The Guitar Playing of
Aaron Freeman & Mickey Melchiondo
With an afterword on some of their recording set-ups
Gener uses Les Pauls live if you didn't already know that. The one I seen him use on the 'White Pepper' tour was a 1974 Sunburst job that he says he was able to get for a good price. He changed the tuners out on it and really loves the sunburst finish. His other Les Paul is a 1960 're-issue' that was manufactured sometime in the late 80's early 90's. It was once knocked over by Claude, who was in a drunken haze! It got the neck broke on it, but Gener had it repaired and now you can't even tell. I first seen him wielding this one in 97' at the House of Blues in New Orleans. Gener says he likes playing Gibsons for the contrast of Mick and his guitar sounds on stage, but when they record, it's whatever guitar is closest gets picked up. The guitar that Gener plays most is his Martin D-28 acoustic but most of the songs on 'White Pepper' were written on a Cort acoustic! He paid $300 for it brand new. It looks like the 'Hootie' guitar! Gener says that guitar is incredible, it doesn't play like a Cort unlike every other Cort he has ever played. For effects, Gener uses a Boss Flange, a Small Stone Phaser and the distortion from his Mesa Boogie. I have a couple of pictures below to illustrate his goldtop Les Paul and his effects. Thanks Aaron.
(4/21/01) If you noticed Gener playing a black acoustic at any of the March 2001 Mini-tour shows, it was a Takamine that was rented from 'Center Staging' the company Ween's roadie works for. Gener says he was pleasantly surprised at how well it played. Of course at home, Gener plays his Martin, but he had to have it overhauled the last time he took it out. Acoustics can be very...touchy.
I personally witnessed him using a black Stratocaster at the Roxy in Atlanta on May 18th after he broke a string during the encore. That Strat is also a 64' and it has been refinished in black. It is also equipped with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail in the bridge position and it appears to be stock single coils in the neck and mid positions. Also, this guitar had a whammy bar, which is something I have never seen him use until now. Below are a few pictures from that performance.
I also seen him using a red 1969 Strat on a video of the 1/2/01 show they did at The Saint in Asbury Park. This guitar appears to be set-up similar to his black 64' Strat, minus the whammy bar. Is has what looks to be stock pickups in the neck and mid positions and like both of his 64' Strats, it has a Seymour Duncan in the bridge position.
After the Chocolate and Cheese tour, he decided to switch back to completely playing Stratocasters, he was tired of the smaller necks plus he had always owned a couple of Strats anyway.
Mickey has practically done everything short of smashing the guitar pictured above. He has thrown it across stage and even set it on fire! It's on it's third fret job and third pickguard. As you can tell, it's a work of art! Mickey says he could never part with either of them."They just don't make em' like this anymore."
Ween has used several different recording formats over the years. Anything from ADAT to 16 track 1 inch, and of course, 4 track cassette. Alot of people think that Ween was always 'lo-fi' when if fact, GodWeenSatan was recorded on a pretty decent 16 track machine! For all of their studio albums, these are the various recording processes they've used:
GodWeenSatan- 16 Track 1" 30 ips
The Pod- 4 track cassette
Pure Guava- 4 track cassette (except 'Don't Get 2 Close-on 16 track 1")
Chocolate And Cheese- ADAT, 16 track 1", 24 track 2"
12 Golden Country Greats- 24 track 2" (15 ips dolby)
The Mollusk- 16 track 1" dumped to ProTools and then mixed
White Pepper- 24 track 2"
Other various cuts such as Beacon Light, I'll Miss You, Mango Woman, Shot Heard 'Round The World, and a few other odds and ends, were done at Pat and Greg Frey's studio, on a 24 track 2". White Pepper was recorded by Chris Shaw at Bearsville NY, on an API console (one of the new ones, not a vintage API console) to a Studer 2" 24 track. Some cuts had additional Protools tracks, but it was mixed analog.
