Adrian Belew

Via the MOTU interface, the Axe-FX also feeds a laptop running Ableton Live. Belew uses Ableton for all his loops and other audio “snippets” that he triggers during the show.

“My plan all along was to carry a very few select 'stomp boxes' I cannot live without. The Classic and Multiwave may have just upset my apple cart! They are the best distortion boxes ever made."

According to this description from the back of the 1982 promotional LP "Indisciple", Belew's rig included a Graphic Fuzz pedal.

In this image originally used as a cover shot for Guitar Player magazine, we see Belew posed with his custom-built Fender Mustang, which features a GK-2 synth pickup.

According to this description from the back of the 1982 promotional LP "Indisciple", Belew's rig at the time included a DC-30 unit.

According to this description from the back of the 1982 promotional LP "Indisciple", Belew's rig at the time included an M-108 unit.

According to this description from the back of the 1982 promotional LP "Indisciple", Belew's rig at the time included a Goodrich volume pedal.

You can clearly see this bass behind Adrian Belew's audio engineer. Check the video for more details: https://youtu.be/vy7fjfmsV9o

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

A V2 is visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Featured in this January 1, 2017 Facebook post.

the components inside the rack are: an Axe-Fx Ultra, a Boss GP-10, a Moto UltraLite MK-3, a Shure in-ear transmitter, and a Keeley compressor. on the floor: 3 Boss EV-5 pedals, a Liquid Foot 12+ midi controller, and a Digitech Harmony Man.

Featured in this March 19, 2020 Facebook post.

😉

one of my favorite devices from the early eighties is this Electro Harmonix Echoflanger. this is the original one I used on so many records from 1981 onward. it’s missing the all-important 4-way selector knob so it can’t be made active, but I have another in much better condition I bought from mike at Analog Man years ago which works perfectly.

you can see the “dot settings” I put on it, one of which would be the “elephant sound” for “elephant talk”, one of which would be the “rhino sound” for “lone rhino”, and another of which would be the guitar sound for “genius of love”.

I discovered by accident the one thing I love most about it. the missing 4-way knob was faulty and could be made to “stick” between settings. sticking it between “chorus” and “flanger” was the way I made the sound for “genius of love.”

my very favorite sound I made with it started by sticking it between those settings, but then came the fun. if you carefully adjusted the “feedback” it would start to oscillate. then you could fiddle with the “tune”, “width”, and “depth” knobs to create the sound of giant metallic insects flying across the stereo image.

in the 80’s I had it mounted on my mic stand so I could get that sound to “stick” and then manipulate the knobs to create my crazy oscillation effects. one of the music magazines in japan had a cartoon of me doing just that with me looking like Frankenstein!

I used that sound many times on record (I still do). to hear it, listen to the ending of “Gypsy Zurna” on “Desire Caught By The Tail”.

(don’t have that record? it’s available for download of bandcamp.)

I’m just sayin’.

Seen at 8:11 in this video: https://youtu.be/sv3BGqKURZ4?t=491

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Visible in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:08.

Quoted in the official product description.

Unzip your soul!

Just picture your guitar signal being massaged by a complex set of filters moving through a vacuum tube maze. Energized by two 12AX7EH tubes, the Tube Zipper's patented moving filter gang tastefully adds controlled analog harmonics to your signal. In typical EH fashion, each control can be set over the edge, generating a host of novel tones. Add some Tron or Trill a la mode!

"It's the most flexible little box yet." Adrian Belew