01
Amplification
Amp Head — Primary
Mesa Boogie Mark III
The same amp head from the previous era, now joined by a second unit and housed in Rack B. Core tone remained unchanged — still the foundation of Trey's sound.
Amp Head — Backup New
Mesa Boogie Mark III
A second Mark III added to the rig in a primary/spare configuration, both housed in Rack B. The redundancy allowed for seamless switching if the main head had a problem mid-show.
Speaker Cabinets Now ×2
Custom Languedoc 2×12 ×2
Both of Paul Languedoc's hand-built plywood cabinets were in use — and by 1994 both were loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s. The original Electro-Voice cabinet had been sold around 1990–1991, and the replacement Paul subsequently built was also loaded with Vintage 30s, matching the remaining original cabinet.
02
Guitar
Unchanged from previous era
Trey's primary guitar remained the original Languedoc hollowbody — the maple top / padauk body instrument with the Marley headstock inlay. The massive rig expansion of 1994 was built entirely around serving this guitar's voice through the Mesa Boogie.
Acoustic Guitar — Extensive Use Throughout 1994
- Pattern established Trey continued and expanded his 1993 habit of picking up an acoustic mid-show. In 1994 this became even more systematic — many shows included short acoustic clusters of 2–4 songs, most commonly drawn from Ginseng Sullivan, Dog Faced Boy, Nellie Kane, My Sweet One, Sweet Adeline, and The Old Home Place. These were typically performed without amplification or with minimal miking.
- Sep 11, 1994 Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA — Trey performed a solo acoustic set including the debut of Guyute. The first public performance of the song was on acoustic guitar at a solo show.
- Oct 10, 1994 Palace Theatre, Albany — The Old Home Place through Nellie Kane and Foreplay/Long Time were all performed acoustic.
- Oct 14, 1994 McAlister Auditorium, Tulane — Nellie Kane, Beaumont Rag, and Foreplay/Long Time performed acoustic.
- Oct 21, 1994 Sunrise Musical Theatre, FL — Foreplay/Long Time performed acoustic.
- Nov 18, 1994 MSU Auditorium — Little Tiny Butter Biscuits, The Old Home Place, and My Long Journey Home performed acoustic.
- Nov 22, 1994 Jesse Auditorium, Missouri — Big Black Furry Creature from Mars was started electric and finished in the acoustic setting. BBFCFM partially acoustic is among the more unusual documented moments.
- May 25, 1994 Warfield Theatre — My Sweet One was performed acoustic, along with other songs including Foreplay/Long Time.
- Apr 8, 1994 Recreation Hall, Penn State — The beginning of The Horse featured Trey on acoustic guitar, continuing the 1993 pattern into the spring 1994 tour.
Acoustic mini-sets — 1994 signature
1994 is the peak year for Trey's mid-show acoustic segments. The bluegrass and country-inflected songs — Ginseng Sullivan, Dog Faced Boy, Nellie Kane, Old Home Place — formed a natural acoustic cluster that appeared in setlists throughout the spring, summer, and fall tours. The acoustic guitar used in these segments has not been definitively identified by make or model.
03
MIDI Switching System & Two Racks
April 1994 marked the debut of a Bradshaw rack-based MIDI switching system — the single largest change Trey's rig would ever see. The system allowed effects to be switched in and out of the signal path cleanly, with no noise or tone degradation. Crucially, it enabled Trey to bring back gear from his teenage years that had previously been too noisy or complex to integrate into a live rig.
The result was two distinct rack systems positioned behind Trey on stage — Rack A to his lower right for effects, and Rack B housing his amplifiers and reverb units.
Rack A — Effects
Lower right, within reach
1U
Rack Tuner
Tuner
1U
Ibanez DM2000
Digital Delay New
1U
EHX Small Stone
Phase Shifter New
1U
DOD 680 Analog Delay Unconfirmed use
Analog Delay New
1U
Ibanez TS-9
Overdrive Carried over
1U
Ibanez TS-10
Overdrive Carried over
1U
Ross Compressor
Compressor Now racked
2U
CAE 4×4 Audio Controller ×2
Loop Switcher
Rack B — Amps & Reverb
Behind stage
2U
Mesa Boogie Mark III — Primary
Amp Head
2U
Mesa Boogie Mark III — Backup
Amp Head
1U
CAE Audio Controller
Loop Switcher
1U
Alesis Microverb — "Reverse"
Reverb Carried over
1U
Alesis Microverb — "Vast"
Reverb
1U
Alesis Microverb — "Full"
Reverb
Rack A — Access Note
Rack A was positioned to Trey's lower right specifically so he could reach over mid-song and tweak knobs on the DM2000, the Tube Screamers, and the Ross Compressor. The Tube Screamers and Ross moved off the floor and into the rack for the first time in this era.
Three Microverbs
The three Alesis Microverb units in Rack B were each set to a different preset. The Reverse unit carried over from the previous era for lead work. The exact hall settings used for the Vast and Full units are not confirmed, but they provided distinct ambient textures that could be switched via MIDI.
04
New Effects — 1994
Digital Delay New '94
Ibanez DM2000
A rack-mounted digital delay unit that opened up new textural territory. Most notably heard during the "Digital Delay Loop" jams — extended improvisational sections built entirely around the DM2000's looping and delay capabilities.
5/7/94 — Digital Delay Loop Jam
Phase Shifter New '94
EHX Small Stone
The classic Electro-Harmonix phase shifter, now cleanly integrated via the Bradshaw loop system. Its slow, sweeping phase effect became a signature texture in Trey's playing through this era.
Stash — A Live One (reference listen)
Analog Delay New '94
DOD 680 Analog Delay
Visually confirmed in the rig via footage shot by Reverend Jeff Mosier during his brief stint with Phish in November 1994 — a bluegrass video that offers a rare close-up look at Rack A. However, extensive listening to 1994 recordings has not turned up any clear evidence of Trey actually engaging it during a performance. When it entered the rig and when it was removed are both unknown.
⚠ Visually confirmed · Use not yet aurally verified
Wah Pedal New '94
Dunlop Crybaby Wah
The wah made its debut in April 1994, most notably appearing on Wolfman's Brother during that tour. One of the few new additions that lived on the floor rather than in the rack.
Pitch Shifter New '94
DigiTech Whammy II
The Whammy II was in use at some point during 1994, living on the floor pedalboard. The exact tour or show of its first appearance has not yet been confirmed and remains an open research question.
⚠ Debut show/tour not yet confirmed
DOD 680 — Evidence & Provenance
The DOD 680's presence in the rig is confirmed by video footage shot by Reverend Jeff Mosier — the bluegrass musician who briefly joined Phish in November 1994. His footage provides a close look at Rack A and the DOD is clearly visible. However, despite careful listening across 1994 recordings, no one has yet identified a moment where Trey audibly engages it. Whether it was patched into the signal chain and simply never switched in, or whether it was present but bypassed for the entire run, remains an open question. Exact dates of addition and removal are unknown.
Reference Listen — Small Stone Phaser
Stash — A Live One
The EHX Small Stone's slow, saturated phase sweep is clearly audible throughout this recording. One of the best documented examples of the phaser in Trey's 1994 palette.
Reference Listen — Ibanez DM2000
Digital Delay Loop Jam — 5/7/94
An extended improvisation built around the DM2000's looping capability. The May 7, 1994 show is a landmark example of how Trey used the new delay unit as a compositional tool in real time.
05
Floor Pedalboard
- MIDI Controller Custom Audio Electronics RS-10 — the primary interface for controlling all effect loops across the three CAE audio controller units in the racks. This was now the main "pedalboard" in terms of switching.
- Volume Ernie Ball volume pedal — carried over from previous era, still handling swells and overall level control.
- Wah Dunlop Crybaby — debuted April 1994. Exact floor layout unknown but almost certainly positioned alongside the RS-10 and volume pedal.
- Whammy II DigiTech Whammy II pitch shifter — present on the floor pedalboard at some point in 1994. Exact debut show or tour not yet confirmed.
- Channel Switching Mesa Boogie channel switching now handled via the CAE/Bradshaw system rather than dedicated floor switcher pedals as in the previous era.
Floor layout note
The exact arrangement of floor pedals in this era is not fully documented. The most likely configuration places the CAE RS-10 MIDI controller as the central piece, flanked by the Ernie Ball volume pedal and the Crybaby wah. Most switching that previously happened underfoot now happened via the RS-10's preset recall.
06
Signal Chain Overview
Simplified signal flow
Guitar
Languedoc
MarMar
MarMar
→
Wah
Crybaby
Wah
Wah
→
Rack A
TS-9 /
TS-10
TS-10
→
Rack A
Ross
Comp.
Comp.
→
Rack A
DM2000
→
Rack A
Small
Stone
Stone
→
Rack A
DOD 680?
→
Floor
Ernie Ball
Volume
Volume
→
Rack B
Mesa Boogie
Mark III
Mark III
→
FX Loop
Microverb
×3
×3
→
Cabinets ×2
Languedoc
2×12 ×2
2×12 ×2
Blue border = Rack A unit · Green border = Rack B unit · Dashed = effects loop or unconfirmed · Highlighted border = new in 1994
CAE RS-10 MIDI controller on floor controls all loop switching across CAE units in both racks. Exact delay/phaser order within Rack A not fully confirmed.
⚠ DOD 680 shown with dashed border — visually confirmed in rig (Mosier bluegrass video, Nov. 1994) but no aural evidence of use found in 1994 recordings.
CAE RS-10 MIDI controller on floor controls all loop switching across CAE units in both racks. Exact delay/phaser order within Rack A not fully confirmed.
⚠ DOD 680 shown with dashed border — visually confirmed in rig (Mosier bluegrass video, Nov. 1994) but no aural evidence of use found in 1994 recordings.
07
Era Summary
1994 represents the most transformative single year in Trey's rig history. The jump from a simple pedalboard to a Bradshaw MIDI rack system didn't change his core tone — the Mark III and the MarMar guitar remained the heart of his sound — but it dramatically expanded what was possible in real time.
The Bradshaw system solved a problem Trey had carried since his teenage years: vintage and boutique gear is often noisy or impractical to switch manually on stage. The CAE loop controllers allowed him to bring the Small Stone, the DM2000, and the DOD 680 into the rig without any of the noise or switching artifacts that would have plagued a floor-board setup.
The three Microverbs in Rack B — each set to a different ambient texture and recallable via MIDI — replaced the single unit from the previous era and gave Trey a palette of spaces to move between without bending down mid-song.
The Digital Delay Loop jams that appear throughout 1994 — most notably on 5/7/94 — are a direct product of this new architecture. The DM2000's looping capability, now cleanly integrated and footswitch-accessible, turned delay from an effect into a compositional device.
08
Listen on LivePhish
1994 is the year the Bradshaw MIDI rack system arrived and immediately transformed what Trey could do on stage. The Bomb Factory 5/7/94 — the original "Tweezerfest" — is the most celebrated document of the early Bradshaw era. 12/29/94 (Live Phish Vol. 20) is the canonical late-year release.
May 7, 1994
Live Phish Vol. 18 — The Bomb Factory
The Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX
The original "Tweezerfest" — 65+ minutes of continuous improvisation anchored by Tweezer in set two. The new Bradshaw MIDI rack in its first full touring months, the CAE RS-10 still a novelty. Selected by Mike Gordon as one of his personal picks.
Stream or download →
Dec 29, 1994
Live Phish Vol. 20 — Providence
Providence Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI
The penultimate night of the year before NYE — a full display of the late-1994 Bradshaw rig in command. Runaway Jim, Antelope, and a massive Bowie define the set.
Stream or download →
08
Open Research Questions
Research needed
The following items represent open questions for this era — areas where documentation is incomplete or evidence is not yet confirmed.
- Acoustic guitar — make/model The specific acoustic guitar used throughout 1994 for mid-show acoustic 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.
- DOD 680 — engagement The DOD 680 is confirmed present in Rack A via video footage, but no one has yet identified a moment in 1994 recordings where Trey audibly engages it. Whether it was ever switched in or simply sat bypassed for the entire run is an open question.
- Bradshaw system — exact debut show The Bradshaw MIDI switching system is placed as debuting in April 1994 based on available evidence, but the exact first show it was used has not been pinpointed with certainty.
- Rack A contents — full inventory The complete contents and signal routing of Rack A throughout 1994 have not been fully confirmed from available sources. Some units' exact positions in the chain are approximate.
09
Photos
Trey on stage, 1994 spring tour
Rack A — effects rack, lower right
Rack B — Mesa Boogie heads & Microverbs
Ibanez DM2000 digital delay unit
EHX Small Stone phase shifter
DOD 680 — from Mosier bluegrass footage, Nov. 1994
CAE RS-10 MIDI controller on floor
Phish live, 5/7/94 — Digital Delay Loop jam
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