Weekly Interview 4/20/16: Rob Compa of Dopapod

Rob Compa
Guitarist for Dopapod
Wayne, NJ
www.dopapod.com
www.facebook.com/dopapod

How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place?

I’ve been playing guitar since I was 12, so if my math is correct that’s about 17 years, I think. My Dad always played guitar around the house, so that got me into it initially. Eventually, we played a little guitar in our music class in middle school, playing little riffs like wipeout and a watered down version of the baseline for All Blues by Miles Davis. That’s when I sort of started to gravitate towards it. That Christmas my parents bought me my first electric guitar and got me started taking private lessons.

Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present?

My Dad bought me some really classic albums that were covered in great guitar playing as a kid, such as Highway 61 Revisited, the first Dire Straits album, Roy Buchanan’s Greatest Hits, and the White Album. He also used to rent the Last Waltz for me and I would watch it over and over and over again. All that stuff had a huge impact on me.

When I was 15, I bought Echoes, the Pink Floyd greatest hits album, and for the next couple years or so that was pretty much the only band I listened to. David Gilmour is tied at number one for my biggest guitar influence. He is, in my opinion, the most melodic guitar player of all time, and his tone is unrivaled.

A few years later, I discovered Phish and totally fell off the deep end (no pun intended.) Trey Anastasio is my other biggest guitar influence. Through that, I discovered other improvisational guitarists like John Scofield, Jimmy Herring, and Robben Ford, who are all still big influences for me. And later on, I got really into jazz stuff like Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt, and Ella Fitzgerald.

I’m also really into country guitar players like Duke Levine, Kevin Barry, Lyle Brewer, and Jim Campilongo. I can’t really do that kind of thing with the authenticity that those real deal country tele guys can (hopefully someday), but that style is still a huge ingredient in my guitar identity.

What drew you to using pedals initially? Have you been using them throughout your playing career? How have pedals helped to shape your sound, or influence the style that you’ve created?

The first time I ever tried a pedal was in the 8th grade or something, and it was one of those little plastic Danelectro Pedals that were named after diner food. It was a grilled cheese distortion pedal, and a friend of mine let me borrow it. I think what initially drew me to pedals was that it was kind of like buying action figures or something. I was too old for toys, so unfortunately for parents’ wallets, I moved up to the more expensive world of guitar pedals.

I honestly wish I could get away with not using pedals at all, like Derek Trucks or Jimmy Herring (Jimmy uses one or two, but not many), but I just don’t play rooms big enough for me to crank up an amp and get natural overdrive. Dopapod calls for a lot of sci-fi-ish sounds, so I’ve got a bunch of toys to get some spacey effects. When I’m playing other gigs, I actually enjoy not using my whole pedal board and kind of going commando, so to speak. It’s a good challenge to limit my effects options. I also kind of enjoy when my board stops working on stage and I can just grab an overdrive pedal and go for it. It makes me feel a little like MacGyver… like I’ve got a straw, a paper clip, and a soda can, and I have to invent something rad to get me out of a tough situation.

What’s your current setup look like? Take us through your pedal rig (feel free to include amps and instruments as well if you’d like):

I’ll start with my pedal rig:

-Digitech Whammy pedal (with true bypass loop pedal)
-tuner
-Maxon VOP9 Overdrive- this is basically a waaaaay better sounding tubescreamer. My favorite TS style pedal I’ve ever used.
-Nau Engineering Spoonful Overdrive/clean boost- another great OD. Made right in my hometown of Rochester, New York. I also often swap this out for an Analogman King of Tone
-Electro-Harmonic Micro Pog
-Maxon AD999 Analog Delay- Beautiful, super warm sounding delay.
-Maxon Phaser
-Boss DD20 GigaDelay- I use this one because I can tap tempo with it and save presets. I do a bunch of crazy stuff with it.
-Strymon Flint Reverb/Tremolo pedal

Amplifiers:

Oldfield 6440- Fantastic sounding amp. It was made by Paul Gussler in Charlotte, NC. I found about about these amps when we were opening for Umphrey’s McGee. My amp was acting kind of funny, so Brendan Bayliss was kind enough to let me use his Oldfield amp for our set. I fell in love with the sound, and started brainstorming with Paul about how to get one. Mine is a 40 watt head with a 2×12 cabinet. It has a very Fendery vibe, but it’s a lot warmer and more buttery. It has reverb and tremolo built in, I don’t really ever use it since I have a pedal that does those things. Other than that, it’s just a simple, single channel amp. The cabinet is loaded with a 12” Jensen Blackbird Alnico speaker, and a 12″ Eminence Eric Johnson signature speaker.

1978 Fender Vibrolux- this is a silver face fender, but it’s been “blackfaced,” as well as had a bunch of other modifications done to it. Repair guys I have taken it to have told me that nothing inside of it is even really a Fender anymore. It sounds fanstastic. Really fat and dirty. As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t a better amp in the world for small clubs or bars. The speakers are a 10” Weber DT10 and a 10” Kendrick Gold speaker.

Guitars:

Paul Reed Smith Hollowbody II “Amelia”: I bought this guitar new in 2005, and it was pretty much the only guitar I used for about 9 years. I bought other guitars throughout those years, but I never used any of them and always ended up selling them. It’s a beautiful guitar. The finish is violin amber sunburst. Also, PRS made these guitars a little differently back then than they do now. The pickups, which are called “Archtop pickups,” are extremely clear and honest sounding. Really low output, making them super dynamic. The neck is also a “wide fat neck,” which they don’t offer anymore. Super chunky and comfortable. The guitar is mostly made of maple, so it’s really bright sounding for a hollowbody. It actually can do a pretty decent tele impersonation believe it or not.

Gibson CS-336 w/ non-reverse firebird headstock “Martha II”:

I got this guitar a little over a year ago. I’ve been using mostly this one since then. I absolutely love it. It’s a lot bassier and more midrangey than my PRS… I actually find myself missing the bite of Amelia some of the time. But regardless, it’s a beast of a guitar and it absolutely screams. Every note just fills up the whole room. And you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to play. I don’t even really have to warm up when I use it.

Moollon T-Classic: This is basically a copy of a 50’s telecaster. The pickups are especially great. It’s surprisingly not that noisy for a tele. When I first got it, it was kind of difficult to play, but over time it’s settled into itself wonderfully. At this point it’s actually a really easy guitar to play.

Favorite type of pedal (drive, delay, fuzz, etc. – more than one answer is always acceptable!):

Overdrive. I’ll try literally any overdrive out there. I’m always experimenting with that.

You’re stranded on a desert island – which three (3) of the following do you want to have?

Instruments: PRS Hollowbody II
Amps: Oldfield 6440
Pedals: Maxon VOP9, Analogman King of Tone, Boss Gigadelay