Scott Henderson

In this video, scott used Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100. It is his requested amp for touring.

Scott Henderson points out his Suhr ISO Line Out Box at 2:15 in this video.

According to Fulltone's website, Scott uses a Plimsoul pedal.

"And then, if I wanted a high gain solo, I use two or three different ones. I use mainly the Klon Centaur and I use a Maxon SD-9 and a Fulltone PlimSoul. Those are my three favorite distortion pedals." - Guitar.com

Scott Henderson praises the Vemuram Jan Ray as the best boost pedal he's ever heard for blues, as noted on the Vemuram Custom Pedals website.

Scott's website states that he uses the ZWEX Fuzz Factory.

"Yeah, with an expression pedal -- so that’s a great pedal. I use a Z.Vex Fuzz Factory for the solo on “Festival of Ghosts,” which is that really wicked solo that makes all the noisy kind of sound. I use that same pedal on the “Mysterious Traveller” solo on the HBC record. That’s a fun pedal. It sort of reacts to how you have your volume control on your guitar set. When you move your guitar volume up and down, it warbles out and makes the weirdest tones." - Guitar.com

"This is the Scott Henderson model and actually the only thing that makes it different from the Classic is that at positions 2 and 4, the tone knobs are bypassed," says Scott Henderson, at 0:30 in this video, talking about his signature Suhr guitar.

I use mainly the Klon Centaur and I use a Maxon SD-9 and a Fulltone PlimSoul. Those are my three favorite distortion pedals.

"The Maxon SD-9 is the best distortion pedal EVER made, period. It has the clarity and punch you get from a pedal, while retaining the low bass you get with amp distortion. The SD-9 is one of the rare pedals which sound equally great on both the neck and bridge pickups, whether they're humbucking or single coil. It's been a very important part of my tone for many years."

"And then, if I wanted a high gain solo, I use two or three different ones. I use mainly the Klon Centaur and I use a Maxon SD-9 and a Fulltone PlimSoul. Those are my three favorite distortion pedals." - Guitar.com

"And then, let’s see, what else do I use? I use a Vertex Boost for a couple of tunes. I use a really nice boost pedal that a guy from Holland gave me called an (AMT Electronics) R1. I use that on the song “Calhoun.” It has a tube in it. It’s got a really beautiful, fat tone. And it seems to fit that tune more than the RC Booster, so I used that."

Scott Henderson expresses his enthusiasm for the Analog Man Beano Boost treble booster, highlighting its superior tonal balance compared to his previous MXR Micro Amp. He appreciates how the Beano Boost provides an even boost across the guitar's range, enhancing his sound without exaggerating the bass or thinning the mids. Henderson mentions that the Beano Boost has become a key component in his setup, replacing both the MXR Micro Amp and Voodoo pedals. He primarily uses the MID range boost for his tones, noting its versatility and potential for recording. This feedback is shared on the Analog Man website, underscoring his use and satisfaction with the pedal.

"I've been using the TS-9/Voodoo combo with my three single coil strat, and using the MXR micro for the clean sound…"

"I've been using the TS-9/Voodoo combo with my three single coil Strat…"

Oh, I forgot to tell you, the main thing, the coolest thing is that Bruce Forman -- who is one of my favorite jazz guitar players -- he loaned me his hollow-body for the last tune. And it’s a Sonntag that was made for him by Stefan Sonntag. But, it’s one of the most beautiful hollow-bodies I’ve ever heard. It’s just gorgeous sounding.

So, he was kind enough to loan me that guitar for “Chelsea Bridge.” And that’s just a beautiful sounding guitar, man. I had fun playing that thing. What a gorgeous guitar. I’m very tempted to call that guy in Germany and ask him if I could get some kind of deal, if he could make me one too, because I love the sound of Bruce’s other guitar.

He mainly plays an L5, and I love the sound of a Gibson L5. But, this guitar has a single coil, so it has a different kind of thing. And I’m just really attracted to it. Maybe it’s just because I love single coil pickups on my Strat, and the single coil pickups on that hollow-body give it such a beautiful tone. In fact, that might be my favorite tone on the whole record.

“First of all, I've tried every similar unit on the market and I've also tried every version of computer-based amp modeling software. To me, the PX5D sounds the most like a real amp. It also feels the best and reacts to picking and touch more like a real amp than anything else I've tried. The effects are great and it's amazing how many can be used at the same time. The bass & drum patterns are very flexible and an extra plus when the computer isn't around.

I've done tracks with the PXD5 and compared them with my own mic’d up amp. I've never heard any digital device or software get closer to the real thing! Its size makes it so easy to carry around that I can't imagine being on the road without it. Also, the editing software that comes with it is extremely easy and intuitive to use. I've easily written two bank files, one with all the reverbs and delays disabled for use at home where I have my own effects, and one with the reverbs and delays active for travel.

This version of the Pandora is one of the most fun and useful guitar tools I've ever owned!”

Fulltone's website states that Scott uses an OF-2 Octafuzz.

"The Vertex Boost has an extremely transparent sound that I find the most useful for clean blues playing and chords. It has a huge low end and makes the guitar sound big and musical."

Scott's long time favourite is this old chorus pedal, the gear page on his website lists it among his current gear.

Scott uses a wet/ dry setup. The amp is dry, and the effects are in a second amp, usually a Fender combo. Scott uses a Suhr Line Out Box which is plugged into an external speaker jack on his amp. The Line Out Box converts the speaker signal to line level, which is sent to the SVC next to the wah, then into the input of a Boss SE-70 multi-FX, and then to the second amp. All SE-70 patches are 100% wet, and the SVC allows Scott to control the wet/dry mix. The Tech 21 MIDI Mouse is used to switch programs on the SE-70.

"And I use the Lexicon Reverb Bundle for reverb plugins and all the wave stuff. So, yeah, everything stayed in the computer. We didn’t run out any additional hardware. We used plugins for all the reverbs, delays, and effects." - Henderson about Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plugin Bundle.

Well, let me think about that... What do I use? I use the Ola Chorus a lot. That’s a Strymon pedal. That chorus sounds better than any plugin that I have.

Fulltone's website states that Scott uses a Fulldrive2 MOSFET.

Scott's website lists the SE-70 multi effects processor on the gear page.

The Boss RC-3 Loop Station isn't a true bypass pedal so it's not connected. Scott hooks it up in place of the wah during soundcheck to check his tone in the PA. The black box on the top right contains five 9v batteries which power all the pedals. It has an on/off switch, so no need to unplug pedals when not in use, or take pedals off the board to change batteries. Scott uses a Snark SN-8 "Super Tight" headstock tuner.

According to the gear page on his website Scott uses this headstock tuner.

On "Thick", I was playing a Fender Strat that John Suhr made for me while he was working at the Fender custom shop. I finally got away from the preamp thing when Custom Audio made the OD-100 head, which I used for the whole record. I improved my home recording scene a lot by building a big box to put the speaker cabinet in. It was made of pressboard with a layer of cork inside and a layer of two-inch cotton. The box lowers the volume a lot, but it gives the tone it's own frequency that isn't completely natural sounding, though it's a fairly subtle thing that you wouldn't notice unless you were comparing it directly with the same cabinet miked up outside of the box. One cool thing about this idea was that I could take the box to the studio sessions with me, and when I wanted to keep my live tracks but fix parts of them at home, my tone stayed the same. If you're playing a loud cabinet and change rooms between sessions, you'll have a difficult if not impossible job of dialing up your original tone.

"And I do use a lot of plugins too for effects. I love EchoBoy. That’s been one of my favorite plugins for a long time. I think that’s actually the biggest bang for your buck out there on the Internet because the thing only costs $179. And not only does it give you every delay known to man, but it gives you amazing special effects. It’s a great, great plugin." - Henderson about SoundToys EchoBoy.

"I also use a Strymon Lex which is their, sort of, their Leslie simulator. That’s a beautiful pedal. It makes some great sounds and you can rev up the rotor. When you play a sound you can make the rotor go faster and it’s really nice. It gives this great effects." - Henderson about Strymon Lex.

Guitar.com: Right. With the actual tones that I’m hearing on this recording… I mean, you’ve got stuff that sounds like almost sitar-like and all kinds of things...

Henderson: That is a sitar. That’s one of those Jerry Jones electric sitars.

At the studio we record in, they have Pro Tools, but I take the files and convert them to Digital Performer because I like to work with Digital Performer – I’m not a Pro Tools guy.

On the Blues tune, I use the Trombetta Robotone, which is a great pedal because when you pick kind of a -- what do you call it -- medium pressure, or medium force – it sounds like a really nice distortion pedal, but when you pick hard, these kind of overtones come out that almost makes it sound like a trombone.