Here's Mike using the double-neck SG jcmark611 mentioned -- Mad Season - Lifeless Dead - Live at the Moore:

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There are other clips on there from this performance; I watched River of Deceit and he was playing the Strat. In I Don't Know Anything, Mike and Layne are both playing LPs.

Checked Amazon and the video is only there in VHS format and people want outrageous prices for it, so I guess it is very rare. There appears to be, aside from individual song clips, a full version on YouTube though (clocks in at almost 45 minutes).

[captain_bob]

Another great album often overlooked. It's still in my rotation.

[Greaser]

Thanks Skillet. Any idea what amp(s) he might've recorded with? Do you think it was the same amps he was using with PJ at the time?

[FreekishBluesFX]

I love this Album very Bluesy and raw. I believe very underated album.... A classic in my eyes.

[Greaser]

I agree! Great, underrated album.

I had a lot of good times listening to it. I actually have 2 of em. The first one got so scratched up it wouldn't play.

[el nino]

He recorded that album with a 50watt marshall (plexi or JMP) also used lots of delay...and i think thats the same amp he uses on stage in Live At The Moore.I'm pretty shure about this.Also layne live was using some Mesa Boogie combo but i'm not shure what it is...you can watch a clip on you tube of the song i don't know anything and see what combo it is

[GearOnTheBrain]

that album features his doubleneck SG, a tele and his 59 strat.
at that time he was using either a ts808 or ts9.
the phaser was NOT a boss.
for that live at the moore show, he used an mxr phase 100.
i know because he used it mostly during that year/era........1995 that is.
its all over PJ bootlegs during that tour.
his tone during that tour has been my favortie of all his tones and gear changes to this day.
the delay was a boss DM2.
the wah.........was the dunlop 535. NOT the one with the Q knob.
His amps...........i know one of them was a 68 marshall......i forgot the model. the tremolo model.
at that time it was mostly the marshall and maybe a 59 bassman.
layne played the mesa tremoverb at that show.
thats all i got.
im a former mccready obsessive so i can tell you his gear for every tour practically.
:)

[JRC4558Dude]

I love "November Hotel" off that record. Wicked Rotovibe and delay tones on that track!

[jkg]

Absolutely love that album. i listen to it regularly. Very nice, tasteful use of phase, trem and delay.

[puckhead]

nice video. now I'm on a search for the rest of it :)
it's a desert island disc for me, for sure.
far too few people have heard Mad Season.

[mkl13]

I agree, great album!

[JeffreyC]

Anyone know which Marshall clone would get these tones?

[Serious Poo]

it's a desert island disc for me, for sure.
far too few people have heard Mad Season.

Absolutely.

[fishleehooker]

nice video. now I'm on a search for the rest of it :)
it's a desert island disc for me, for sure.
far too few people have heard Mad Season.

Most people I know around here love the Mad Season album. I remember some rather preppy guys in the dorm hall telling me it was the greatest hang-over album, and I agreed. So people knew about them, but the lack of touring and stuff....they disappeared to the mainstream. Not most music fans from the mid 90's though: we remember.