We’re a curious bunch here at Silent Radio and decided it was time to start scratching that itch, so we asked I Like Trains what their favourite pieces of music making equipment are. This is what they told us:
DAVID MARTIN – GUITAR / VOCALS
What is it?
It’s an old Electo Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man guitar pedal.
How long have you had it?
Around twelve years I think
How does it help shape your sound?
It’s a delay pedal but the magic lies in the modulation. Most things sound better when they’re a little bit wonky.
Do you use it live?
Yes.
Do you use it in the studio?
Arguably too much. It goes on lots of things that aren’t guitars. Particularly when we want the synths to sound more like Blade Runner. Which is most of the time really. It even got an outing on the bass on the last track of the new album.
What can we hear it used on?
It’s everywhere on our recorded output from 2010 onwards. There’s a good chunk of it on the guitar at the beginning of ‘Sea of Regrets’.
Is there anything you dislike about it or would like to change?
Not really. It pops when I turn it on, but that sort of thing doesn’t bother me a great deal.
If the worst happened and it broke down, could you replace it?
In theory, yes. This one has the right sort of dust on it and probably in it. There’s a certain grit to it, that I’d need to maintain! I think they’re a fair bit more expensive than when I bought mine too.
Anything else you’d like to tell the world about it?
Ian also wanted to write about his Deluxe Memory Man in this feature, so I think that tells you everything you need to know. Think twice before engaging Ian in a conversation about guitars and guitar pedals. You have to really want to go there.
Any honourable mentions of other items that didn’t make the top spot?
I guess the guitar I would save first in a fire is my 1977 Gibson S1. That would be difficult to replace as I’ve had it since I was about 13 or 14. I bought it off my uncle. It doesn’t get as much use as it used to, but it was great to bring it out for ‘Dig In’ on the new album. There’s a certain glassy quality to that guitar that demands post-punk angles.
SIMON FOGAL – DRUMS
What is it?
It is too hard to pick just one thing.
Orange County Snare 14” – Custom.
Premier Gen X Bass Drum 24”
How long have you had it?
The snare – I got this around the time of Elegies recording sessions. I actually can’t remember the date, I remember going to the local drum shop John Scheerers in Leeds (RIP) to get a Black Beauty snare and was basically going around hitting snares. I came across this one, as soon as I hit it I had to have it. The noise that comes from it is beautiful and I pair it with Remo reverse dot head.
The Bass Drum – I wanted a big old bass drum, partly because I was influenced by Bonham in my early years. When I got an artist endorsement with Premier after signing to Beggars Banquet, I had a Gen-X kit made for me. The Bass drum records amazingly and live, it is a beast. I feel naked without it, especially when you do fly in shows.
How does it help shape your sound?
I think you can hear it on all the albums. On the new album, we used a metal snare for a couple of tracks. The snare and bass drum suit the mood of the new record but also work amazingly on the instrumental stuff. An all-rounder.
Do you use it live?
As I said above, I really hate not having them both.
Do you use it in the studio?
I kind of jumped the gun on answering these. Yes.
What can we hear it used on?
All ILT tracks recorded since Elegies To Lessons Learnt.
Is there anything you dislike about it or would like to change?
Only the colour. As we go more goth I wish I had a more goth looking bass drum but it is a classic walnut finish.
If the worst happened and it broke down, could you replace it?
You could replace these but they have been with me since the start. Nothing replaces the acoustic drums that have been through life with you. I have a practice kit (Roland electro) and I do enjoy playing that but then you get in the practice room, the power in the bass drum and snare just bring smiles.
Anything else you’d like to tell the world about it?
One of my floor toms disappeared after a gig. I have two. And then it randomly appeared in the practice room months later. We still don’t know what happened but we suspect Alistair knows more than he’s letting on…
Any honourable mentions of other items that didn’t make the top spot?
Generally my whole GenX Kit is a beauty. I also got a Zildjian endorsement after Elegies and that made a huge difference in recording, switching from Sabian. The Dark K’s are a beauty (I chose odd sizes too, 13” hats, 15 and 17” crash and 21” ride). Because I liked the sound better.
IAN JARROLD – GUITAR
What is it?
1964 Fender Jazzmaster guitar.
How long have you had it?
Just over 15 years or so.
How does it help shape your sound?
On the new album ‘Kompromat’ it’s the only guitar I use, so it’s my foundation really. The Jazzmaster has such a great and unique tremolo system which really shapes anything you do on it involving detuning (see My Bloody Valentine who are really the masters of this approach with the Jazzmaster). The circuitry is also really unique and there are some instances in the live set where I’ll go from a really woolly neck-pickup sound to a bright and cutting bridge pickup sound at the flick of a switch, while using the trem to detune notes – this would be a challenge on many guitars but the Jazzmaster makes this whole process pretty straightforward!
Do you use it live?
No! It’s too precious to risk taking on the road. I actually bought a 1965 reissue Jazzmaster a couple of years ago to use live and it’s my mainstay for live use now and it’s a really excellent guitar (shout out to my friend Sam Airey for recommending the 65 reissue series to me). Sadly, but fortunately, my decision to leave the ’64 at home was vindicated when the ’65 reissue was mysteriously damaged between soundcheck and showtime at a gig in the Netherlands a while back – basically a couple of inches of the binding on the edge of the fretboard were smashed off and the body sustained some hefty dents here and there. I only discovered this a few minutes before showtime when I picked it up off its stand. Nobody had mentioned anything to me at the time, which was pretty infuriating considering someone must have seen/heard something… Needless to say, I was so glad it wasn’t the ’64 and I learned a hard lesson about leaving your guitar on a stand after soundcheck!
Do you use it in the studio?
Yes, all of my guitar parts on ‘Kompromat’ were played on this guitar, and some of my parts on ‘The Shallows’ are played on it. I think Dave might have played it on some of ‘The Shallows’ too.
Is there anything you dislike about it or would like to change?
Not really! It’s an absolute beaut. I did replace the original machine heads and put a Staytrem bridge on it a few years ago to improve tuning stability, but that’s all.
If the worst happened and it broke down, could you replace it?
Kind of. Other vintage Jazzmasters are out there but they’re very very expensive so I’m going to look after this one!
Any honourable mentions of other items that didn’t make the top spot?
So many! I am a pedal geek and there are tonnes of effects units out there that are outstanding. Dave has talked about the Electroharmonix Deluxe Memory Man so I don’t have to, but it really is the cornerstone of a lot of our delay sounds – the modulation is just gorgeous and unrivalled in any other delay I’ve played. I’d also have to give special mention to the Farirfield Circuitry Shallow Water which is an amazing chorus/vibrato where the change in pitch can be random and you can control how abrupt and deep the changes are. I use that in the feedback loop of a delay pedal on our track ‘The Truth’, in combination with the Hudson Broadcast overdrive, which is a really excellent unit that uses a transformer as part of its overdrive circuit to give it a really unique sound. I think we’re in a golden age of music gear to an extent that it’s almost paralysing due to the glut of options. I annoy the other guys in the band testing out a slew of new low-gain overdrives at rehearsal and they all sound the same to them, but I’m always chasing that ‘little bit better’…
Anything else you’d like to tell the world?
Yes, I want to give a shout out to Dan Skevington who’s a really talented electronic engineer in Leeds. I bought a lovely old Fender Pro Reverb amp a few years ago that sounded great but I started having problems with it and it turned out that the old circuitry was disintegrating (I think the components were mounted on some kind of cardboard that was perishing), so Dan essentially rebuilt and hand-wired it all again and it sounds better than ever.
GUY BANNISTER – GUITAR / SYNTH
What is it?
Sequential Circuits Prophet 6
How long have you had it?
I bought this about 4 years ago, just as we were starting to write ‘Kompromat’
How does it help shape your sound?
This synth turned out to be quite an important part of ‘Kompromat’ and features on the record much more than my guitars! In fact I think there’s only one track on the album that it isn’t on. It is an incredible instrument that adds a little bit of magic however you use it.
Do you use it live?
Yes, we might struggle to do the new songs justice without it!
Do you use it in the studio?
We tracked most of the synth parts for the album in my small home studio. I would bring session files back from Greenmount Studios (where ‘Kompromat’ was tracked ) and would experiment with different synth patches and parts. I could then record them at home and send the files back to the studio. This process meant we had plenty of time to experiment and get things just right.
What can we hear it used on?
It’s all over ‘Kompromat’, but the filthy bass on ‘A Steady Hand’ is definitely a highlight.
Is there anything you dislike about it or would like to change?
The only thing I don’t like about it is the fact that I have only got one! There are some new songs with multiple different patches being played simultaneously, so more Prophets would definitely help.
If the worst happened and it broke down, could you replace it?
Yes I could, and I do keep a *fairly* regular back up of the patches I have created, which reminds me that I should probably do a back up….
Anything else you’d like to tell the world about it?
One of my favourite features is the ‘Slop’ function. This slightly detunes the synth’s 6 voices, mimicking the sound of older synths that had much less stable oscillators. The result is a beautiful chorus effect, and if you really crank it you can get some awesome Boards of Canada style wonkiness.
Any honourable mentions of other items that didn’t make the top spot?
The other synth we used quite a lot for this record was a Moog Sub37, which sits nicely under the Prophet as it has a huge amount of low-end grit and the classic sound of the Moog ladder filter. I should also give a shout out to my guitars as I imagine they feel a little overlooked recently.
ALISTAIR BOWIS – BASS
What is it?
A beautiful black Rickenbacker 4003
How long have you had it?
Since just before we recorded our first mini-album, ‘Progress, Reform’.
How does it help shape your sound?
It’s the classic Rickenbacker sound, full of power and grit but equally able to handle those quieter moments before the loud bits.
Do you use it live?
Hell yes, it looks and sounds awesome.
Do you use it in the studio?
Always.
What can we hear it used on?
Everything from our third single onward. I think it has really come into its own on the new album. My personal favourites to listen out for are ‘Desire Is A Mess’ and ‘Eyes To The Left’.
Is there anything you dislike about it or would like to change?
Noooooo, it’s perfect!
If the worst happened and it broke down, could you replace it?
This has been a difficult interview for me. It was recently stolen during Covid lockdown, so I am going to have to try. It’ll have to be a Rickenbacker though, I don’t think anything else will do.
Anything else you’d like to tell the world about it?
If you see it, do me a favour and call the cops.
Any honourable mentions of other items that didn’t make the top spot?
No, this was my heart and soul and everything in between. Don’t tell the kids I said that.
I Like Trains new album ‘Kompromat’ is released on August 21st via Atlantic Curve. The opening track of the album ‘A Steady Hand’ can be heard below, listen out for that filthy bass provided by Guy’s Sequential Circuits Prophet 6.
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