how we first started talking . We planned the build for quite some time just because I wanted everything to be exactly perfect , because I ’ d almost be playing through it every day between working at Highlands and doing videos . Brian did such a professional job on it and I ’ m very happy with it .
[ WM ] I ’ m a big fan of the RJM stuff . I see you ’ ve got ‘ loop-centric ’ photos for your stomps affixed to the face of your Mastermind PBC . Do you primarily use it for loop control , or is that just for visual cues when in loop mode ?
[ Wesley ] I ’ ve always had the little pedal pictures on my board all the way back to when I got a bypass looper over a decade ago . It just helps me visualize better when in loop mode on the mastermind or playing spontaneously to see a light on or off next to the picture of the pedal .
[ WM ] I see that you ’ ve remained faithful to the Timeline and Big Sky . What about these pedals do you love most ?
[ Wesley ] I really like Strymon stuff and was just blown away when these pedals first came out . They cover so much ground and are a huge staple piece to my sound . I love the cloud algorithm on the Big Sky and the digital delay on the Timeline .
[ WM ] I see the HX Stomp and Iridium on your board , but as I recall you ’ ve got a Korg era AC30 . How much of the time do you run direct , and do you have a preference one way or the other ?
[ Wesley ] So I just use the HX stomp for modulations and some delays . The Iridium is mainly for backup or if I ever need it in a silent band rehearsal spot or something similar . I do
Calvary ’ s Cross // 500k Views
personally own two ‘ 90s Korg era AC30s . I ’ ve always loved these amps and shaped my tone around them . We have two of them at church running into a UA Ox Box for speaker load , so that ’ s a great option to have for a silent stage .
Currently at home for YouTube videos I run my board into the front of two Kempers in stereo . So , I play direct and through amps constantly , but I always will prefer stereo amps with a mic in front of them . It ’ s just too convenient nowadays to have a direct option that sounds so good and dialed in and not have to lug around massive amps . I will say whenever we do official recordings for Highlands originals or live recordings , I ’ ll most likely bust out the real amps with a mic !
[ WM ] I love the song “ Calvary ’ s Cross ” and judging by the YouTube views a lot of other people do as well . How do you approach writing parts including changing them up as a song evolves ?
[ Wesley ] We ’ ve got a lot of talented guitarists