Davie Allan

Mentioned in this February 22, 2016 Ultimate Guitar interview.

Did you always look for that same type of fuzz sound you created on "Blues Theme" when you recorded later songs? Did you experiment in the studio with different settings on the pedals and amps?

I really didn't. For the most part, I listen back to much of those recordings and feel my guitar sounded too thin. My main distortion today is a Pro-Co Rat pedal. I also use one that is very close to that one, which is an Ibanez Fat Cat.

Mentioned in this February 22, 2016 Ultimate Guitar interview.

In 1966, you did the music for "The Wild Angels" film and the "Blues Theme" was written. Had you been thinking about creating a more distorted/fuzz-driven guitar sound?

I was definitely thinking along those lines because of it being a biker film.

Was it a conscious thing to get away from the clean, reverb-drenched surf guitar sound?

I wasn't a fan of the reverb and didn't think the word "surf" fit. But yes, I wanted to make a drastic change from my '63 to '65 sound.

Can you talk about those early days experimenting with fuzz sounds?

I was only using the Gibson Maestro but not doing much with distortion until the Mosrite Fuzzrite came along.

(...) In 1964, the Rolling Stones had recorded "I Can't Get No (Satisfaction)," which featured that Keith Richards fuzz guitar. Were you aware of this song? Was this the first time fuzz guitar was really used on record (Keith says it was)?

My first fuzz was the one he used: a Gibson Maestro. The first tunes I remember with distortion were "Don't Worry" in 1961 by Marty Robbins with distorted bass and "Zip A-Dee Do-Dah" in 1962 by Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans.

Mentioned in this February 22, 2016 Ultimate Guitar interview.

In 1966, you did the music for "The Wild Angels" film and the "Blues Theme" was written. Had you been thinking about creating a more distorted/fuzz-driven guitar sound?

I was definitely thinking along those lines because of it being a biker film.

Was it a conscious thing to get away from the clean, reverb-drenched surf guitar sound?

I wasn't a fan of the reverb and didn't think the word "surf" fit. But yes, I wanted to make a drastic change from my '63 to '65 sound.

Can you talk about those early days experimenting with fuzz sounds?

I was only using the Gibson Maestro but not doing much with distortion until the Mosrite Fuzzrite came along.

(...) Was your first film project "Skaterdater"? What was that like recording music for an entire film?

My first film for sure. It was a four-hour, no overdub session with a great bunch of musicians: Arrows drummer Larry Brown, Al Casey on rhythm, Jim Horn on sax and flute, and Larry Knechtel on piano. I'm not sure. It might've been Don Randi. Also, as it was with all the films, we never played to scenes in the movie.

For all these various projects, were you using the Jazzmaster and Concert amp?

That's true although many times I overdubbed my leads through the mixing board in the studio.

Had you given any thought at all to more distorted/fuzz guitar sounds at this point?

I only used the fuzz on the main "Skaterdater" theme plus my version of "Scratchy" and some non-leads on a couple of other tunes on the "Apache '65" album. The fuzz didn't take over my life until "The Wild Angels."

(...) Over the years as fuzz pedals have proliferated, have you experimented with other types of fuzzes? Distortion pedals? Delays?

I tried many different effects but for 20+ years I have used the Rat pedal on everything, although I sometimes bring out the Mosrite Fuzzrite for background and harmony parts.

Mentioned in this February 22, 2016 Ultimate Guitar interview.

You got a Les Paul Jr. as your first substantial guitar - why did you choose that instrument?

It seemed that Gibson was one of the major choices and I had heard of Les Paul. The money wasn't there so I settled on the cheaper Les Paul, Jr.

Ultimately, the Gibson didn't feel right to you?

Getting into the Ventures changed my mind to go with Fender. Duane Eddy was my first guitar idol but that big Guild guitar of his didn't appeal to me.

(...) What type of guitar/amp did you use on "War Path" and other really early tracks?

It was still the Les Paul, Jr. then and most likely it was a Fender Concert amp with four 10" speakers.

(...) There were many more projects and these all - or a lot of them - pre-date 1965 when you got the Jazzmaster. So what kind of guitar/amp were you using for these projects?

I think all of them were the Les Paul, Jr. and the Fender Concert amp.

Mentioned in this February 22, 2016 Ultimate Guitar interview.

When you got your Fender Jazzmaster in 1965, did you know you'd found your perfect guitar?

I did. Unfortunately, it was stolen but I got another one right away and I still use it to this day. I also used a Mosrite doubleneck that was given to me as an endorsement due to the success of "The Wild Angels" sound track. The heavy weight started to give me back problems and I only used it exclusively for about a year.

Mentioned in this February 22, 2016 Ultimate Guitar interview.

When you got your Fender Jazzmaster in 1965, did you know you'd found your perfect guitar?

I did. Unfortunately, it was stolen but I got another one right away and I still use it to this day. I also used a Mosrite doubleneck that was given to me as an endorsement due to the success of "The Wild Angels" sound track. The heavy weight started to give me back problems and I only used it exclusively for about a year.

Had you messed around with Stratocasters?

I never got into those. I did have an Ibanez for awhile around 1976 to '81 when I was playing in Top 40 bands. During that time, my Jazzmaster sat in my mom's garage. I don't know how it ever survived. There were torrential rains one year and the garage flooded, but the Jazzmaster somehow made it through unscathed.

Did you know you wanted a guitar with a tremolo bar?

You'll love this and talk about naïve: I had no idea what it was for. All I knew at the time is that it came with the guitar. Once I got into it, as with the fuzz, there was no turning back.

(...) Was your first film project "Skaterdater"? What was that like recording music for an entire film?

My first film for sure. It was a four-hour, no overdub session with a great bunch of musicians: Arrows drummer Larry Brown, Al Casey on rhythm, Jim Horn on sax and flute, and Larry Knechtel on piano. I'm not sure. It might've been Don Randi. Also, as it was with all the films, we never played to scenes in the movie.

For all these various projects, were you using the Jazzmaster and Concert amp?

That's true although many times I overdubbed my leads through the mixing board in the studio.

(...) Did you ultimately rewire the Jazzmaster?

I had new pickups installed in the '80s when I brought the guitar out of retirement.

Mentioned in this February 22, 2016 Ultimate Guitar interview.

Did you always look for that same type of fuzz sound you created on "Blues Theme" when you recorded later songs? Did you experiment in the studio with different settings on the pedals and amps?

I really didn't. For the most part, I listen back to much of those recordings and feel my guitar sounded too thin. My main distortion today is a Pro-Co Rat pedal. I also use one that is very close to that one, which is an Ibanez Fat Cat.

(...) Over the years as fuzz pedals have proliferated, have you experimented with other types of fuzzes? Distortion pedals? Delays?

I tried many different effects but for 20+ years I have used the Rat pedal on everything, although I sometimes bring out the Mosrite Fuzzrite for background and harmony parts.

(...) Any modern music that touches you? Any new gear? Effects?

Well, I guess you can't call him modern anymore but a favorite of mine besides Elvis and the Beatles is Jeff Lynne. My all-time favorite rock and roll recording is ELO's "Hold on Tight." My newest pedal is the Rat from the '90s, a guitar processor from the '80s and my guitar from '65.

Mentioned in this February 22, 2016 Ultimate Guitar interview.

What type of guitar/amp did you use on "War Path" and other really early tracks?

It was still the Les Paul, Jr. then and most likely it was a Fender Concert amp with four 10" speakers.

(...) There were many more projects and these all - or a lot of them - pre-date 1965 when you got the Jazzmaster. So what kind of guitar/amp were you using for these projects?

I think all of them were the Les Paul, Jr. and the Fender Concert amp.

Did you ever use any kind of pedal at all for these sessions?

Sheesh, I don't think I was even into the wah wah yet.

Did all the effects come from the amp (tremolo, reverb, et al)?

Yes, plus studio devices.

Was your first film project "Skaterdater"? What was that like recording music for an entire film?

My first film for sure. It was a four-hour, no overdub session with a great bunch of musicians: Arrows drummer Larry Brown, Al Casey on rhythm, Jim Horn on sax and flute, and Larry Knechtel on piano. I'm not sure. It might've been Don Randi. Also, as it was with all the films, we never played to scenes in the movie.

For all these various projects, were you using the Jazzmaster and Concert amp?

That's true although many times I overdubbed my leads through the mixing board in the studio.

Had you given any thought at all to more distorted/fuzz guitar sounds at this point?

I only used the fuzz on the main "Skaterdater" theme plus my version of "Scratchy" and some non-leads on a couple of other tunes on the "Apache '65" album. The fuzz didn't take over my life until "The Wild Angels."

(...) In 1966, you did the music for "The Wild Angels" film and the "Blues Theme" was written. Had you been thinking about creating a more distorted/fuzz-driven guitar sound?

I was definitely thinking along those lines because of it being a biker film.

Was it a conscious thing to get away from the clean, reverb-drenched surf guitar sound?

I wasn't a fan of the reverb and didn't think the word "surf" fit. But yes, I wanted to make a drastic change from my '63 to '65 sound.

Can you talk about those early days experimenting with fuzz sounds?

I was only using the Gibson Maestro but not doing much with distortion until the Mosrite Fuzzrite came along.

Did you try out different amps? Were you turning everything up to 10?

Just my Fender Concert and I only turned the amp up to 10 for "Blues Theme." We knew we wanted a powerful and gnarly sound and having the amp blast out like that was amazing plus it leaked into all the other microphones. By the way, it was recorded in mono.