John McBain

Mentioned in this October 1, 1997 Guitar interview, as transcribed on the official Wellwater Conspiracy website.

Much of Wellwater’s crunchy tone is shaped by McBain’s Guild S-100, a valued axe he originally purchased for Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil. “I knew Kim liked S-100’s, and I found this for about $175 at a New Jersey guitar shop,” he says. “When I brought it back to Seattle, he didn’t want it. Then I realized what I had.”

Mentioned in this October 1, 1997 Guitar interview, as transcribed on the official Wellwater Conspiracy website.

When not going direct into the board, McBain likes to overdrive Marshall’s 9-volt ministacks using effects that include a Vox Tone Bender, a Vox Stereo Fuzz-Wah, and a Big Muff. “You’re not supposed to put effects in them,” he notes, “but my recommendation is that you put a fuzz box on them. The solo on ‘Sleeveless’ is the sound of that little Marshall overloading to the point where it never worked again. That was the last guitar part ever recorded with that Marshall.”

Mentioned in this 2001 Freak Shop USA interview.

When you finally recorded Tab for Glitterhouse, what kind of gear were you and Dave using?

My gear was the same gear that I used throughout Magnet, a Squier Strat, Big Muff, Vox wah wah and a Fender Bassman amp. Dave was using a solid state Ampeg combo, his nameless red guitar, an Ibanez Sonic Distortion pedal (the secret weapon of early MM. We used it on everything including vocals) and his beloved Echoplex. Tim beat the living hell out of floor toms and industrial sized cookware which he referred to as "gig pots".

What was used for that "flying saucer/laser" sound I hear on Tab? Is that the Echoplex?

Echoplex is correct. We also used a digital delay pedal and an old flanger. Those pedals are all over the Tab e.p.

Guitarist John McBain uses the Vox Tone Bender MKIII as part of his effects setup. In an interview with Nowinvisibly, McBain explained, "When not going direct into the board, McBain likes to overdrive Marshall's 9-volt ministacks using effects that include a Vox Tone Bender, a Vox Stereo Fuzz-Wah, and a Big Muff." He further noted, "You're not supposed to put effects in them...but my recommendation is that you put a fuzz box on them. The solo on 'Sleeveless' is the sound of that little Marshall overloading to the point where it never worked again. That was the last guitar part ever recorded with that Marshall."

Guitarist John McBain is known to use the Marshall mini stack amplifier, as confirmed in an interview where he explains his approach to overdriving the amp with effects like the Vox Tone Bender, Vox Stereo Fuzz-Wah, and Big Muff. He notes, "You’re not supposed to put effects in them, but my recommendation is that you put a fuzz box on them." McBain recounts that the solo on "Sleeveless" was achieved by overloading the Marshall mini stack to the extent that it ceased functioning afterward. This information was provided in an interview conducted by webmistress for Nowinvisibly.