Jake Snider
Tacoma, Washington
Minus the Bear (minusthebear.com)
Sharks Keep Moving
Onalaska
State Route 522
How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place?
I’ve played guitar for something like 33 years. I was getting into metal and skate punk and wanted to play!
Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present?
Too many to list! Descendents, Don Caballero, early Metallica, Jawbox, Tortoise, June of 44, The Japanese House…I listen to a ton of stuff. I’ve been skipping around through a lot of electronic music lately.
Touring Pedalboard 2022
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?
Initially I had a 50 watt Marshall JCM 800 with a just volume pedal to roll off the dirt for clean sounds. I added a Rat, then changed that for an MXR distortion +. That was my main set up for a while. Changed amps to a Fender Twin but kept it simple, really until Minus the Bear when things started getting out of hand with delays and loopers and modulation etc.
Minus the Bear was all about texture and trying to find new sounds from our instruments. At times a new sound could help inspire a part or a song, rather than simply adding an effect to an existing piece. Using pedals often helped us create something out of almost nothing.
What’s your current setup look like? Do you use different setups with different bands/projects? Take us through your rig (pedals, amps, guitars, etc. – be as in-depth as you’d like!):
Currently hand wired Vox AC-30s for the most part, with a second AC-30 single 12” combo. The two amps, not stereo. Main pedal rig is an EP boost, Tubescreamer, some kind of modulation—phaser or tremolo or both, two line 6 DL4s, a delay, then a volume pedal at the end to mute it all. I also use the volume pedal to be able to barely hear parts I play into the DL4 samplers to pre-sample before certain songs. It’s routed into a loop switcher with 4-5 loops, a master effect on/off switch, and a tuner mute loop. The loop switch reduces the tap dancing quite a bit.
This set up changed a bit depending on whim or what songs we were playing at the time.
I play mostly t-style guitars. A tele, a parts Esquire, two Ibanez Talmans—one tele style and one strat style, a tele style Ibanez roadcore. I’d gone through other phases of Les Pauls and Gretsch’s.
Other projects are usually more set ups simple as I mentioned earlier.
Recording Pedalboard 2022
Favorite type of pedal (drive, delay, fuzz, etc. – more than one answer is always acceptable!):
Tubescreamer style pedals. My current favorite is the Ibanez Tubescreamer mini. Love the EP boost. It’s on all the time. I don’t turn it off.
You’re stranded on a desert island – name 3 (of each) instruments, amps and pedals you couldn’t live without:
Instruments: My parts Esquire, my Esquired Talman, something with a trem a strat style.
Amps: Vox. Maybe a Fender too.
Pedals: Tubescreamer, a phaser, a delay
Covid-19 has obviously affected us all – how have you as a musician been able to stay positive and upbeat? What’s up next for you/your band(s), as far as concerts/live streams/recording/etc,?
Minus the Bear ended in 2018, so it didn’t affect my musical situation. No new projects of my own. Not sure what’s next! I do mean to do something eventually.
I work at a HiFi shop called Gig Harbor Audio selling high end stereo equipment currently a couple days a week. I’ve been into HiFi for a long time, I’m more of a listener these days than a maker.
The Klon hype: Love it or Hate it?
Never had one!
Any last comments, promos or anything you’d like to talk about?
I did sing on a song on Dave Knudson’s new live record. Fun to collaborate with him.
Thanks so much to Jake for taking the time to answer some questions! Make sure to go check out the Minus the Bear website, for more music, info and merch! Cheers!
Other interviews you might enjoy:
Woodroe “Woody” Weatherman of C.O.C.
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