Brian Cook of Panda Riot

May 23

Phase Out

Out of your entire gear collection (past or present) can you name a few items that stand out to you and why?

I’ve been building guitar pedals for a while now and I literally have walls of guitar pedals. During the pandemic I decided to build the entire Lovetone catalog of pedals. It was admittedly a crazy idea but at the time I had the time. The Lovetone Meatball is one I really like. It's an auto-wah pedal but with a lot of tweak-ability. It starts sounding very interesting when you verge away from the typical settings.

The Lovetone Ringstinger is another amazing pedal. It's a ring modulator and octave fuzz in one. It's explosive and crazy, the kind of pedal you want to base a song around. Lastly, the Colorsound Jumbo Tonebender is a nice alternative to the Big Muff. It has a slightly rubbery feel while still sounding bombastic.

Windfall

What unexpected piece of music gear has inspired you the most?

The Electro Harmonix Eco-Flanger. It's long been out of production, and someone commissioned me to build a clone of it. While testing the finished pedal I was shocked at the versatility, from the deep flanging effects to the warble-y water-y choruses, it's amazing.

Pine Away

What piece of music gear do you wish you still had, and/or perhaps something you regret not buying when you had the opportunity?

I’m too deliberate and methodical about buying things including gear so I generally keep everything I buy. I do regret getting stoned in Philadelphia and accidentally leaving my Fender Jaguar by the side of the road to never be seen again...

Wild Card

Are there any recent gear acquisitions that have had a significant impact on your sound or workflow?

Recently, I bought a Marshall JCM 800 100 watt head, a Marshall 1960A 4x12 cab, and set it up in an isolated amp room. Until recently when I played any kind of distortion, the bulk of it came from guitar pedals into a Vox AC30. Plugging in a 100 watt Marshall amp and being able to not worry about turning everything to 10 is kind of freeing to say the least. The sound you get from the interaction between the head, the speakers, and the mics on cab can’t be beat.