Scott Henderson Discussion

Thumberstrummer · Joined: 12 Oct 2014 Posts: 105

Hi Scott.
I was there, and this is only to tell you it's been one of the best gigs I've seen in years.
Your tone was superb, the effects of the new SH9 were recognizable, with deeper bass (which seemed to make your guitar steadily rooted in the ground) and awesome, silky, shining mids and highs which were cutting through the mix in a very pleasant way.
Not to say that in the 7 or 8 times I've seen you live, your tone is ever been less than super cool, but there was someting different that day.
I guess you appreciated the venue and the audience, since you and your bandmates did look super happy and partecipatory. By the way, the band was super cool and responsive.
I am the guy who was hanging out at the bar, just before the theater opening, when you came in for a coffee!!
I may be wrong, but it seems you had your Suhr SH-100 plexi and a Kerry Wright cab on the stage, and - if yes - I'm just wondering how could you ever carry such special gear across Europe (if I'm not wrong with my assumptions)...
Hower, thanks for such an amazing performance. I'll keep it in my records forever
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Germino Club 40 plexi replica + EJ Strat w Suhr ML st. pups. I'm not asking for more so far (but... who knows...?)

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the show! I have to be honest and say I didn't use the SH9 that night, or much on this tour, because we're not playing the two songs I was using it on. We have new tunes so the SH9 tunes got ditched and I have to find a way to work that pedal back into the show.

I think what you might be noticing as a sound improvement is my new guitar - it's lighter and has a roasted neck, which I believe gives it a deeper bass frequency.

That Kerry cab and my Suhr SH100 amp stay in Europe and we travel by van 90% of the time. If we do have to fly, I rent a Marshall JCM2000 and 1960BX cabinets which have Greenbacks - it's very similar to my own gear but not quite as pleasant sounding on the top end.

Thumberstrummer · Joined: 12 Oct 2014 Posts: 105

Thanks Scott!
BTW what did you use for dirt for the most part of the show? The old SD9? I dis not have the chance to look extenaively at your board before the show, so I only had the chance to see the SH9 was there…
Thanks
Fabio
_________________
Germino Club 40 plexi replica + EJ Strat w Suhr ML st. pups. I'm not asking for more so far (but... who knows...?)

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

90% of all my shows are with the RC Booster - channel 1 for cleaner chord playing, melodies, and solos with more of a blues tone, and channel 2 for solos with medium gain. It's by far the most transparent, versatile pedal I've ever used - my desert island pedal for sure.

The SH9/ SD-9 is a completely different animal. It's highly compressed - great for legato playing, terrible for dynamic blues. Since most of the music I play in the trio relies heavily on dynamics, I only use the SH9 on a few tunes which are more rock and need high-gain solos.

If I played in a quartet with a keyboard player I'd probably play more high gain solos, but with a trio I'm playing chords so often that switching back and forth between pedals is a pain...

All that being said, the SH9 is the most versatile high gain pedal ever made in my opinion. The Klon is great, and sounds a bit fatter on the bridge pickup than the SH9, but it doesn't have much compression so it's not very good for legato playing, and it's kinda woofy sounding on the neck pickup. The SH9's compression is why it sounds so punchy on the neck pickup - there's no high gain pedal I've ever heard which sounds equally great on both pickups.

dizzy · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 406

Hey Scott
Hope all is well!
I’m looking forward to hearing your new music!

It sounds like you are playing less legato stuff since you are not using sd9 for the new tunes that you played on this last tour.
Are consciously getting away from that aspect of your playing? Or is it just that it doesn’t fit these particular new songs?

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

The quick answer would be yes, less interested in eighth notes and lines in general, more interested in rubato and dynamic phrases which tell a story. However some music, including some of my own, requires playing time, so in those situations I play legato simply because it's the only way I know how to do it - I'm the slowest picker on earth. There isn't one of my students who can't pick faster than me.

dizzy · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 406

Your lack of fast picking chops is kinda good imo.
I have never liked fast picked lines with distortion.
Clean—like straight ahead—can sound great.
Or rock players like Eddie Van Halen and John Sykes who use short bursts of speed can sound great.
But usually when a player has high gain and picks everything it sounds kinda ratty or something. But that’s just my opinion. And I’m sure there are exceptions—

funksteroo · Joined: 21 Aug 2011 Posts: 40

How light is the new axe??!!

funksteroo · Joined: 21 Aug 2011 Posts: 40

How light is the new axe mentioned above?!? Still over 7 pounds?

funksteroo · Joined: 21 Aug 2011 Posts: 40

How light is the new axe mentioned above, still over 7 pounds?

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

It's 7 pounds 9 ounces. I generally haven't liked guitars much lighter than that - the super light ones tend to be bass shy in my opinion.

Louis · Joined: 29 Oct 2018 Posts: 16

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

Sorry, I forgot about that. I subtract the weight of the extra pickup in the horn which is 5 oz, so it actually weighs 7 lbs, 14 oz. It's 7 lbs 9 oz in Fender terms. I don't subtract the weight of the block because Fender has always used steel blocks in their 6 screw bridge, not zinc.