Active Band Man Chats - The Japanese Zodiac Signs of the Gear

Umm, umm...

Huh?

Umm, umm...

Are you deep in thought?

Umm... Ah, were you there, Horry?

I was! I know my presence is indeed a bit faint...

Umm, what was I saying?

I’m the one asking!

Ah! The zodiac!

That was a long setup... So, what about the zodiac?

I was thinking if we could represent the zodiac with gear!

Hmm?

(Ignoring) Remember how we compared tarot cards to instruments before?

Yes, I do.

And a lot of animals showed up, right?

Yes.

Well, if we push that idea further, I thought we could make the Japanese Zodiac signs using only musical gear!

Hah... It might feel a bit out of season, but you seem really excited, so feel free to go ahead.

Alright, let’s go! First up, the Rat!

It’s the first in the zodiac.

This has to be the legendary distortion, the RAT!
ProCo / RAT2 Distortion

I see. This one is without question.

It even appeared in Ringo Sheena’s “Marunouchi Sadistic”, so even people who aren’t musicians might know it.

That’s right. Many people may know the name alone.

It’s also one of my favorite pedals. I’d love to get all the different color variations... I heard they recently released a mini version, and I’d love to try that too.

There are surprisingly a lot of variations, aren’t there? So, for the Rat, we chose the RAT. Now, next is the Ox?

Yep! The Ox... Actually, this one was the hardest! The others went pretty smooth, but this one was tough.

The others were smooth, huh?

After a lot of struggling, the one I finally came up with was the Gibson Custom Zack Wylde Les Paul BFG Bullseye Electric Guitar 573!

I see, it’s the bull’s eye... makes sense.

Alright, cleared! Next is the Tiger!

That’s the zodiac for this year.

Yep! For the Tiger,
Edwards / E-RS-160R Orange Tiger

Nice choice, a tiger-patterned Random Star. It’s sold out, though...

You would probably like this. Also,
One Control / Tiger Lily Tremolo

Well, it has ‘Tiger’ in the name... but a tremolo?

It’s Tiger Lily... Let’s let it slide.

Alright, alright.

Tomoyasu Hotei’s signature model is also great, though is it a Zodiac model now?

Huh? Ah... it has ‘Tiger’ in his name!

Yes! It’s the Japanese Zodiac! Everything links up!

Next is the Rabbit.
Suhr / JST Jack Rabbit Tremolo

This is... a tremolo too?

Yep! Suhr releases more than just distortion pedals, huh?

Next is the Dragon?

Alright! For the Dragon,
Fender / Jimmy Page Telecaster

Jimmy Page! I guess it’s the dragon paint design. It’s a bit of a stretch, but... I’ll accept it!

Yay! Next, for the Snake,
Edwards / E-Viper-1H Alternative Black

Huh? What’s this?

Viper means something like a venomous snake!

You’re approaching it from all angles. Well, I think it’s ok!

And here’s another one!
Charvel / Warren DeMartini Signature Snake Pro Mod

Snake pattern! This one’s more obvious, plus it’s the Warren DeMartini model! Pass! But personally, when I think of snake patterns, I think of D’Erlanger’s Cipher...

I see! But well, with Horry’s personal judgment and bias, I’ll accept this too! The next zodiac is the Horse, so it’s got to be a Fender Mustang!
Fender / Player Mustang 90, Aged Natural

No objections! There’s also a Mustang bass, right?

Now, for the Sheep...
Black Arts Toneworks / Black Sheep

A black sheep? I’ve never seen this one. You really searched for it!

I searched for ‘sheep’ in the Sound House website search bar! How’s that?

How’s that!? People who use the Sound House search function like that are probably people like you... Alright, next!

For the Monkey,
Mooer / Funky Monkey

I’ve never seen this one before, Funky Monkey? Like Carol?

There was also an old pedal by Digitech called Bad Monkey, an overdrive.

A mischievous monkey?

And here’s another one! Something I think you would like:
Ibanez / JEM77P-BFP Steve Vai Model

I see, the Monkey Grip! Pass!

Alright! For the Rooster, of course, it’s gotta be a Firebird or Thunderbird!

No objections.

And then, the Mockingbird!
Fernandes / MG 120X BLK

White Falcon!
Gretsch / G6136-55 Vintage Select Edition '55 Falcon

There are so many bird-related ones.

Still got more?
Guild / S-200 T-Bird Antique Burst

T-Bird? This one’s a first for me...

And PRS has bird inlays on the fretboard too!
Paul Reed Smith (PRS) / SE Hollowbody Standard Fire Red Burst

There’s a lot of birds here. Pass!

Alright, next is... the Dog,
D’Angelico / Excel59 Black Dog

Black Dog? Led Zeppelin?

Yep! The model name has ‘Dog’ in it, and the pickups are what’s known as dog-ear type!

I see... dog-ear type pickups? I didn’t know about that.

Yep, yep. And then! It’s not a dog, but a wolf—
EVH / Wolfgang WG Standard Quicksilver

Oh, Van Halen’s! Alright, pass!

Alright! Finally, the Boar... but can we make it a pig instead?

Make it a pig! Fine, I’ll allow it...

Thank you! Pignose it is!
Pignose / PGG-200 Black

Well, that makes sense, but I think it all came together more neatly than expected. And now that you’ve written this column, every year you’ve been buying gear related to the zodiac, right...?

(Ignoring) So, all of this is because of?

Love!