I Thought I Needed an FRFR Cabinet. My M.A.P. Pointed Me Elsewhere.

In last week’s post about building my M.A.P., I talked about how every time I encounter friction, my mind immediately goes to what is the best tool I can buy to solve it. Today, I wanted to provide a real-world example in (almost) real time and show how the techniques I used to create my M.A.P. helped me avoid a rabbit hole of wasted resources.

Last week, I watched an episode of Gibson TV’s Riff Lords. The featured guitarist was Pepper Keenan of the bands Corrosion of Conformity and Down. In the video, Pepper was playing and teaching riffs from both bands. Almost immediately, I was sucked in. The riffs were cool; his playing was tight (it grooved without requiring a drummer); the guitar tone was perfect (kind of a modern Black Sabbath tone, distorted but not overly so, thick with gobs of mid-range). In between riff demos, Pepper told stories about how the riffs came to be. The stories were delivered with humility and a slight southern drawl that made me feel like I was sitting in the room with him.

I immediately started taking notes: check out the songs “Albatross” and “Clean My Wounds,” the first Down album, “Killer Riffs,” and Pepper using an Orange amp (try Helix Native’s Orange model), etc. As soon as I was able to, I grabbed a guitar, tuned it to D standard, created a track in REAPER, inserted Helix Native, and began dialing in the Mandarin Rocker model. I was getting close to the tone I wanted, but not close enough. I was monitoring through headphones, so I switched to monitors, which were slightly better. Then it hit me: I need an amp, but I don’t have one (technically, I do, a Fender ‘65 Princeton Reverb Reissue, but it’s a clean-only amp and too loud for the house). The thought persisted. I need an amp. Maybe an amp I can use with my HX Stomp or my TONEX pedal. I need a FRFR cabinet, yeah, that’s what I need.

While I was able to get through the session without going down a FRFR-research rabbit hole, I couldn’t seem to get the thought out of my head that I needed an amp. Over the course of a few days, I did research FRFR cabs, but I also did something I talked about in last week’s post: thinking and asking questions. What about the Gibson TV episode inspired me so? Why do I think I need an amp? What need will it fill, and why do I think it will fill it? Then I thought about why I bought the Princeton-to use as a pedal platform, and other than the volume issue, I liked the tones I got with pedals. Then I realized that maybe the Pepper Keenan video was not about any one thing, but a display of multiple: great guitar playing, great groove, and great guitar tone, the core elements that inspire me to make music.

This line of thinking prompted me to review my M.A.P. creation notes. Groove was a common thread in the music that inspired me. Most of the music that inspired me made me move. The riffs in those songs provided a groove and a feel, with the guitar tone acting as a co-conspirator, working in perfect concert to drive the song along. The Pepper Keenan video had all the elements that inspire me. Then I thought, is my current setup (guitar, audio interface, amp sim, monitors) not inspiring me? Am I seeing Pepper’s setup and envying it? Is this what I’m trying to do with the FRFR? Am I trying to create a home setup to jam along with my favorite songs, write riffs, and whatever else comes along?

I think it is, but instead of buying an FRFR cabinet to scratch the itch, I’m going to keep digging a little deeper into the why, so I can uncover the actual what. I also now know that part of that decision is inspiring tone and groove. I may not have the complete answer yet, but I’m closer, and I didn’t exhaust valuable resources on a solution for a need and motivation that is not defined.