Scott Hachey
Denver, CO
I play guitar and make faces with The Magic Beans: magicbeansmusic.com
How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place?
I’ve been a gigging musician for almost 6 years now. Been playing music for over a decade now. Probably 15 years. Started on trumpet and moved on to guitar soon thereafter.
Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present?
Growing up in the midwest I was really into classic rock. Some big influences being Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Santana. Then I really got absorbed by the playing of Jerry Garcia both with the Grateful Dead and his solo stuff. That got me into lots of bluegrass/americana playing the likes of Peter Rowan, Del McCoury, Doc Watson.
As of late, I’ve been listening to primarily jazz/funk players like George Benson, Grant Green, and Larry Carlton. I like to listen to it all honestly. Modern influences would be Trey Anastasio of Phish, Eric Krasno, Eddie Roberts of the New Mastersounds, and just all the guys around the Colorado music scene. So many great players right here to get ideas and inspiration from.
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?
Well I started with no pedals and didn’t really utilize them until I hit college. I started slowly, just getting an overdrive and wah. Then as I started to learn about all the stuff available, it got a bit crazy. I was living with other musicians and gearheads so it kinda took off from there. Next thing I knew I had over a dozen pedals in my rig. I think pedals aren’t essential to playing guitar, there are tons of crushers out there with no pedals. But I really do enjoy how they can change the voicing of the instrument, which can take songwriting and improvisation in new directions. Being in a band that does so much improv on stage, its helpful to have different tones to access so you can take the jamming in fresh directions and be more expressive.
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):
My setup starts with my Alembic Darling Guitar. This guitar is the focal point of my tone so its worth mentioning. There is not a lot of guitars to reference when it comes to describing the tone of the Alembic, cause its unlike anything I’ve played personally. Alembic’s active pickups are featured in the guitars of the Grateful Dead, Stanley Clarke and Jefferson Airplane if that helps the reader. Very bright, responsive, and hosts a crazy harmonic range.
After that we go into a good ol’ Boss Tuner > Full Tone Wah > Seed of Life OD > Analog Man Bi-Compressor > Ibanez TS-808 (w/Keeley Mod) > MXR Phase 90 > Mojo Vibe > Digitech Whammy > Eventide Space Pedal > Strymon Blue Sky Reverb > TC-Electronics Nova Delay > Analog Man Dual Delay. Holy shit, I have too many pedals haha… after all that it goes into my Mesa Boogie Mark V. I run that sucker on 45watts and she rips.
Favorite type of pedal (drive, delay, fuzz, etc. – more than one answer is always acceptable!):
Good question. I love delay/reverb stuff. Lets you achieve all sorts of textural sounds. The Eventide Space pedal is easily the best thing in my chain. It was lent to me from our bassist and I’m afraid to give it back and play without it. Its become a big part of my tone. Hope he doesn’t read this 😉 Also, I have been really into my new Whammy pedal. Lots of cool stuff you can do with it. Almost too much.
You’re stranded on a desert island – which three (3) of the following do you want to have?
Instruments: My Alembic Darling
Amps: My Mesa Mark 5
Pedals: Eventide Space + Mutron Envelope Filter = Lifetime of Fun
What’s up next for you/your band(s)?
We’re hitting the road in August/September to play some festivals and cities. Coming back to Colorado for our Halloween run. Then probably make some music in the studio.
The Klon hype: Love it or Hate it?
You know I’ve never played through an actual one. Plenty of knock-offs. Sounds pretty sweet. I’m not sure any pedal is worth as much as those go for online, though. I’m sure there is stuff on the market that could get you a nearly identical tone. Could be wrong, but thats just my hunch.
Any last comments, promos or anything you’d like to talk about?
I guess if people wanna listen to my band, The Magic Beans, check out our SoundCloud or Bandcamp pages for free stream/downloads of our latest studio stuff and live stuff.
Thanks so much to Scott for taking the time to answer some questions! Make sure to go check out the Magic Beans website, cheers!
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