Robert Drózd, via Wikimedia Commons
John Scofield
There aren’t a lot of legitimate jazz guitar icons who make extensive use of effects
pedals, but John Scofield transcended the “jazz guitarist” label long ago. His more
recent musical adventures find him diversifying extensively well beyond straigh tahead jazz, and along with these fresh musical developments, effects have become a
bigger part of his sound. Sco is known for using an unusual variation of the Whammy,
the XP-100 Whammy Wah, which incorporates wah, auto wah, volume, Whammy, and
harmony effects. He uses quite a few of the presets extensively, particularly the auto
wah, Whammy, and octave-up presets, and they can be heard throughout many of his
recordings from the last fifteen years or so. The song “Blackout” from the Bump album
has some deliciously tasteful Whammy manipulations beginning around the 1:17 mark,
and is an excellent example of Scofield’s sophisticated artistry with the effect.
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