Andy Summers '83-4 Tour Guitar FX?

[New Zealand Promoter]

Hello,

I'm getting a rig together for some La Policia shows (Melbourne, Oz Police tribute band) in Jan - Feb next year. Whilst I'm fairly happy with the effects I have as far as matching Andy's tone from '79-'82, on my trusty customised Tele, it becomes somewhat trickier for the Synchronicity tour.

The key effects which I use for '79-'82 are: 70's EHX Electric Mistress flanger / MXR Phase 90 (script logo, not reissue) / MXR Dyna Comp (script w. ross chip) / Eventide Timefactor (delay pedal with various Echoplex + tape delay settings).

The Flanger and the comp do heaps of the work. I've read that Andy used a dynacomp at the start AND end of his effects chain (can anyone confirm this?).

During '83-4, though, his sound is totally different. Yeah, he uses a 12 string once or twice and a strat but I'm talking about his standard Tele tracks. His sound has something to it that is very different to previous tours and I have never been able to put my finger on what it is.

Any experts / guitar FX nerds who can help out? There are no forums out there which I found that clarify this issue...

x
Thanks!

[New Zealand Promoter]

... and here is how much is known about Andy's effects used in 83-4:

http://www.policefans.org/Police_wiki/i ... _breakdown


ie


NOTHING!

It is one of the world's great mysteries....

[Dietmar]

that there's a rather empty PoliceWiki page doesn't necessarily mean that there's no information out there...
it might mean I didn't have the time or mood to fill the page with information
I'll check what's in magazines and will let you know if I find something
Dietmar

[New Zealand Promoter]

[quote="Dietmar"]that there's a rather empty PoliceWiki page doesn't necessarily mean that there's no information out there...
it might mean I didn't have the time or mood to fill the page with information
I'll check what's in magazines and will let you know if I find something
Dietmar[/quote]

Thankyou, Dietmar! If you can help solve this deep, dark sonic mystery, I'd be much obliged!

[Funio]

I also noticed a change in Andy's sound on the Synchronicity tour (particularly on stuff like 'Walking On The Moon'), but it seems that by some point in the tour, possibly the '84 leg, he was back to using a sound much more reminiscent of earlier tours, at least on some songs - Honolulu 1984.02.25 and Auckland 1984.02.29 demonstrate this well.

[Dietmar]

I switched through my folders with 1983 / 1984 articles and sadly there's no breakdown of Andy's equipment in any magazine I have. There might be the occasional bit of information in articles, but it might take a while. And maybe there's information in articles of a foreign language (my Japanese is a bit weak).
So far I could only find information about equipment used on Synchronicity LP and the 2nd Summers / Fripp LP, but nothing about the tour in between...

[New Zealand Promoter]

Thanks Dietmar. Yep, I've done the same, and have trawled the 'net many times.
He used a Pete Cornish board, of course, so no photos of his stage rig will help either.
I am hoping through the whole 6 degrees of separation thing that someone here knows someone who
knows his old guitar tech or... something.

[Funio]

How 'bout this:

http://web.tiscali.it/andatta/

[New Zealand Promoter]

[quote="Funio"]How 'bout this:

[url]http://web.tiscali.it/andatta/[/url][/quote]

Been there many times! It's great for the pre-Synch era, but sheds no light on that last tour, sadly. I just emailed Pete Cornish via his website, with a bit of luck he might not only feel like writing back but also remember something....!

[New Zealand Promoter]

Dietmar, do you know who Andy's guitar tech was in those days? Maybe he's online or is contactable somehow...

[quote="Dietmar"]I switched through my folders with 1983 / 1984 articles and sadly there's no breakdown of Andy's equipment in any magazine I have. There might be the occasional bit of information in articles, but it might take a while. And maybe there's information in articles of a foreign language (my Japanese is a bit weak).
So far I could only find information about equipment used on Synchronicity LP and the 2nd Summers / Fripp LP, but nothing about the tour in between...[/quote]

[Dietmar]

I'll get into it.

- should have been Tam Fairgrieve - I guess I tried to get in touch before, without any luck

[New Zealand Promoter]

Thanks Dietmar! Yep, that seems correct - Sting even thanks him for tuning Andy's guitars in the Darmstadt '83 bootleg. There is only one Tam Fairgrieve on FB, and there is nothing remotely musical at his profile. Likely not him. Can't find him anywhere else online so far....

[quote="Dietmar"]I'll get into it.

- should have been Tam Fairgrieve - I guess I tried to get in touch before, without any luck[/quote]

[New Zealand Promoter]

I'm also trying to contact Andy's current tech, Den Smith... who might know how to contact Tam....

[quote="Dietmar"]I'll get into it.

- should have been Tam Fairgrieve - I guess I tried to get in touch before, without any luck[/quote]

[Dietmar]

I'm in touch with Dennis.

[New Zealand Promoter]

Ah! May I send you a message to pass on to him? (my email address is tj0007 AT gmail.com)

[quote="Dietmar"]I'm in touch with Dennis.[/quote]