The Art of Noy
Jazz/funk vamp master Oz Noy has made a name for himself with his unique song arrangements and even more curious use of effects both live and on his pair of studio albums. The Israeli-born Noy has rooted down in New York City where you can often find him leading his trio through multiple sets at venerable rock club The Bitter End in Greenwich Village. He also has one of the most impressive pedal boards around… both his main board set-up and his smaller ‘travel’ board, which is larger than most pro boards I’ve seen!
Noy has played with several noted musicians including Will Lee, Anton Fig, Keith Carlock, Dave Weckl and Tim Lefebvre among others, and has become a cult favorite of guitarists across all genres. His latest record ‘Fuzzy’ was releases last September and is a memorable mix of jazz/rock instruments showcasing Noy’s unique approach to songwriting. WTDP? had a chance to chat with Noy about his use of effects and the mix of vintage and new components that make up his guitar rig.
WTDP?: Effects play a key role in your music – how do you end up settling on which brand to use? Is it mainly trial-and-error?
Oz: I just check some stuff out and what ever sounds good enough I’ll use. The problem is that you cant really hear a pedal till you play it live. Sometimes a pedal will work, and sometimes it won’t.
WTDP?: What is your ‘desert island’ pedal from each board – the ones that you couldn’t live without?
Oz: I would say Octafuzz and a Line 6 DL-4 delay
WTDP?: The Robotalk is an interesting stomp – is it the culprit to those unique sounds heard on the Fuzzy CD in the intro of ‘Which Way Is Up?’, during the mid-section of ‘EpistroFunk’ and in the opening riff to ‘Evidence’?
Oz: Yes to the first, no to the other two. On ‘Evidence’ it’s my Octafuzz. On ‘Epistrofunk’ I play a straight sound with a Leslie sometimes. If your talking about the fast riff at the end, its a sample of one of my licks played in reverse and double time.
WTDP?: Let’s play Get One/Lose One – what pedal that you don’t currently own would you like to have? Now, which pedal loses its spot in your set-up to make room for it?
Oz: I own an Electro-Harmonix Memory Man that I would love to add to my rig, but it doesn’t fit at the moment space-wise… and the fact that its mono in and out is a little bit a of a problem also. I’m working on it. I’d lose one of my DL-4′s, but I’ll have to add not only the Memory Man but a few other delay pedals to cover the other sounds.
WTDP: Why three DL-4s – each must have song-unique setting dialed in and at the ready?
Oz:One is a dedicated sampler and the other two have different delay settings. Sometimes I’ll use one delay going to another.
WTDP?: Give us the low down on your two Strats?
Oz: The Rosewood Strat is a ‘62 re-issue that came out in 1989. It has DiMarzio Virtual Vintage pickups – Area 56 for neck and middle, and a custom for the bridge. I’ve had it since 1994. The Maple is a Custom Shop ‘57 Relic with stock pickups. Lindy Fralin re-wound the bridge to give it more volume. The rest is all original. I got it last summer.
WTDP?: What about your amps?
Oz: I use a ’67 Fender Band Master head with a 2×12 Bad Cat Cab with Vintage 30 speakers. I also use a ’73 Marshall with a 4×12 Bad Cat Cabinet with loaded with Green Back 25′s.
WTDP?: Any plans to record a new album in 2008?
Oz: Yes, I’ll be recording a new record in October.
Thanks Oz. You can learn more about Oz Noy by checking out his website at www.oznoy.com.
Enjoy the pics!
