Open Research Questions

Per Under The Scales podcast Episode 12, Trey mentions a Paul Languedoc inscription reading November 1987 inside the guitar — most likely reflecting when Paul finished the body. Early 1988 is the current best estimate for the first live performance, but the specific show has not been pinpointed.

Guitar Shop (August 1996) confirms the humbuckers are Schaller units, but the specific model has not been identified. Schaller produced several humbucker lines during this period and no source has pinpointed which was used in the original build.

The make and model of the middle single-coil pickup in the original three-pickup configuration has never been documented in any published source.

The middle single-coil pickup was removed at some point, leaving an open cavity. The exact date has not been confirmed. Photographs from the early-to-mid 1990s show the guitar with the open cavity.

After the single-coil was removed, Paul Languedoc built and installed a custom ebony cover to close the open cavity. The date of this modification is not confirmed.

Photos from 2000 show a third knob on the guitar whose function has not been identified. At some point — potentially around 2015 when the middle single-coil was reinstalled — this knob was replaced with a microswitch. Whether the microswitch is functional or decorative is unknown.

The guitar is confirmed as a Time strat-style with three single-coil pickups and 22 frets. The specific model designation, year of manufacture, and exact shows or dates on which it was used remain unconfirmed.

Both heads are confirmed as Long Head variants. Whether either was the Simul-Class version (75W/15W switchable) vs. the standard 100W/60W Long Head has not been confirmed. The two variants are visually identical.

Whether Trey used the Mesa Boogie Mark III's onboard reverb during this era is unknown.

Trey sold the original Electro-Voice-loaded cabinet around 1990–91 and later had Paul build a recreation. The 11/19/92 show appears to be the debut of this new cabinet — footage suggests both were on stage that night — but this has not been definitively confirmed.

The specific acoustic guitar used throughout 1994 for mid-show segments (Ginseng Sullivan, Dog Faced Boy, Nellie Kane, The Old Home Place, etc.) has not been confirmed. Make, model, and year of the instrument are unknown.

Confirmed in Rack A via video footage shot by Reverend Jeff Mosier (November 1994). Despite careful listening across 1994 recordings, no one has identified a moment Trey audibly engages it. Whether it was ever switched into the signal chain, and the exact dates of addition and removal, are unknown.

The Bradshaw MIDI switching system is placed as debuting in April 1994 based on available evidence, but the exact first show has not been confirmed with certainty.

The first known on-stage use is October 7, 1994 at Stabler Arena, clearly audible in the intro of Maze. Whether it was part of the rig before that date and simply not engaged, or whether 10/7 was genuinely its first night on the board, has not been confirmed.

The three Alesis Microverb units were each set to a different preset. The Reverse unit is confirmed. The exact hall settings used for the Vast and Full units have not been confirmed from any available source.

It is not confirmed whether the new amp configuration debuted at the 5/16/95 Lowell Memorial Auditorium show or at the Summer 1995 tour opener on 6/7/95. No photos from either show have surfaced, leaving the exact debut date unresolved.

Video confirms the kit was present at Seattle Center Arena on 10/3/95 and absent at Shoreline on 9/30/95. The most likely debut is the first Seattle show (10/2/95), but this has not been confirmed. The exact composition of the kit — what instruments it comprised — is also unconfirmed.

The specific acoustic guitar used throughout 1995 (I'm Blue I'm Lonesome, My Long Journey Home, Acoustic Army, etc.) has not been confirmed. Make, model, and year unknown.

The MTI Rotophaser is placed as debuting in 1995 based on available evidence, but the precise first show has not been confirmed.

Guitar Shop (August 1996) confirms the Dual 75 drove all three speaker loads simultaneously (left Languedoc 2×12, right Languedoc 2×12, MTI Rotophaser). The exact impedance of each output tap and how the total speaker load was distributed across the amp's two channels remains unconfirmed.

The exact date the CAE Black Cat Vibe was added to the rig in 1995 has not been confirmed from available sources.

Confidently in the rack by Fall 1995, visible in Bearsville Studios rack photos and Guitar Shop (August 1996). Whether it was ever actually used live — and if so, how it was patched — has never been confirmed. Disappears from rack photos by the Europe Summer 1996 tour. Removal date unknown.

The Peavey Valverb tube Spring reverb is placed as a 1995 addition — replacing the Mesa Boogie's built-in spring when Trey moved to the CAE SE 3+ preamp. The exact show it first appeared has not been pinpointed.

There is evidence that NOS RCA tubes were used in the Groove Tubes Dual 75 power amp, but the specific tube types per position have not been confirmed. The Dual 75 uses multiple tube types across its driver and output stages and the exact complement — model, vintage, and position — remains undocumented.

NOS RCA tubes are confirmed as having been used in the CAE SE 3+ preamp, but nothing more specific than that has been documented. The exact tube type and position within the preamp circuit — across its multiple gain stages — has not been confirmed from any available source.

The specific acoustic guitar used for "Talk" (from Billy Breathes) at Auburn Hills (11/9/96), Ames (11/14/96), and FleetCenter (12/30/96) has not been confirmed. Make, model, and year unknown.

The precise show or tour leg at which Trey's two-rack setup was consolidated into a single rack in 1996 has not been confirmed from available sources.

The Koa #1 debuted with a tune-o-matic style bridge. At some later point Paul Languedoc installed a custom brass saddle bridge. The exact date of that modification is not confirmed.

The Peavey Valverb tube Spring reverb is confirmed in the rig. How it was blended against the three digital Alesis MicroVerbs — whether used on all channels, selectively via the CAE 4×4 routing, or for specific sounds — has not been documented.

Visible in Bearsville Studios rack photos (Spring 1996) and confirmed in Guitar Shop (August 1996). Whether it was ever used live has never been confirmed. Gone from rack photos by the Europe Summer 1996 tour. Exact removal date unknown.

The specific acoustic guitar used for "Talk" at Teatro Olimpico, Rome (2/22/97) — the first acoustic appearance since 1993/94 — has not been confirmed. Make, model, and year unknown.

The speakers used in Trey's Deluxe Reverb across 1997–2000 are known in approximate sequence, but it is not possible to say with confidence which specific speaker was loaded during any given tour or year. The swap dates have not been confirmed from any primary source. See the 1997 page for the known sequence.

From the Fall Tour opener (11/13/97) the Languedoc cabinets and CAE/Groove Tubes rack amp were present on stage but believed to not be carrying signal. Whether they were ever switched back in during 1997, or remained purely visual, has not been confirmed.

Whether the Motion Sound Pro 3 Leslie was miked to front-of-house, run direct, or both during 1997 performances has not been confirmed from available sources.

A small black Fender Blues Junior is visible behind Trey's rig in footage from 6/22/97 in Germany and is believed to have been driving the Goff Leslie 925 during the Summer 1997 Europe tour. This has not been confirmed beyond that single source.

At some point during the Fall 1997 tour or the Island Tour, Trey switched from the Blues Junior to a Mesa Boogie Mark III head as the dedicated driver for the Goff Leslie 925. The exact show at which this occurred has not been confirmed.

The Boomerang is placed in the Fall 1998 tour based on available evidence, but the precise first appearance has not been confirmed from any primary source.

The exact contents of the small rack used on the Europe 1998 tour are not fully documented. Which effects units were carried and whether any were left behind is not confirmed.

The specific acoustic guitar used for "Sleep," "Driver," and other Fall 1998 appearances has not been confirmed. Make, model, and year unknown, as is whether it was amplified or run through any effects.

Where exactly the Boomerang sat in the signal chain — before or after the rack effects, before or after the volume pedal — has not been confirmed from available evidence.

The sequence of speaker swaps across 1997–2000 is known in approximate order, but it is not confirmed which specific speaker was loaded during the 1998 touring season. See the 1997 page for the known sequence.

By Big Cypress a third Fender Deluxe Reverb was present, positioned off to the side and apparently driving the Leslie 925. Exactly when during the Winter 1999 tour this configuration was adopted has not been confirmed. Whether it fully replaced the Mesa Boogie Mark III in that role, or ran alongside it, is also unconfirmed.

The distinctive bright, cutting tone of 1999 recordings — widely described as a "laser tone" — has no confirmed gear explanation. The Goff Leslie 925 appears more prominent than in 1997–98, and the Mesa Boogie driving it may have been set differently. Whether this involved a gain change, different Leslie blend, speaker or component change, or something else entirely has not been confirmed.

The specific acoustic guitar used for all TAB solo acoustic performances and for The Inlaw Josie Wales with Phish has not been confirmed. Make, model, and year unknown.

The original 1980s Languedoc 2×12 cabinet returned to the stage in Summer 1999. Based on available evidence it appears to have been present for visual purposes rather than carrying active signal, but this has not been definitively confirmed.

The Mark III is confirmed as driving the Goff Leslie 925 and was clearly visible on top of the rack in Summer 1999. Whether it also drove the Languedoc 2×12 cabinet or was purely a Leslie amp in this configuration is not confirmed.

The Yamaha AN1x is placed as debuting on the TAB Spring 1999 tour. The exact first show at which it appeared has not been pinpointed from available evidence.

The exact position of the Boomerang Phrase Sampler within the signal chain has not been confirmed for 1999 either.

The 1999 rack is assumed to carry forward from 1998 unchanged. Whether any modifications, additions, or substitutions were made specifically for 1999 has not been independently verified.

The sequence of speaker swaps across 1997–2000 is known in approximate order, but it is not confirmed which specific speaker was loaded during the 1999 touring season. See the 1997 page for the known sequence.

By Big Cypress photographic evidence suggests the third Fender Deluxe Reverb had taken over driving the Leslie 925. Whether the Mesa Boogie was entirely removed from the rig for 2000 touring or remained in some secondary capacity has not been confirmed.

The Leslie 122 is confirmed as arriving during the final 2000 tour in September, replacing the Goff-modified Leslie 925. The exact show at which it first appeared has not been pinpointed.

The 2000 rack is assumed to carry forward from 1999 unchanged. Whether any modifications, additions, or substitutions were made for the 2000 touring season has not been independently verified.

A 2000 article confirms a Martin D-42K as the acoustic in use during this period. Whether additional Martins were already touring with Trey during the 2000 Phish season — as confirmed on the 2001 TAB tour — has not been established.

The speaker loaded in each of the three Fender Deluxe Reverbs in 2000 has not been specifically confirmed. Speaker swaps were ongoing across the 1997–2000 period; whether a final configuration had been settled on by 2000 is not known.