It’s been about a month now since we first laid ears on Steve James’ latest single Enchanted, and for that entire time, we haven’t stopped listening. The track is a slice of pure DIY, vintage goodness, and if you haven’t already heard it, stop what you’re doing and go listen to it now.
Fresh off the track’s release, we caught up with the artist himself for a run-down on the gear that helped shape his warm garage sound.
Hot off the release of his new single Enchanted, we caught up with Launceston artist Steve James for a rundown on the gear that helped shape his sound.
GUITAR: MIJ 2013 Fender Jazzmaster
I picked up this guitar a couple of years back and never have any intentions to part with it. Known for its warm and versatile sound, it’s been a favourite for surf and noise rockers for over half a century and is a staple in my collection that fits perfectly with what I do as a musician.
DRUMS: 1979 Ludwig Supraphonic/Paiste 2002 cymbals/Pearl export select
I still use the remnants of my original Pearl export select drum kit that I bought when I was 15 and worked my very first part-time job to get for recording. Over the years I’ve added some Paiste 2002 cymbals and the classic Ludwig Supraphonic, made famous by John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and used on countless hit recordings over the years.
BASS: Samick Bass
This thing is a cheap but good sounding bass that I picked up at a pawn shop when I was younger. I still have plans to get something a little more flashy in the future but I enjoy jamming/recording on it for its unique and kind of ‘dirty’ sound which compliments my music well.
RECORDING GEAR:
For recording, I use a 16-channel Tascam USB mixer with numerous bits of analogue equipment such as a Joe meek 3q optical compressor, An 1980s Alesis limiter and a few reasonably priced tube preamps and record the audio into Studio One Pro.
OTHER EQUIPMENT:
Other than what I’ve stated above, I use numerous percussion instruments such a Meinl Tambourine, A bunch of different shakers, A Yamaha acoustic guitar and a 1920s Beale piano.
AMP/PEDALS:
For an amplifier, I use a VOX tube AC5TV which has a very warm sound and is fantastic for overdrive tones, coupled with a VOX straight 6 overdrive, A Memory Boy delay, another Crossfire delay and a Rowin Trelicopter for my pedal set up.
MICROPHONES:
For my microphone set up I use an SE Electronics sEX1 condenser for vocals/drums and a couple of SM57 dynamic mics, also used for the same applications. I’ve also got a Sennheiser 609 dynamic mic, mainly for recording guitar and a few other cheap dynamic mics for other applications such as an ISK BDM-1 for recording my bass drum on the kit.
Enchanted is available now. Listen here.
