The Gracious Few and Candlebox Guitarist Sean Hennesy Enhances His Tone With HARMAN’s DigiTech Pedals

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Guitarist Sean Hennesy has a schedule that would make most musicians’ heads spin, touring with not one but two hugely popular bands. He’s a member of multiplatinum rock band Candlebox and is a founding member of The Gracious Few, a supergroup featuring Hennesy and Candlebox lead singer Kevin Martin along with Chad Gracey, Patrick Dahlheimer and Chad Taylor from alternative rock band Live. Wherever he goes, Hennesy takes his HARMAN DigiTech pedals – even on the plane between gigs.

“When it comes to DigiTech pedals, it’s more a question of, ‘what am I not playing’ than what I’m using!” notes Hennesy. His iPB-10 programmable pedalboard, which works in conjunction with an iPad to create and control guitar effects in virtually unlimited combinations, is in constant use. “When I’m on the road I take the iPB-10 to my hotel room and connect it to my computer for practicing and recording. It’s great for playing live as well as recording, and it’s especially useful for flyout dates where I have to travel light or I don’t know what kind of amp the promoter is going to provide.”
“Sometimes I’ll even mess around with new ideas on the plane with the iPB-10 just to hear what it’s going to sound like when I get to plug it in.”

Hennesy co-wrote a few songs on Candlebox’s 1998 Into the Sun album and joined Candlebox in early 2006 as a full-time member when the band resumed touring after a layoff. He contributed songs to the band’s current album, Love Stories and Other Musings. In 2009 he was asked to do a project with Gracey, Dahlheimer and Taylor from Live and after their first writing session, “got a phone call and was on a plane the next day as a member of The Gracious Few.” Through it all, his primary road pedalboard has included DigiTech pedals, and Hennesy currently uses the DigiTech Hardwire HT-6 PolyChromatic Tuner, CM-2 Tube Overdrive, TR-7 Tremolo/Rotary, CR-7 Stereo Chorus and the DigiTech Whammy DT pitch shifting pedal.

“When I was young, I thought everything sounded good, not just DigiTech. As grew, I experimented with different pedals, always looking for something new. For the past few years, though, I’ve been playing with DigiTech pedals and haven’t needed to look for anything else.”

Hennesy likes DigiTech pedals for many other reasons. “They are durable and made for stomping. Most importantly, they don’t suck tone like some other pedals do. They enhance it.

“When it comes to tone, I want to hear what my hands produce with the guitar though the amp,” Hennesy notes. “But…effects are always fun and can help separate you from everyone else. DigiTech pedals keep giving me fresh new flavors.”

Hennesy’s frantic schedule shows no sign of abating. “2014 will be the year for an explosion of new music from me.” He’s not telling yet what that music is going to be, but it’s a sure bet it will be made with the help of DigiTech.

Photo: Peter Klett, Candlebox (Left) and Sean Hennesy (Right).

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. The company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 14,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.3 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

►

CANDLEBOX Lead Guitarist Peter Klett Discovers HARMAN’s DigiTech Hardwire Pedals

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Peter Klett, lead guitarist of the Seattle, Washington based band CANDLEBOX, has been with the group since its inception in 1991. CANDLEBOX’s career spans five studio albums and one live record. CANDLEBOX creates a style of hard rock with an eclectic mix of influences from blues to punk and 70’s rock and roll. Klett recently began using HARMAN’s DigiTech Hardwire pedal line and has been putting them to the test out on the road.

Klett is confident in the HardWire line. It is built to endure the most demanding touring conditions and will last through all the rigorous travel that a touring band goes through. “I knew about DigiTech but I only recently started using the HardWire pedals. I was able to really dig in and try these pedals out on the road,” explained Klett. “I was sold on them almost immediately. You know the first time you hold one that they are a well-built product.”

The feature Klett finds most useful is the ‘Stomplock Knob Guard’. “Its really important when a guitarist has a specific setting on the pedal they don’t want to lose during the packing and unpacking of the pedal board.”

Currently using the Tube Overdrive through both his dirty and clean chain, Klett separates the dirty channel from the clean with a pan pedal using separate amplifiers. “The Tube Overdrive is great through the clean channel to give it a slight bite. It’s especially good for our song ‘Rain’,” commented Klett.

Klett also uses the Tremolo/Rotary, the Stereo Reverb, and the Stereo Chorus pedals. By utilizing the extensive built-in settings, he is able to achieve any sound he and the band are looking for. While running the Stereo Chorus and the Tremolo/Rotary through the clean chain, the Chorus provides Klett with more width. In addition, Klett also runs the Reverb pedal through his clean chain and finds it impossible not to achieve the tone he needs with all three pedals.

Klett has aspirations to become a producer. He wants the challenge of bringing out the best in the artist and he expects the same from his gear. “The build and the options. I look for the care that goes into providing the best possible product. A lot of musicians have limited resources and can only afford one pedal at a time. With the DigiTech HardWire line you know you are getting the most for your hard earned money.”

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. The company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 14,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.3 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

►